Mrs. Ca Cooks

Monday Meal Planning 2.13.12

2012-02-13T13:33:00.000-05:00

Here we are, at the beginning of another crazy-busy week! This week we have ballet class, Valentine's Day and its related parties, two nights of 10K training for my husband, and I swear that this will be the week that I finally get my butt into the company provided gym that is loaded and which I get to use for free. I really have no excuse not to go!

Anyway, I was thinking this weekend that we have gotten in the rut of eating too much meat again. For a while we were only eating meat once or twice a week and I liked that, but now we're back to having meat almost every night. I'm hoping to work on that starting this week.

On to the meal plan!

Monday: Brisket, 7-layer salad, potato salad, macaroni and cheese (for the kiddos)

We actually had almost this exact same dinner last night, and since I made enough for two families, we're having it again tonight. It doesn't hurt that this is one of our favorite meals. I hadn't planned on cooking a big meal last night, but then we went to the butcher shop on Friday and brisket was on sale, and, well, I love a good brisket. I'll share the recipe for this and the salad tomorrow, probably. (I LOVE 7 LAYER SALAD, and I don't care who knows it.)

Tuesday: Valentine's Day Dinner! Heart-shaped Pasta with Four Cheese Sauce, Salad, Foccacia

On Saturday I hit my limit of togetherness with my toddler, and abruptly decided to leave the house for a little breathing space. With no plan in mind on where to go, I ended up at my favorite Italian grocer/bakery and purchased heart-shaped pasta, some pink pasta sauce, and a beautiful foccacia (not to mention some cannoli and eclairs, but those are long gone). I think pink sauce on heart pasta will be perfect for Valentine's day dinner.

Wednesday: Schweine-Schnitzel, Saurkraut Pierogi, Broccoli

Another of our favorite dinners, and another butcher shop impulse buy. We all love this dinner. Last time I made it I had a visiting toddler in the house and both she and Gabbie asked for seconds, which NEVER, EVER happens. It's that good! I'll have to share this recipe, too.

Thursday: Vegetarian Chili in the slow cooker, Corn Bread

I haven't settled on a chili recipe, yet. The cornbread is my mom's recipe, and is the perfect companion for any kind of chili.

Friday: As usual, Homemade Pizza, Salad

I love traditions, especially this one!

Saturday: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

I know I said this would be a meat-lite week, and meatloaf is pretty much the opposite of that, but it's a request from the husband, so I put it on the plan.

Sunday: (Breakfast) Sweet Potato Hash with Fried Eggs and Toast

This is one of Aaron's specialties, and I actually don't know what all he puts in it, because he usually makes as a treat for me and gives me a chance to relax with a cup of coffee while he cooks. He's pretty awesome sometimes.

Monday Meal Planning 1.6.12

2012-02-06T10:16:00.002-05:00

I don't know what it is about 2012, but both my husband and I have started out this new year with renewed motivation. However, this has led to schedules that are way more crazy-busy than normal. This is also conference abstract season, which means I'm doing a heck of a lot more writing than normal, and, due to a very sad and unfortunate situation at work I'm possibly taking on a little heavier workload than normal for a couple of months. (Oh, and my favorite member of my team is taking on another, well-deserved role in our program, but that means I have to hire another person, and that takes months too, so even more work.)

So, what this all means is that I am having to find meals to make that are even quicker than usual. There are a couple repeats on this menu from last week, because I made last minute substitutions a couple of times when I wasn't in the mood for what we were planning on eating that night. (We had cheeseburger salad instead of squash, and spaghetti and turkey meatballs instead of tomato soup.)

On to the plan!

Monday: Broccoli Cheese Soup (half recipe), and fruit
Tuesday: Salsa Verde Chicken tacos (using my Foodie Penpals salsa from Elizabeth) and refried beans
Wednesday: Tomato Parmesan Soup, salad, fruit
Thursday: Butternut Squash Coconut Curry, Naan
Friday: Homemade Pizza (I'm thinking of doing something different this time using some fun ingredients from my pantry)
Saturday: Pappardelle Bolognese, Salad, No-Knead Bread
Sunday (brunch): Piggy Pudding (an old favorite that I haven't made in a long while - Aaron will be super excited!), smoothies

January Foodie Penpals

2012-01-31T20:55:00.002-05:00

Early in January, I was messing around on Twitter, when I noticed a tweet from Courtney about something called Foodie Penpals. A little more clicking led me to Lindsay's site and the rest of the details. And then I signed up nearly immediately - this sounded like way too much fun!

Here are the details:

-You sign up by sending Lindsay an email (at theleangreenbean@gmail.com) with your full name, email address, blog/website address and twitter handle (if applicable). This month you would need to let her know by February 4th if you want to participate.

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

Okay on to the good stuff! This month I got my box of goodies from Elizabeth at Don't (White) Sugar-Coat It. Here's what she sent, all the way from Texas:

(As you can see from the background, it arrived on a snow-filled day!)

The box contained a nice note on a postcard, some delicious smoky chipotle sauce (for some Texas-style heat), a dark chocolate bar with pink peppercorns (fancy!), cranberry mango salsa, olive tortilla chips, and some packets of stevia. We have enjoyed these treats all so much! The chocolate tastes almost like I would imagine a chocolate spice cake would taste like, that is: delicious! Gabbie has been fighting me for those chips. They are seriously good. The salsa is also delicious, and I think I'm going to use some for a chicken dish next week.

All in all, this was a lot of fun, and I already signed up for next month. Thanks for putting together such a fun exchange, Lindsay!

(If you want to see what I sent to my Foodie Penpal, head over to Debbie's site!)

Monday Meal Planning 1.30.12

2012-01-30T14:58:00.001-05:00

I was so busy last week that I felt like the week actually ate me. Needless to say, there was no meal planning, there was only fly-by-the-seat-of-my pants, last minute, what the hell are we going to eat tonight kind of dinners. Turns out, that's super stressful!

We're doing better this week, I swear it.

Here's what we're eating this week (weekdays only, we're undecided about plans for the weekend, so I'm not planning anything as of right now):

Monday: Ravioli Soup, Salad, Garlic Bread
Tuesday: Butternut Squash with Coconut Milk and Curry, Rice, Naan, Fruit
Wednesday: Mongolian Beef, Steamed Broccoli, Rice (making a double batch the night before)
Thursday: Tomato, Basil, Parmesan Soup, Salad, Bread
Friday: Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, Steamed Green Beans, Salad

Monday Meal Planning 1.16.12

2012-01-16T13:13:00.001-05:00

I have the day off work today, and the girls are at daycare, so I'm going to make this quick to take full advantage of this alone time.

Monday: Lasagna Soup, Salad

I'm adding zucchini to the soup for a little extra vegetable, and leaving off the toasts.

Tuesday: Spicy Pop Pulled Pork, Baked Beans, Cole Slaw

We were all drooling a little when watching the new episode of The Pioneer Woman's show this past Saturday and she made this. I'm going to do it in the crock pot and perhaps leave out a few of the peppers.

Wednesday: Eggplant Casserole

I bought an eggplant because it looked pretty, and then I found this delicious-looking recipe in which to use it.

Thursday: Chicago Dogs, Sweet Potato Fries, Cole Slaw

This is among Aaron's favorite dinners, and is super quick and easy.

Friday: Pizza, Chopped Salad

I have half a jar of pizza sauce left from last Friday, so I'm doing pizza again this Friday. I love this Friday night tradition of homemade pizza.

Saturday: Beef Bourgignon, bread, salad

I've always wanted to make this, and so I've determined that this is the week to do so.

Monday Meal Planning 1.9.12

2012-01-09T11:55:00.001-05:00

This week sees me putting the final touches on a project that has been all-encompassing since the spring. I've been part of a team at work that is writing a 2nd edition of a book, and even though the whole 2nd edition thing makes it sound not too bad, it has been a LOT of writing, editing, and graphic designing. I think the whole, nearing the end point, but still having a ton to do between now and the end thing is making me hungry for comfort foods, which is definitely reflected in our plan for this week's meals.

Monday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

When I was planning out our meals yesterday, I asked Gabbie what she thought of having grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner tonight. Her face lit up and she said, "That sounds delicious!" (Dollars to donuts she eats exactly two bites of each before declaring her belly is full, and then five minutes later she will declare she's hungry again, but not for dinner.)

Tuesday: Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce, Salad, Fruit

I've been craving a baked pasta dish, but I didn't want something super heavy. This sounds like it will fit the bill perfectly!

Wednesday: Balsamic Roasted Chicken, Rice Pilaf, Steamed Broccoli

This is the only meal we didn't get to on our list last week. I just didn't have the time. Then we were going to have it this weekend, but the chicken is taking forever to thaw in our (apparently very cold) refrigerator. I hope that, by Wednesday, we'll be good to go.

Thursday: Tacos, Salad, Fruit

This is Aaron's addition to the meal plan this week. I asked him if there was anything he wanted, and he replied, "Tacos. Straight up." Easy enough. He gets his wish.

Friday: Potato Skins, Salad, Fruit

A while back, Food Network Magazine had an article where they created a different potato skin recipe to represent each team in the NFL in celebration for the Superbowl. My favorite was the Southwestern Nachos version (using Margaritaville salsa), whereas Aaron strongly preferred the Coney Dog version. I'm pretty sure the girls would prefer theirs with just melted cheese and sour cream, and perhaps a little bacon.

Saturday: Pasties, Steamed Green Beans

It's that comfort food time of year, and these are the ultimate comfort food for both Aaron and me. These take quite a while to put together, but thankfully the recipe makes a lot so I can freeze more than half and have pasties on hand for a while.

Monday Meal Planning 1.2.12

2012-01-02T11:15:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day of my 11 straight days off of work, and I am growing increasingly sad about this. I think that calls for a warm, homey meal tonight and quick, easy meals for the rest of the week, don't you?

Here's what we're eating this week!

Monday: Clean out the fridge soup, a salad, and pretzel rolls

We have so many little bits of leftovers from the past week or so, and they are just begging to be added to a big pot of soup. This one will probably contain: chicken and apple sausages, diced tomatoes in juice, chicken stock, red and green peppers, diced onion, carrots, celery, garlic, beans, and rice or pasta to be added at the end.

Tuesday: Spicy Thai Noodles, steamed broccoli

I pinned these a while ago and have been wanting to eat them ever since. This is my week!

Wednesday: Cheeseburger Salad

From The Pioneer Woman. I think that about says it all.

Thursday: Brinner

I think we'll be having breakfast burritos for brinner this week: eggs, sausage, peppers, onions, salsa, hash browns, and cheddar all wrapped up in a flour tortilla (or separated out for the kiddos).

Friday: Homemade pepperoni pizza, raw vegetables and fruit

We have some sandwich-sized pepperoni, which I think will be fun on this pizza. On mine I'll add either black olives or tomatoes and banana peppers.

Saturday: Balsamic Roasted Chicken, basic parmesan risotto, steamed broccoli

Sunday: Leftovers

We've been doing a big breakfast on Sundays as our main meal, and then snacking or eating leftovers the rest of the day. This is how my mom did things when I was growing up, and it seems to be a nice way to round out the weekend. I understand why she did this now. :)

And now that I'm all done typing this, I'm starving. Good thing it's just about lunch time!

Food Goals 2012

2012-01-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! I am having a hard time believing that 2012 is here already!

I took the week between Christmas and New Year off, meaning that as of tomorrow I will have been off work for 11 days straight, which has been wonderful, and has also given me a lot of time to think and plan for this coming year. In that vein, I have a few food/blog goals for this year, and here they are!

Blog Goals:

1. Blog here (and at my other site) three times per week. Three times a week here will probably include: a menu plan, one thing I've baked, and one recipe I've made recently. This will allow me to share some of the fantastic things I've made over the past year and ongoing, like this easy and delicious soup, which I would make and eat every week if my family didn't like more variety:

2. Work on an idea I've had for a while that combines two of my favorite things: data collection and finding/planning meals. I'm pretty excited about this possible side business that I want to pilot test soon. (My data/research geek is showing, isn't it?)

Food Goals:

This year, I want to make from scratch:

1. Ricotta/Paneer

2. An Indian meal (including naan)

3. The perfect Tom Yum Gai (Thai chicken soup, that I love)

4. Pho

5. Fresh noodles

6. My own sausage

7. Corn tortillas

8. Cheesecake

9. Granola bars

10. Crackers

I have found all sorts of energy and motivation over the past week, which as probably coincided with completing two HUGE projects at work just before I left for the holiday, and I can't wait to tackle 2012 with renewed excitement and hunger!

Christmas Treats 2011

2011-12-16T10:51:00.000-05:00

In a move that is completely unlike me, I have barely baked at all this Christmas season. I mean, I've made two kinds of cookies (and more than 5 dozen cinnamon rolls to give away as gifts), but they were for Christmas parties, so they're already gone. However, that doesn't mean I won't count them on my list.

The two kinds of cookies I already made, included some cinnamon sandwich cookies that were fantastic (I can't find the recipe anywhere online), and these Peppermint Crunch-Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies, that I made for Gabbie's preschool party. They were a bigger hit with the moms and teachers than the kids, but I maintain the kids lack good taste, because they turned out fantastic!

For the teachers at daycare, I made a full batch of The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls for the first time. I usually make a 1/4 batch because we don't need 5 dozen cinnamon rolls. Eight pie tins full of baked and iced cinnamon rolls were delivered this morning to very appreciative teachers. It just about killed me to bake that many cinnamon rolls and not be able to eat any of them. I never much cared for cinnamon rolls until I was pregnant with Sophie, and now I would eat them every day if I could. Thankfully for my waistline, I'm too busy to make cinnamon rolls that often. (Two other good recipes for cinnamon rolls - mine (these are by far Aaron's favorites), and Granny Foster's (I love the orange coconut rolls in an unholy way)).

And, here is the list of the rest of the sweets I'm planning to make, mostly over this coming weekend:

Sugar Cookie Puzzles
Buried Cherry Cookies
a Buche de Noel
Caramels, and lots of them, using the below recipe
A birthday Carrot Cake, because my baby turns one next Friday!

Caramels
Source: my mom

1 c. butter - no substitutions!
2 c. sugar
1 c. white Karo Syrup
1 c. Eagle Brand Condensed Milk (not Evaporated)

Mix all ingredients in a large pan, and cook, stirring CONSTANTLY, 245 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Remove from heat. Carefully stir in:

1 tsp. vanilla.

Stir well. Poor immediately into a buttered 8x8 pan.

When cool, cut in to small pieces (1/2 inch by 1/2 inch), and wrap each in waxed paper. If you try to stack them without wrapping, you will have one BIG caramel, which isn't all bad.

Hints: Use a good quality heavy pan. Stir with a wooden spoon. Also, you can make handles to lift the caramels easily out of the pan by putting a piece of wax paper in each direction, with the edges of the paper hanging over the edge. Set these out with a small dish of sea salt on the side for dipping. Also delicious dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt.

Monday Meal Planning 11.21.11

2011-11-21T10:23:00.001-05:00

I both love (3-day work week!) and hate (I can't believe November is almost over!) that Thanksgiving is this week. We'll be making the trek down to Ann Arbor yet again (we've gone at least once a week since early this month) to spend the day with family. I can't wait to dig in to all that great food! In the meantime, though, here's what we're planning to eat this week:

Monday: Sweet Potato Foil Packet Tacos, Not-So-Quick Spicy Rice

These are a big hit with everyone in the family. Even Sophie gets one, except hers just has sweet potatoes with a side of unseasoned, smushed beans. As unappealing as that sounds, she LOVES it. She has finally decided to eat real people food and is happy to try anything and everything that's placed in front of her. Ask me how she feels about pumpkin pie! (Hint: It disappeared in no time flat.) The rice is not-so-quick because I've been using brown rice lately. The family is not so hot on the brown rice version, but I'll win them over eventually!

Tuesday: Hot Browns, Broccoli

I make a variation on the above similar to what my mom has always made with leftover turkey (and, I hear, the same as my grandma used to make). We had an early Thanksgiving dinner with Aaron's mom's mom on Saturday, so I have leftover turkey to use even before the actual holiday this week. I'll hopefully post the recipe later this week, but it's basically an open-faced turkey, bacon, tomato sandwich with a beer-cheese sauce over top. It's good enough that I look forward to this once-yearly meal all year, and am very, very sad if there's no leftover turkey to use.

Wednesday: Taco Chicken

I wanted an easy meal for the evening before Thanksgiving, as I'll be making pies and an appetizer, and didn't want to have too much extra mess around.

Thursday: The Big Day!

I always make pie for Thanksgiving with Aaron's family, because if I don't they're stuck with store-bought pie, and I'm of the belief that everyone should be able to deal with making pie at least once per year, and this is the perfect day for it. (Also, I make pie on the regular, because it's really not that hard.) This year I'm bringing the standard pumpkin, as well as apple-cranberry-raisin, and a banoffee pie!

In addition to the pies, dinner is always about 2 hours later to the table than estimated, so I am thinking ahead this year and bringing some artichoke dip and crackers to snack on so I don't starve waiting for dinner (while smelling all those delicious foods cooking - it nearly kills me every time)!

Friday: Pierogis, Chicken Sausages, and Green Beans

Another easy, comfort food-type dinner. My favorite kind!

Saturday: Homemade Pizza

Sunday: ???

This is the start of my birthday week, and I'm hoping for a few dinners out (and that this will be one of them)!

Monday Meal Planning 10.24.11

2011-10-24T10:26:00.000-04:00

I needed to flex my writing muscles this morning before I launch into proposal and report writing for the rest of the day, so I thought what better place to start than with food so that I'm completely distracted thinking about all of the yummy things coming up on our meal plan for this week.

(I'm such a dork!)

Anyway, the meal plan for this week is abbreviated due to some exciting-to-us happenings occurring later this week. A short meal plan doesn't mean that there's nothing good, though, and I can't wait to dig in to a few of these meals.

On to the food!

Monday: Chicken and Dumplings, roast beets

Last week sometime, Aaron and I were chatting about memorable meals. He brought up a bowl of chicken and dumplings he had once at a restaurant near where he grew up that he can still practically taste because he loved it so much. They were on special that night, and he looked for them every time he went back, but they never had them again while he was there. Talk about disappointment!

Anyway, last night I stewed some chicken to make stock and chicken allegedly for soup, but little does he know that I'm trying the Pioneer Woman's recipe for chicken and dumplings instead. I hope he's very pleasantly surprised!

Tuesday: 3 Packet Pot Roast, Celeriac Mash

A few weeks back, when I watched The Pioneer Woman's show where she made pot roast, I noticed she served her roast with mashed potatoes instead of with potatoes cooked with the roast. Since I still have plenty of potatoes and celeriac left over from the CSA (which has, sadly, ended for the season), I thought I'd serve my roast with this celeriac mash recipe (and of course, with carrots cooked with the roast, because those are about my favorite thing, ever). However, my celery roots are nowhere near the size mentioned in the recipe - I don't think the three I have reach the weight of the one listed - so I'll be halving this and using Yukon gold potatoes instead of the russet listed. So yeah. We'll see how that goes!

Wednesday: Quiche, fruit

I have a lot of eggs I need to use up, plus some leeks, orange and yellow peppers, and feta, so I'm thinking a roasted pepper, leek, and feta quiche sounds pretty darn good. I had something similar from a local food truck not too long ago, and it was fan-freaking-tastic. The main difference was they used goat cheese, but I think the feta I have on hand will substitute nicely. I will let you know for sure how it turns out.

Thursday: Grilled Cheese sandwiches, raw vegetables, fruit smoothies

This is kind of a clean-out-the-fridge meal, and the kind that usually goes over better with Gabbie. After she cleans her plate and asks for more after a meal like this one, I often wonder why I kill myself to make more elaborate meals on a regular basis, but then I realize, it's because I love to cook. And eat. It all works out.

Monday Meal Planning 10.17.11

2011-10-17T13:27:00.000-04:00

My life has become so out-of-control crazy busy lately, that I have to admit that I am incredibly proud of myself for continuing to cook a dinner for my family nearly every night. Especially since what I really want to do is crawl into bed, throw the covers over my head, and hide, but that's neither here nor there. Onto the meals for this week!

Monday: Wild rice stuffed acorn squash, bread, salad
Tuesday: Grilled chicken breasts, macaroni and cheese, roasted purple cauliflower
Wednesday: Taco Rice
Thursday: Pot Roast, mashed potatoes, salad
Friday: Pizza and salad
Saturday: Butternut Squash Enchiladas, Quick Spicy Rice
Sunday: Chicago dogs, french fries, roasted beets

Monday Meal Planning 9.19.11

2011-09-19T15:42:00.001-04:00

Just a quick list this week - September is about to swallow me whole!

Monday: Chicken Fajitas and quick spicy rice
Tuesday: Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches, fries, watermelon
Wednesday: Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, and Kale (except with swiss chard this time)
Thursday: Chicken Strips, green beans, watermelon
Friday: Homemade pizza - individual style (i.e. everyone gets to top their own) - I cannot believe that this is the first time I've posted this link here. I love this pizza dough and it makes a pizza that I think is better than any takeout or delivery we can get near our house. So yummy!
Saturday: Dinner w/Aaron's family - I'll probably take a dessert as usual. Peach pie sounds fantastic.
Sunday: ??? I've been leaving Sunday dinner up to Aaron lately, so who knows what we'll end up with this week. I'm fully expecting something grilled; he wants to use up the last of our propane before grilling season is over.

Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, and Kale

2011-09-14T09:46:00.000-04:00

As usual, I am a horrible food blogger - I get so hungry making dinner that I dive in and am halfway through my meal before I realize I didn't take a picture of the food when it looked the most appealing. Then I figure, oh well, too late now, so I eat the rest. Afterwards, the regret sets in - this meal was so delicious, and now I don't feel like I can share it on my site because I don't have any pictures.

Well, this one was so simple, delicious, and comforting that you'll just have to use your imagination.

So! Imagine this: You look in your refrigerator and you have a large bowl of heirloom cherry tomatoes. Yellow, green, orange, red, purple jewels just begging to be eaten. And you know they taste even better roasted just until their skin starts to crack and their juices leak. You also have a head of monster-sized garlic, a rubber-banded together bunch of dark green kale, and a fresh block of parmesan just begging to be shaved into a pillowy cloud of deliciousness.

You can see why I was inspired, I'm sure. These ingredients, cooked just so, and served over pasta made one heck of a fantastic meal last night. Aaron and I usually exercise some self-control and save portions of dinner for lunch the next day, but last night all self control went out the window and we ate every single last bite. "It will be better freshly cooked," we told ourselves. I'm not sure that's true, but it was a good enough excuse for us.

Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, and Kale

3 cups cherry tomatoes
2 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

1 bunch kale (about 12 stalks)
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 c. stock (I used vegetable, but chicken would work well too)
salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste

1/2 lb. rotini, or other short pasta, cooked in salted water per manufacturer's instructions
1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. On a large roasting pan, toss cherry tomatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes, or just until the skins on the tomatoes start to burst and the juices start to escape. Remove from the oven, and set aside.

Meanwhile, wash your kale well and remove the leaves from the tough stem. Chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Add olive oil and butter to a saute pan over medium heat. When butter has completely melted, add kale and saute until the leaves begin to wilt. Add in the stock, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover partially, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until leaves are soft.

While kale is cooking, remove garlic from its skins and smash with a spoon in a small bowl. Add smashed, roasted garlic to the kale and stir. Add in tomatoes and accumulated juices. Serve kale and tomato mixture over pasta, and top with parmesan to taste.

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

2011-09-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

When I was growing up, whenever it was a special day (like the first day of school, the last day of school, or when I was home from college, etc.) my mom made us cinnamon raisin biscuits for breakfast. To this day, whenever we're all home (a rarity, since one of us lives in Arizona, another in Virginia, and then little old me here in Michigan) one of us will request cinnamon raisin biscuits for breakfast. Usually my mom goes for it, because they're really easy to make, especially if you follow the one rule of biscuits: don't mess with the dough too much or you will end up with hockey pucks.

Go ahead and guess what happened the first time I made these by myself. It won't be too hard to guess, I promise.

These days I do for Gabbie what my mom used to have to do for me: I halve the dough before adding in the raisins, because Lord forbid if a raisin, or any type of fruit really, is in her baked good. She'll eat everything separately, but they MUST NOT BE MIXED FOR GOODNESS SAKE, MOM!

Anyway, make these for a breakfast this weekend, served with a big glass of milk, of course. Also, because these need to be even more decadent, we usually slice them in half, add a pat of butter, and stack them back up so the butter melts and OMG I'm drooling right now.

These biscuits are on my mind because a little person who lives in my house is starting preschool next Tuesday, and I will be starting the tradition in my house as well by serving her these biscuits for breakfast.

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits
Adapted from My Mom (heh) and Fanny Farmer

2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. shortening (or butter, which is the route I usually take)
2/3 c. milk
1/4 to 1/3 c. sugar mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon (use more or less of each to taste)
a handful or two of raisins

Icing:
2 c. powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. milk, plus more to reach desired consistency
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

Put your flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar into a bowl Cut the shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry blender (or, alternately, you could do this with a food processor) until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk and stir with a fork just until the dough forms a ball around the fork. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 7 times. Pat flat, and top with the cinnamon and sugar mixture and raisins. Fold over and knead 7 more times. Pat until 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds with a 2-inch biscuit cutter (or a drinking glass). Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.

While still hot, place the biscuits on your serving dish and drizzle with the icing.

Bolognese Sauce

2011-09-01T14:24:00.003-04:00

You know how, growing up, you'd go over to your Italian granny's house and she'd have a big pot of something simmering away on the stove? And the aroma would drive you nearly mad with hunger, making it hard to wait to dig in?

Yeah, me either. I'm as WASPy as they come, but when I'm making this bolognese sauce I can imagine what that must have been like, because it makes my house smell a-freaking-mazing. It's all I can do to not stand at the stove with a spoon and eat it all before any of it makes it to the table. But, I always exercise the proper restraint, even when it makes it to the table, so that I can freeze half of the sauce and have another meal on a night when I want something delicious and comforting but don't feel like standing in the kitchen for an hour or two.

In all actuality, this dish is not hard to make, but does take a little time to pull together. I cheat a little, using my food processor to chop all the vegetables, which makes quick work of the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Even when I cut them by hand, though, the time it takes to make this sauce is well worth it. It makes for an incredibly fantastic, meaty, filling, comforting meal.

Bolognese Sauce

adapted from Jamie's Food Revolution

4 slices of bacon, finely sliced

1 medium onion

3 cloves of garlic

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

olive oil

2 heaped tsp. dried oregano

1/2 lb. ground pork

3/4 lb. ground beef

28 oz. whole tomatoes (I like San Marzano best)

salt and pepper

a small bunch of fresh basil, leaves and stems separated.

3/4 c. parmesan cheese

1/4 c. whole milk or cream

1 lb. pasta (we like linguine), cooked according to the directions on the box

Peel and finely chop the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery (I usually peel and chunk up the vegetables and then throw them in my food processor, pulsing until they're finely chopped but not pureed). In a large pan over medium heat, add about a Tbsp. of the olive oil, the bacon, and oregano. Cook until the bacon is golden. Add the chopped vegetables to the pan and cook until soft and lightly golden, stirring regularly. Stir in the meat, breaking it up with your spoon. Add the tomatoes and break these up with your spoon as well. Add in 1/2 c. water, salt, and pepper. Chop up the basil stems and throw them in. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

After the hour, remove the pan from the heat and add a 1/2 c. of the parmesan (or more if you're like me), the milk or cream, and the basil leaves. Stir until the cheese is incorporated. Serve over cooked pasta and top with additional parmesan and basil.

Monday Meal Planning 8.29.11

2011-08-29T13:22:00.000-04:00

I am in total shock right now after writing the title for today's post, because we're in the final days of August already. How in the heck did that happen so fast? I'm sure the month has passed in the blink of an eye because of how busy we've been, and it's just about to get even more busy! Here is what we busy people are planning to eat this week:

Monday: Take Out

Tonight we have Gabbie's preschool open house (she starts next week!) and then Gabbie's first ballet class, so I'm not even going to pretend to have time to cook. Chinese it is!

Tuesday: Twice Baked Potatoes, Salad

One of my favorite, fairly simple meals. So, so good and comforting!

Wednesday: Pepperoncini Beef, green beans

I didn't end up making this last week, but I want it really, really bad, so we're having it this week for sure.

Thursday: Oven-baked ratatouille and bread (Plus possibly some rosemary ranch grilled chicken kabobs so that there's something other than bread that Gabbie will eat)

Friday: Burritos, Quick Spicy Rice

Saturday: ??

Sunday:??

We haven't decided what we're doing for the weekend, so I didn't plan that far ahead. I cannot wait for the 3-day weekend!

Monday Meal Planning 8.22.11

2011-08-22T11:21:00.000-04:00

Last week was a week of easy, dad-doable meals like sloppy joes, hot dogs, french fries, and macaroni and cheese, because I was out of town for most of the week. Then we were bad and ate out all weekend (except for breakfasts; I made awesome breakfasts), so I'm forcing us to eat in all week, using all the wonderful produce we have from the CSA,the meat we have stocked in our freezer, and ingredients from my overflowing pantry. Even though I'm (really not, because I have a lot) limited to what I have on hand, we're eating pretty well.

Monday: Aloo Gobhi, vegetable rice, naan (and possibly baba ganoush to use up an eggplant before it goes bad)

I'm making the rice slightly more fancy than plain basmati, because I have a feeling Gabbie won't eat the cauliflower and potatoes. I'll start by sauteing onions in butter, use broth instead of water to steam the rice, and add in carrots, peas, and possibly corn to give it a little more nutritional punch. Because otherwise, my carb loving child would eat just bread and rice, and I just can't let that happen.

Tuesday: Stuffed zucchini, bread, fruit salad

We're down to our last gargantuan zucchini, and I plan to stuff the whole thing (it's seriously about 18 inches long) with all sorts of tasty vegetables and sausage. Aaron didn't notice the turkey sausage last time, but I'm a little wary of buying any right now due to recent ground turkey recalls, so he gets the full fat version this time. Really, though, it's only about 1/2 a pound at the most that I usually put in, so it could be worse.

Wednesday: Pepperocini beef sandwiches, sweet potato fries, cole slaw

There was a buy-one-get-one sale on roasts at the store last week, so I have 4 roasts to use up now (it ended up being about $2 per pound, I really couldn't pass it up!). I also have a jar and a half of pepperocinis in the fridge, so this works out perfectly. I've been making my sweet potato fries seasoned lately, using paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and they're fantastic.

Thursday: Marinated hot dogs, potato salad, fresh vegetables and dip

I read about marinated hot dogs a while ago, and was completely intrigued, so they're on the menu this week. I'm also making Aaron's grandma's recipe for potato salad, and if she told me the truth and it works out, I'll share the recipe. She's famous for leaving out "the secret ingredient," so you can understand why I'm feeling a little dubious.

Friday: Baked sweet potato and black bean burritos, quick spicy rice cheesified

I was looking for a second vegetarian recipe to add for the week, and these just look fantastic, plus they got great reviews, so they're going on here. I made a "cheesified" (TM Aaron) version of my quick spicy rice last weekend, and it was a hit, so I'll probably make it to go with these. Basically, I made the rice, then mixed it with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and a little softened butter, and baked it for 20 minutes, and then we all devoured the entire caserole dish worth in ten minutes flat (we had help from my parents and sister, lest you think we are complete gluttons).

Saturday: Pasta with pepperoni sauce, foccacia, salad

This is what you make when you have plenty of pepperoni and pizza dough left over from recent pizza making experiences, and a sick-of-pizza husband. (I really think he's just sick of the mess I make when I make pizza. I manage to get corn meal everywhere, I admit.)

Sunday: ???

Either leftovers, brinner, or a last minute, what do we have that needs to be used type meal. Or beer can chicken, because I've really been wanting to make that.

Creamy Chicken Quesadillas and Quick Spicy Rice

2011-08-03T13:18:00.001-04:00

Side note to start off this post: Ignore that this does not at all match what I had on my meal plan for this week. My family has revolted and vetoed pretty much everything on that list or told me that they want it this weekend instead and I am about to scream because why can't I have what I want, stupid having-to-compromise sucks royally, and yes, I'm a little cranky, why do you ask?

*Breathes Deep Breaths*

Last night I wanted something for dinner that was both quick and would create leftovers for lunch today (to help out with my August Challenge of not eating out at all (3 days in and so far, so good!)). I stumbled across this recipe, which fit the bill pretty perfectly. Then I got home and found that I had neither (a) corn, nor (b) black beans, but decided, screw it, I'm making them anyway. So I fudged it a little bit.

Then, when I was almost done cooking, a certain person in my house, who is not the one who usually speaks in "Whine," started whining that there was no side dish to accompany the quesadillas, so I whipped up some rice to go on the side. And, lo, it all turned out delicious and everyone (except the pre-schooler, who didn't feel like eating anything because she survives on air and squeezy yogurts) enjoyed the heck out of the meal.

And because everything was so tasty, I thought I'd share what I did here, in case you, too, need a quick, easy meal on a weeknight when you would much rather be in bed eating a giant ice cream sundae.

Creamy Chicken Quesadillas
Adapted from Sugared Whisk

4 oz. cream cheese
1/3 c. water
1 chicken bullion cube
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 c. shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
4 burrito sized flour tortillas
butter for the pan

In a sauce pan, mix together cream cheese, water, and the herbs and spices. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the bullion is dissolved and the cream cheese has melted and incorporated. Add chicken and cook until heated through.

Melt a little butter in a skillet, swirling to coat. Place one tortilla in the pan, and on one half of the tortilla sprinkle on 1/8 of the cheese, top with 1/4 of the chicken mixture, and sprinkle 1/8 of the cheese on top of that. Flip over the the other half of the tortilla, and press down. Cook until browned, then flip and brown the other side. Remove from the pan. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas, fillings.

Quick Spicy Rice

1 can Rotel (heat level of your choosing)
1 1/4 c. water
1 chicken bullion cube
salt
1 c. rice (I used basmati because that's what I had on hand; cooking time may vary based on rice)

Combine the Rotel, water, chicken bullion cube and a pinch of salt in a sauce pan with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil, then add rice. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is soft. Remove from heat, and stir with a fork to fluff. Let sit 5 minutes.

We didn't do this, but thought it would be delicious - Combine cooked quick spicy rice with sour cream and shredded cheese. Stir together and place in a small casserole dish. Top with more shredded cheese. Bake (probably at 350 for 20 minutes) until heated through and bubbly.

Monday Meal Planning 8.1.11

2011-08-01T10:34:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here in disbelief that it's August already. August! The last month of summer! The last month before my oldest starts preschool! I'm so not ready for all of this!

Anyway, we still have to eat, so here's what we're having this week:

Monday: Spice-rubbed rib-eye with Bar Americain Steak Sauce, Grilled Potatoes with Spicy Tomato Mayonaise, and steamed fresh peas

For Aaron's birthday back in May, I bought him a Bobby Flay cookbook to inspire him to use our new grill. He decided he didn't really want it, but never took it back, and now we're stuck with the cookbook, so we're using it tonight. We also have some fresh peas from my parents' garden which need to be used (and Sophie gets peas for the first time tonight!), so those will be accompanying this dinner as well. Fresh peas are one of my favorite foods, hands down.

Tuesday: Perfect poached eggs and sauteed kale on toast, fruit salad

As adventurous as I usually am in the kitchen, I've never tried to poach an egg the traditional way. Well, I'm trying it this week. Wish me luck!

Wednesday: Macaroni and Cheese, brats and hot dogs, broccoli

This is a request from Gabbie, and I don't know why I'm giving in, because she almost never eats the macaroni and cheese even though she swears that she will! I was inspired this recipe for the macaroni and cheese, so I think I'll try something similar, leaving out the taco-type ingredients (and then making it as written next time, because, yum!).

Thursday: Garlic Greens and White Beans over Polenta

I may be the only person in my family that eats this meal, but it sounds completely heavenly to me. There will be leftovers and other options for the nay-sayers if there are any. I'll win them over on polenta eventually, I swear!

Friday: Pot Stickers, Vegetable Fried Rice

I have been making pizza of some sort every Friday for a couple of months now, but I think it's time to change it up and do home-made take-out type dishes. We all love pot stickers, and I have a pound of ground pork in the freezer, so these fit perfectly. The fried rice is an awesome way to use up extra CSA vegetables that we haven't gotten to yet. Plus, I love fried rice like no one's business.

Saturday: Fajitas on the Grill, Southwest Corn Dip

We bought a beautiful skirt steak yesterday, and I think fajitas (something like this recipe) sound like the perfect way to use them up. Yum! Also, the first corn is arriving at Farmers' Markets in the area lately, so I will be there ready to grab a bag full of fresh sweet corn.

Sunday: Something with Zucchini, fruit salad

I have zucchini coming out of my ears lately, so I need new ways to use them up. This recipe for zucchini pie/quiche is a strong contender, and uses up a bunch of other stuff I have in the house already.

Preschool Lunch Ideas:

What do you send with your kid for lunch? My preschooler has recently decided to eshew all foods that were previously deemed the only foods she would eat and I'm at a loss. She would eat yogurt and crackers every day for every meal, accompanied only by candy, if she could get away with it. Which she can't. So help me out, if you would. I'm fresh out of ideas!

Monday Meal Planning 7.25.11

2011-07-25T13:40:00.002-04:00

We are back! We survived camping and had three fun meals made over the camp fire (and then got rained out and had to leave a night early, but still! Fun!). We didn't get extremely creative this time (hot dogs, s'mores, bacon and eggs, biscuits and grilled cheese in the pie iron), but we will definitely be heading out again sometime soon and I'll try some more adventurous campfire meals next time.

Since we didn't get home until about 9:00 last night, we still have most of our unpacking to do, so the week starts out slow, food-wise. However, my parents shared some of their garden bounty with us, so I can't wait to cook those amazingly fresh vegetables.

Here goes:

Monday: Grilled BBQ chicken, dilly potatoes, and carrots

Usually I peel and slice the potatoes for our foil packet dinners, but since I have a bunch of new red potatoes, I'm just going to wash and quarter them before adding butter, fresh dill, and salt. I'm going to try baby carrots in a foil packet tonight too, topped with butter, honey, and salt. I can't wait to see how these turn out!

Tuesday: Stuffed zucchini and rice pilaf

My parents had some huge zucchinis already, so I took one and we're filling it with all kinds of good stuff (except I'm using turkey sausage instead of regular - shh...don't tell Aaron!)

Wednesday: Spicy Garlic and Lime Black Bean Enchiladas, corn bread

I usually make some sort of rice to go on the side of Mexican dishes, but since there's rice in these enchiladas, I'm going to try corn bread or something similar on the side.

Thursday: Cowboy Quesadillas, chips and guacamole

This will use up any leftover BBQ chicken from Monday, and any leftver black beans from Wednesday. That's what a call a win-win kind of dinner!

Friday: Pizza Rolls, fresh vegetables, fruit salad

I've been making pizza of some sort every Friday that we're home lately, and this week I'm using some dough I have frozen for pizza rolls. I'm filling mine with pepperoni and black olives, Gabbie's will have straight up pepperoni, and I'm guessing Aaron will want his favorite - ham and pineapple. I love that these can make all three of us happy in one baking dish!

Saturday: Out

I have actually been really good with making and sticking to meal plans lately. In fact, we've only been out to eat twice in the past two weeks, which is pretty good for us (this includes lunches!). So, of course, I want to reward myself for being so good by heading out and ruining my streak. I'm totally craving Asian food of some sort, so I'll have to convince the rest of the family that they are craving it too.

Sunday: Dinner with the extended family

Once a month Aaron's family gets together at his grandparents' house for dinner. We've promised to make it to this one (we actually got more than a couple of days notice for this one, so we can plan accordingly), so I don't have to plan dinner for Sunday. However, I do have to make a pie, because that's one of the main reasons his family likes me (besides my winning personality and ability to create adorable babies, of course), and his grandpa gets disappointed if I show up without one of my "famous" pies (famous only to them). This week will probably be cherry crumb, since they're so delicious right now.

Monday Meal Planning (on Tuesday!) 7.18.11

2011-07-19T10:46:00.002-04:00

This is a weird week meal planning-wise, because we may be heading up north camping this weekend, but we won't know for sure until tomorrow (depends on the forecast, which currently shows rain for the entire weekend - BOO!), and if we are we have to be ready tomorrow night because we're leaving immediately after work on Thursday. Aaron asked me to meal plan for the trip, and so I've been doing some campfire cooking research and now I'm even more confused than ever. Also, like everywhere else right now, it's incredibly freaking hot, and so the meals this week can all be made without turning on the stove or oven (or even the grill because I would feel bad making Aaron stand outside in front of a hot grill with heat indexes around 102 degrees!). I'm including last night's meal here as well, because it was really good and simple.

Monday: Turkey Sandwiches on Pretzel Rolls, cut up vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, radishes), fruit salad, cheese puffs

We bought some mini pretzel baguettes at Whole Foods this past weekend, and for dinner last night we split them, topped them with sliced turkey, meunster (or monster, if you're Gabbie) cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and Swedish mustard. They were fantastic! We also gave in to Gabbie's request for Cheetos last night, but used them to help her with counting and math (we're doing some homeschool-style preschool in the evenings this summer). I asked her how many cheese puffs she wanted, and then we counted them out, and handed them to her one-by-one asking how many she had on her plate and then how many she had left, using some good-old finger math. Then she ate them all and was a very happy girl!

Tuesday: Italian Vegetable Hoagies, chips, fruit salad

Another no-cook meal, and this one is vegetarian to boot. I've been feeling like I've been eating too much meat lately, so I'm trying for at least 3 meat-free dishes a week if I can get away with it. Of course, you wouldn't be able to tell that by the meal that I have planned for...

Wednesday: BBQ pulled pork, cole slaw

We're having a "southern food" lunch potluck for book club tomorrow, so I'm making crockpot pulled pork. Left-overs will become dinner, and I don't even mind that I'll be eating the same thing all day, because it's easy and I have little to no motivation to do anything extra when it's this hot out.

Thursday: Dinner at my parents' house

No idea what we'll have, but I'm guessing it will come straight out of their garden, and I can't wait!

Friday through Sunday: Campfire food!

Here's where the research I've been doing comes in. My favorite thing growing up and going camping was grilled cheese made in a pie iron, and this post has some great ideas for using the pie iron to make slightly fancier meals. About.com has some great camping recipes too, and I've been having fun perusing these. I'm not sure what all we'll be eating, except we will be using the pie iron for at least one meal, we'll be having hot dogs over the fire at least once, and I cannot wait to make s'mores using a peanut butter cup in place of the normal chocolate bar. YUM!

Several items I would like to eat as soon as humanly possible

2011-07-13T10:21:00.000-04:00

For some reason (I'm thinking baby growth spurt/increase in the amount she's nursing overall) I have been ridiculously hungry for the past couple of weeks. So, of course, it doesn't help that I've seen some amazing looking food on the internet while I'm stuck somewhere (work) without food. Here are several of those things that I would like to appear before me so I can eat/inhale them.

Egg Tostada Fritatta (thanks for posting this Cassie!)

It's Mexican Brinner, what could be better? Considering that breakfast burritos are just about my most favorite food ever, I'm thinking that there's no way I won't like this dish.

Hot Merguez Baguettes
I showed this to Aaron, saying something about how I wanted that in my mouth as soon as possible, and he made some sort of That's What She Said joke, which I totally deserved, but I still stand by my original statement, unintended double entendre aside.

Roasted Potatoes That Will Change Your Life
Potatoes? Good. Bacon? Good. Bleu Cheese? Good. Mixed together with a bunch of other yummy ingredients? Fantastic!

Patatas Bravas
When I was in Chicago for work a couple of weeks back, I met up with my college roommate for tapas, and this was my favorite dish of the night (or at least tied for favorite dish with baked goat cheese in tomato sauce served with slices of garlic bread).

Lemonade with Black Raspberries and Lavender
We went to a local jazz festival not too long ago and one of the vendors had sage-infused lemonade. It was one of the best things I've ever drank, and now I'm all about trying any herb-infused lemonade I can get my hands on. This one looks particularly delectable.

Mint Chocolate Cookie Dough Poppers
I usually crave savory foods, but ever since I saw Kim post about these, they have been on my mind. It has been a while since I've baked anything, and these may just be the thing to get me back in the kitchen.

Perfect Iced Coffee
I am not at all ashamed to admit that I cannot make it through my morning without a cup of coffee. However, it's been hellishly hot lately, and it's sometimes hard to choke down my hot cup o' joe. With temperatures predicted for the 90s this weekend, I may have to finally try this recipe.

Several Things to Make with Strawberries

2011-06-21T10:46:00.001-04:00

Here in Michigan it is currently the height of strawberry season, and we are doing our darndest to eat our fair share of these gorgeous, delicious berries. The girls and I went strawberry picking this past Saturday and came home with over 8 pounds of berries to enjoy. We also got a bunch of strawberries from our CSA this past week, so I think it's safe to say we're nearly swimming in berries. In addition to simply sitting down with a bowl of berries, here are several recipes we've made (and then a couple more I want to make):

So far we've made:
Strawberry Lemonade Icebox Pie (I omitted the meringue and topped with whipped cream instead)
Strawberry Jam (placed in sterilized jars and processed for 15 minutes)
Strawberry Shortcake (my grandma's recipe and my favorite strawberry dessert - best when eaten immediately)

I still want to make:

Strawberry Basil Lemonade (we had some fresh lemonade with sage this weekend and it was amazing, so I'll be all about infusing lemonades with herbs for a while)
More strawberry jam, this time a different variety (maybe with peaches, or infused with something)
Strawberry gelato (unfortunately my ice cream maker bit the big one, so I may be out of luck on this)

Is there anything else I should make with my strawberry bounty?

The Purple Carrot

2011-06-14T12:45:00.019-04:00

On Sunday, while reading through my friends' updates on Facebook, I noticed that two of my friends had "Liked" something called The Purple Carrot. I, of course, had to immediately click through to see what this was, since I like to know what's going on around town. Boy, was I glad I did. A food truck! Right here in our town! I had been jealous that Ann Arbor, about an hour away, had a burgeoning food truck scene, and wanted to go down there to check it out. Now I didn't have to travel so far to get in on this trend!

The first day they were serving following those status updates was today, so I drove on over to where they were parked (I was even early and had to park on the other side of the parking lot so I didn't seem too dorky for being there waiting for them to open), and placed my order. It was hard to decide - unique sandwiches, delicious looking salads, Oberon cheddar and ham soup - but I've been wanting to try bahn mi for quite a while and since it was on the menu here, it was definitely time.

So I stepped up and ordered, and a minute later, I was on my way back to the office, smelling the sandwich and getting infinitely hungrier the entire ride. The sandwich has beef pate, road beef, asparagus, and other pickled vegetables with a sriracha mayonaise (two words alone that sound heavenly to me). The sandwich was definitely worth the wait, and I love that it came with some dressed greens on the side. I felt very virtuous eating all these vegetables for lunch, and it was especially nice since I've been craving copious amounts of vegetables lately.

After I had ordered my sandwich, the woman at the window asked if I'd like anything else. Looking down at the menu, I saw that they had cake pops for a dollar each. I couldn't pass that up; a little something sweet to round out my meal. It was just slightly sweet, definitely less so than the cake pops I've made, but very good (and cute to boot).

I will definitely be showing up where they're parked again sometime soon (I have to try that soup!). Maybe next time I'll do brunch, my favorite meal. I'm so excited to have these guys in town!

Monday Meal Planning 6.13.11

2011-06-13T11:17:00.044-04:00

Thankfully the Work Project that Ate May (and Some of June) is finally done! To say May was a hectic month would be a bit of an understatement. I laid low last week to recover, thank goodness, and now I'm ready to join the ranks of productive adults once again!

This week is one of the most exciting of the year for me - our CSA starts this week! I am really, really looking forward to all the wonderful fresh vegetables and eggs. The only thing that is hard about the CSA is meal planning, because we get a list of possibly available vegetables at the beginning of the week and then don't get to pick them up until Wednesday, and so I have to make meal contingency plans. Early on, it's not too hard because it's pretty much just different kinds of greens, but as the variety increases and the possibilities list gets longer, it gets a lot harder.

Keeping in mind the greens we will have mid-week (and the farm fresh eggs, one of my favorite parts of the CSA) here's what we're eating this week!

Monday: Macaroni and cheese, roasted asparagus, turkey sloppy joes

Tonight is Gabbie's last tumbling class of the season, so it's the last week I have to take it extra easy and quick on Mondays. To celebrate we're having three of Gabbie's favorite foods (mine too!).

Tuesday: BBQ Chicken, baked sweet potatoes, broccoli

Aaron has been talking about BBQ chicken on the grill for longer than we've actually had the grill, and is determined that this will be the week it happens.

Wednesday: Margherita Paninis, cucumber salad, french fries

I have a large piece of fresh mozzarella, a bunch of tomatoes, and a huge container of basil in my refrigerator. Throw in the sliced sourdough boule I have on my counter, and what else could I possibly even think of making? Yum!

Thursday: Quinoa stir-fry with vegetables and chicken

We'll use left-over chicken from Tuesday to make this a super-quick meal

Friday: Brinner!

We'll be having fried or poached eggs over a mixed green salad, spiced cubed potatoes, sausages, and sauteed mushrooms. It doesn't get much better than that!

Saturday: Aaron's Choice

My sister will be in town from Arizona yet again this weekend, and it's the last time until mid-September, so we'll be seeing her on Sunday. This means we're celebrating Father's Day on Saturday, and Aaron gets to pick whatever he wants for dinner (and he hasn't chosen yet). I would not be the least bit surprised to see either meatballs or taco rice (depending on how involved he wants me to get) on the menu, nor would I be surprised if he chose breakfast out at our favorite local restaurant instead of dinner. I would be very happy with any of those options!

(Sunday is up in the air too, thanks to visits with family)

And with that all said and done, here are:

Pre-Schooler Lunch Ideas
Monday: Oatmeal with brown sugar, strawberries, yogurt (she wanted scrambled eggs too, but we had to draw the line somewhere!)
Tuesday: Ham and Cheese on Sourdough, carrots, blueberries, applesauce
Wednesday: Chicken, peas or broccoli, mandarin oranges, yogurt (and possibly some fruit snacks as a treat)
Thursday: Pasta with butter and parmesan cheese, peas or broccoli, strawberries
Friday: Peanut butter and honey sandwich, pretzels, yogurt, banana (and possibly some fruit snacks as a treat)

Monday Meal Planning 5.16.11

2011-05-16T10:18:00.000-04:00

Do you know what I love? I love minimal shopping weeks. Groceries are getting so ridiculously expensive these days that any week I can use what we already have (which is typically a lot) is a great week for me. We have lots of leftover food from my husband's birthday party this past weekend that we only have to get a few essentials this week (milk, a few veggies and fruits, yogurt, and cereal) to be all set. Score!

Monday: Barbecue Spaghetti, Asparagus, Fruit and Yogurt parfaits

I saw this recipe in the most recent issue of Food Network Magazine and since we have some leftover pulled pork in the freezer and all the other ingredients already, it went on the menu immediately. Two of Gabbie's favorite foods are bbq pork and "snake noodles" (aka spaghetti), this should go over well!

Tuesday: Border Burgers, Salad, Chips and Dip

Amusingly (at least to me) Gabbie is all about spinach and lettuce these days (good thing because that's what we'll be getting from our CSA for the first few weeks), so salads are happening in our house with increasing frequency. Thank goodness! There's not much I like more than a good salad.

Border burgers are hamburgers topped with a heap of sliced banana peppers and sliced cheddar. They're SOOOO good.

Wednesday: Butternut Squash Enchiladas, Rice, Mangos

We didn't get to these last week, but they are so happening this week because we're all craving them.

Thursday: Hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, broccoli

Yet more leftovers from the party, and also one of our very favorite meals. I may have to try this recipe from macaroni and cheese this week because it looks amazing.

Friday: Rodeo Burgers, ranch potatoes on the grill, cole slaw

Another burger variation to use up all of the burgers that we prepped. This one is topped with bacon, cheddar, and bbq sauce. Gabbie's daycare teacher told us about how they make ranch potatoes - in a foil packet, combine sliced or cubed potatoes, butter, a little diced onion, and a generous sprinkle of both ranch dressing mix and grated parmesan. Then grill until tender, about 20 minutes. Sounds fantastic, no?

Saturday: PARTY (redux)

Gabbie's birthday party is this weekend, and she is so excited she can barely stand it. Our menu includes chicken skewers (with the chicken having been marinated in Italian dressing), buttered naan, broccoli, fruit salad, and pasta salad, plus, of course cake and ice cream. Oh, and pink punch of some sort. The cake will be pink as well. We are having a "very pink" birthday party.

Sunday: Out.

My sister and parents will be in town, so we're going out at least once, and I think Sunday night will be perfect for that.

Toddler Lunch Ideas
Monday - Waffle, yogurt, mixed berries
Tuesday - BBQ spaghetti, carrots, banana muffin
Wednesday - Baked beans, broccoli, shredded cheese, tortilla
Thursday - Oatmeal, raisins, yogurt, stewed apples
Friday - Hot dog, mac and cheese, green beans and carrots

(Also posted over at I'm on Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.)

Monday Meal Planning 5.9.11

2011-05-09T11:33:00.001-04:00

Oh, what a crazy week we have upon us! In addition to being horrendously busy at work again (and Spring/Summer being my least favorite time to be so busy), it's Aaron's birthday tomorrow and we're throwing him a big birthday bash on Saturday. Thankfully I have a husband who likes to clean, so he's taking on the majority of getting the house ready, but I have a lot of cooking/prep work to do so we can feed the crowd. I will admit, I love throwing a party, so even though it's a lot of work I'm kind of looking forward to it.

In the meantime, here's what we will be eating this week:

Monday: Macaroni and cheese with bratwurst and peas

With food prices being what they are these days, we're using up every single left-over we can. I'm going for a zero food waste week this week. So, leftover brats from this weekend are going into the mac and cheese. Actually, it sounds pretty delicious to me!

Tuesday: Spaghetti Bolognese, Garlic Bread, Salad, Ice Cream Cake

This is what Aaron has requested for birthday dinner. Seeing as this is one of my favorite meals, I don't mind a little extra work in the kitchen on a weeknight for something so delicious.

Wednesday: Butternut Squash Enchiladas, Cilantro Rice

I made these a while ago and had more filling than I had tortillas to fill, so these will be super quick and easy using the leftover filling that I froze. Also, they're probably the best enchiladas I've ever eaten, so there's that.

Thursday: ???

I honestly can't remember what what we put on the meal plan for Thursday. I will update later if I can remember.

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: PARTY TIME!

We'll be serving up hamburgers, bratwurst, hot dogs, fruit, a couple different salads, cut up veggies and dip, chips, and two kinds of cupcakes (margarita cupcakes for the adults, and vanilla cupcakes for the kiddos or the pregnant). We want to keep it simple enough that we don't spend the whole party in the kitchen, but also serve people a great meal. This plan should accomplish both of those things. (P.S. That hamburger recipe made the best home-made on a grill burgers I've ever had. Even Gabbie, who usually turns her nose up at burgers, ate a good bit of a cheeseburger last night!)

Toddler (I should update this to pre-schooler!) Lunch Ideas
Monday: Oatmeal with brown sugar, mashed sweet potato, mangos, cheese (this is what she requested)
Tuesday: PB&J, banana, cucumbers
Wednesday: Noodles with butter and cheese, side of bolognese, broccoli, plum
Thursday: Rice, green beans, yogurt, raspberries and blueberries
Friday: Cheese quesadilla, salsa, peas, mango

(Also posted over at I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.)

Monday Meal Planning 5.2.11

2011-05-02T10:58:00.000-04:00

Now that it’s May, I feel like the weight of a winter coat has been lifted off of me. I’m all kinds of crazy motivated, which resulted in our house being much more of a mess today than it was on Friday. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but what happened is that I wanted to organize everything (much more than I had time to organize, what with two little girls who decided they wanted to be on Mommy all day yesterday) so I took everything out and have yet to put everything away, all re-organized like.

This included my pantry, so has turned into a minimal-grocery shopping week, meaning all we had to purchase was milk, fruit, and a few veggies. I like minimal-grocery shopping weeks.

Also, we bought a grill this weekend, so it’s a meat and veggies for meals type week.

Monday: Chicken Kabobs, Evolution Carrot Salad, Asparagus

For the world’s easiest chicken kabobs, I marinate chunks of chicken breast or tenders in Italian dressing for 30 minutes to an hour before threading on skewers to put on the grill. We also skewered up some grape tomatoes and chunks of onion.

P.S. The evolution carrot salad is amazing, and you can add as many or as few of the extras as you want. We went with mint, clementines, salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, and some almonds. Delicious!

Tuesday: Clean out the pantry soup, salad, hot pimento cheese and crackers

This week the soup will contain: chicken broth, lentils, tomatoes (from the batch I froze in the fall), spinach, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and whatever else catches my eye and needs to be used up.

Also the hot pimento cheese? Awesomeness in a bowl. Make it.

Wednesday: Spicy pulled pork tacos with homemade tortillas and all the fixin’s, rice pilaf

I cannot wait to try these tortillas. Cannot. Wait.

Thursday: Barbeque chicken, cucumber salad, evolution potato salad

We have some bone-in chicken breast halves in the freezer that are just begging to be grilled and topped with some homemade Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce, also in the freezer.

Friday: Grilled pizza

Another thing I have been wanting to try for FOR. EV. ER. I have no idea what I’ll top it with, but I’m sure I’ll find something. (Actually I want mine brushed with garlic oil and topped with black olives and feta, but I’m pretty sure I’m the only person in the house who will eat it that way. We also like this version, and I think that with halved grape tomatoes instead of the romas and adding the olives in my salad, we’ll be all set.)

Saturday: Leftovers

We’re planning on some major house cleaning this weekend in preparation for my husband’s big birthday blow-out the next weekend, so I’m sure I won’t want to cook. Plus it’s my mother’s day gift to myself to not have to cook this weekend.

Sunday: Cheeseburgers, fries, fruit salad with yogurt dip, and some sort of pie

This is what I’ve planned for my family to make me for Mother’s Day (along with some sort of breakfast in bed, of course). However, I’ll probably have to make the pie, but that’s fine with me. I’m thinking maybe some sort of strawberry/cream cheese pie. YUM!

Toddler Lunch Ideas
Monday: Waffles, yogurt, mixed berries
Tuesday: Leftover grilled chicken, rice, peas, mango
Wednesday: Cheese, crackers, green smoothie, carrots
Thursday: Pulled pork, tortilla, cheese, cucumbers
Friday: Bean and cheese quesadilla, carrots, banana

(Also posted on I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday post)

Monday Meal Planning 4.25.11

2011-04-25T11:36:00.001-04:00

Is this two weeks in a row I've posted a meal plan? I think it is! I may finally be getting my stuff together. I remember it taking forever after my first daughter was born, so I lowered my expectations this time. Life sure is crazy with two little ones. Add in Gabbie's extra-curriculars (tumbling and swimming classes), holidays and the associated get-togethers (Easter last weekend, plus our upcoming May birthdays and Memorial Day), and I'm barely holding on some weeks. As a result, I'm finding I have to put together more quick and easy dinners whenever possible. Also, I've set a goal for this week to not eat out at all, so I definitely need to ensure that these meals are easy enough that I'm not tempted by take out.

So, here's our fairly quick and easy meal plan for the week:

Monday: Egg Salad BLTs, chips, carrots, grapes

We arrived home yesterday with 8 hard boiled eggs that Gabbie colored at my parents' house. I'm not huge on egg salad, but I figure that adding bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes will help me like it quite a bit more.

Tuesday: Cashew Chicken, rice, steamed green beans

The way that Erica talked about this dish made me want to try it immediately. Plus, the ingredients make it sound like one of my favorite Chinese dishes from a restaurant in my hometown (which sadly has gone downhill in quality, so the dish isn't as good as it used to be). I can't wait to try this!

Wednesday: Taco Rice

My husband requests this every week. Seriously. I give in only every other week, though.

Thursday: Minestrone, bread, salad

This is going to be a "clean out the cupboard and fridge" type soup. I'm thinking potato, pasta, white beans, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, spinach, chicken broth...and anything else I feel like throwing in. We will definitely be topping it with what Gabbie now calls "Salty Cheese" (aka parmesan). (Hilariously, we used to call it "green cheese" growing up, due to the Kraft green container it came in.)

Friday: Hummus Wraps, fruit and yogurt parfaits

These are basically a pita or tortilla spread with hummus, and filled with cut up vegetables (cucumbers, green peppers, lettuce, tomatoes) and feta. Yum!

Saturday: I'm hoping we'll get to try out our new grill on Saturday. This depends on our ability (read: available time to go to the store) to pick one up this week. I am so excited about a having a grill finally that I can hardly stand it! (If we don't get the grill, we'll be eating leftovers.)

Sunday: Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce, salad

This looks delicious, and will hopefully provide lots of leftovers for Monday's lunch!

Toddler Lunch Ideas

Here's what I'm planning to send with Gabbie this week. I've been trying to make a plan so I don't end up staring into the refrigerator every morning, wracking my brain trying to come up with something healthy and easy to send with her.

Monday: Cheese, crackers, broccoli, strawberries
Tuesday: Mini Whole Grain Morning Glory Muffin (omitting the walnuts because I'm allergic), cottage cheese (something new we're trying out with her) or yogurt, banana
Wednesday: Cheese Quesadilla, beans, carrots, grapes
Thursday: Leftover cashew chicken, rice, green beans, banana
Friday: Cheesy pita (a pita, brushed with garlic butter, baked with cheese on top), marinara for dipping, cucumbers, grapes

(I, along with hundreds of others, posted my meal plan at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Check it out!)

Monday Meal Planning 4.18.11

2011-04-18T15:45:00.000-04:00

Life is seriously kicking my butt lately, much like the toddler I shared a bed with all weekend. And she kicks hard in her sleep! We've been doing piecemeal, what do we have in the cupboard/swing by the store real quick-like/take out type dinners lately because we just are lacking the energy and motivation to do very much. However, my husband offered me a deal last Thursday that I couldn't refuse. He said that if I took the girls up north to my parents' house for the weekend, he would clean the house top-to-bottom.

Sold!

So, the girls and I headed out of town Friday after work, and he got to cleaning. And I got to meal planning, then sent the list to him since he had all that child-free time. Wrangling the two little ones all weekend was totally worth it when I came home to a spotless house (which we promptly made less spotless) and a full fridge.

And with that, here's what we're eating this (abbreviated) week (because we're heading up to my parents' house again next weekend to celebrate Easter):

Monday: Loose Meat Sandwiches, roasted zucchini
Tuesday: Baba ganoush, pitas, greek salad, yogurt and fruit parfaits
Wednesday: Full(ish) English Breakfast - fried eggs, Canadian bacon, baked beans, broiled tomatoes and mushrooms, toast
Thursday: Macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, peas, fruit

Lemon Cupcakes with Blood Orange Lemon Curd Filling and Buttercream

2011-03-29T10:43:00.001-04:00

Here is where I admit to being a horrible food blogger, yet again. I made some absolutely beautiful, delicious cupcakes and didn't take a single picture of them to share. We ate them all (seriously, all 12 of them - we had some help from my co-workers) shortly after they were completely assembled, and I didn't even stop to think to take a picture. I just wanted to dive in face first, because my kitchen smelled so heavenly while they were baking. And that's what we did. We ate them as soon as possible, and have been dreaming of them ever since.

While these sound fairly complicated, I promise it's all very easy. If I, a sleep deprived mother of two very small children, can make them with only a few (fortuitous, it turns out) mistakes, then anyone can make them. In fact, I'll probably make them again sometime soon (because I have quite a bit of the curd left over) (and hopefully I'll remember to take a picture this time), and if I can turn them out in an even more sleep deprived state (I blame the baby and her growth spurt followed by a head cold) then really, really anyone can make them.

(And here's where you imagine a picture of a lightly yellow cake, filled with a delicately pink citrus curd, and topped with a cream colored frosting rose.)

Lemon Cake

adapted from I Am Baker, who adapted it from Joy of Baking

2 large eggs, separated
1 3/4 c. sifted cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. room temperature butter
1 c. sugar, separated
1 tsp. vanilla extract
the zest of one lemon
1/2 c. milk
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Separate the eggs into two separate mixing bowls and let them come to room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners (or grease and flour tins if you'd prefer). The recipe made 12 cupcakes. (You could also use the batter to make a layer cake, using two 8- or 9-inch pans, and increasing the baking time a little.)

Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft and creamy. Add 3/4 c. of the sugar and beat until well combined. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing until completely incorporated. Add vanilla and lemon zest and mix until combined.

Add the flour mixture and milk, alternately, starting and ending with the flour mixture; mix until just combined and do not over beat.

In a separate clean bowl with a clean whisk attachment, whip egg whites until foamy and then add the cream of tartar. Beat until soft peaks occur. Gradually add in the remaining 1/4 c. sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into the cake batter with a rubber spatula until just combined.

Put batter into prepared cupcake tins and bake for 18-20 minutes. Cakes are done when you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean or with very few crumbs.

After a couple of minutes, remove the cupcakes from the tins and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.

When the cupcakes are cool, create a well in the middle of the top of the cupcake using a melon baller or spoon. I used the large side of my melon baller. This is where you'll put the citrus curd.

Blood Orange Lemon Curd

Adapted from Eat,Live,Run

Juice of one blood orange

Juice of one lemon

1/2 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

4 T. butter, cut into small chunks

Whisk together the blood orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, eggs and egg yolk in a large bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water to make a double boiler and add the butter. Whisk continuously until the mixture begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Continue to gently stir the curd until it is thick, creamy, and can coat the back of a spoon completely (about 5 more minutes).

Transfer to a wide bowl or high-rimmed plate, and press a piece of plastic wrap to the surface. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely.

Buttercream Frosting

(Very Loosely) adapted from I Am Baker

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. shortening

4 c. confectioner's sugar

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

3/4 c. heavy cream

In a large bowl, cream shortening with a mixer until fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar (2 c. at a time) until well blended. Add lemon juice and heavy cream and whip until frosting is light and fluffy.

TO ASSEMBLE CUPCAKES:

Place 1 Tbsp. lemon curd (more or less depending on the size of the well you made) in the well you made in the cupcake. Top with a large dollop of buttercream to cover the well, or pipe on frosting in the manner of your choosing (I used a large star tip to make frosting roses). Chill until ready to serve.

Phew, that was a long one. It took almost as long to write this as it did to make the cupcakes! If you do make these, prepare to bathe in the glorious comments you receive from those who eat them. My coworkers said they felt like these came from some sort of cupcake boutique where you would pay $6 per cupcake; quite the complement!

Monday Meal Planning 3.28.11

2011-03-28T13:26:00.000-04:00

This week’s meal plan is abbreviated because we’re headed up north for a (hopefully) relaxing weekend. Plans involve a trip to the butterfly house and a memorial service, so it really could go either way.

As an aside, I am laughing at our meal plan right now, because we just had a discussion the other day about reducing the amount of meat we eat, and then we set out and planned this very carnivorous week (and I had a meat-filled lunch today). I think it’s totally comfort eating though due to various stressors happening lately. Oh, well. We’ll try better next week!

Monday: Southwestern Turkey Mac and Cheese, fruit

This one is super easy – I whip up some macaroni and cheese (either quickly from scratch or from a box if I want a really quick dinner). While that’s cooking, I also brown some ground turkey and season it up with taco seasoning. During the last couple of minutes of the macaroni cooking, I add in a cup or so of frozen peas. Then I mix the noodles and peas with the cheeses sauce and mix in the turkey. I can also see this being delicious with corn and black beans in place of the peas. Pretty much this was created on a night when we were trying to make something quick and fairly nutritious from what we had on hand, and it totally worked!

Tuesday: Chicken Chow Mein, Egg Rolls

A new recipe we’re trying out from a children’s cookbook I have on hand. The egg rolls will be the frozen variety; while I am fairly ambitious in the kitchen, I’m not quite homemade-eggrolls-on-a-random-Tuesday ambitious.

Wednesday: Taco Rice

Seriously, you should try this. It’s one of the top-requested meals in our house these days.

Thursday: Calzones

These are on the menu to use up some ingredients we have on hand that need used. Fillings will probably include salami, provolone, and mushrooms. Mmmm…calzones.

Toddler Lunch Ideas:
Monday: Mashed butternut squash w/butter and brown sugar, peas, rice, raspberries
Tuesday: Cheese quesadilla, grapes, carrots
Wednesday: Macaroni and cheese, peas, banana
Thursday: Tomato cheese dip, pita wedges, blueberries, cucumber slices
Friday: Cheese, sliced turkey, crackers, grapes, yogurt

Flops

2011-03-17T10:33:00.000-04:00

It doesn't happen often, but sometimes something I'm making doesn't turn out. Either I make it correctly and the flavor is totally off, or I completely mess it up and Aaron and I eat it (or don't) just because we hate to waste food. The last few weeks have seen more than their normal share of the first kind of flop, but early on in my relationship with Aaron, when I was just starting to teach myself to cook, there were quite a few big flops. Last night's flop of a dinner (a crockpot meal that ended up as dry chicken and flavorless carrots) got me thinking about a few of the biggest cooking flops I've ever had.

Shortly after we started dating, Aaron had his birthday. I decided to make him a birthday dinner and a beautiful cake. My mom helped me make the lasagna, and I used frozen garlic bread and bagged salad, so the dinner part turned out okay. The cake, however, (which tasted fine because it came out of the box) was the UGLIEST birthday cake you've ever seen. I have since learned to embrace my ugly food - as long as it tastes fantastic, it doesn't have to be the prettiest thing you've ever seen. I'm just not great at decorating cakes or making things perfectly pretty, and that's okay with me.

About a year later, I decided to make Aaron a nice roast dinner. I had a pork tenderloin, and decided to roast it and make mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans to go with it. Everything turned out pretty good, until I got to the gravy. I used a package mix and way (WAY) over-thickened it. We basically ended up with spreadable "Pork Jelly" as we called it. What I'm saying is, it was less than appetizing. Thank goodness the rest of the dinner was edible!

Around that same time, I decided to try out a recipe from a new cookbook my mom had given me. Banana cream pie sounded fantastic (still does!). However, I will admit here that patience is far from my strong suit. So, because I didn't let things cook long enough, we had a very runny banana cream pie. Aaron, still going strong in the honeymoon phase of our relationship, ate the filling through a straw. It was very sweet, and something I don't think he'd do today. Also, I've worked on my patience a little bit and have since made several successful cream-type pies, so he doesn't have to do that anymore.

My worst cooking flop, however, was one that he still regularly razzes me about to this day. (Amusingly, I saw the recipe I flubbed show up on Tastespotting a couple of weeks ago.) I don't know if it was the recipe itself or a mistake I made, but I'm pretty sure a combination of those two factors ended up making for the completely inedible Key Lime Cheesecake Bars, with pretzel crust, and pistachio topping. I made it early in the day, and, after the allotted cooling time, dug in. Thinking it was maybe just not my thing, I left the rest in the refrigerator for Aaron to try. He has an amazing sweet tooth, and will eat just about anything, so I thought he might go for it.

Cut to several hours later, when he got home from work. I was upstairs when whe walked in the door and headed straight for the refrigerator to dig in. I hadn't told him I didn't like it, and he had been looking forward to it all day (the man loves him some key lime anything). I came downstairs just as he bit down for the first time, and then he completely froze.

"Mmmm..." he said, with a look of terror on his face.

"You're allowed to spit it out." I said.

"Oh thank God," he responded after depositing the bite and the remains of the piece he had cut directly into the trash. He then proceeded to go wash his mouth out at the sink, stating, "that is the worst thing I have ever eaten." I wasn't too offended since I hadn't liked it either, but I also don't know that it was bad enough to warrant the (approximately 8) years of teasing I've endured ever since.

At least I know how to torture him back. All I have to do is say the words, "Tomato Pie" and he completely loses his appetite. It's a fun game!

Now that I've shared I want to hear about cooking flops. It will make me feel much, much better about last night's nearly inedible dinner.

Sourdough Starter

2011-03-15T09:39:00.000-04:00

I have serious love for the website Serious Eats, but I don't visit it very often. The main reason is because my husband has requested that I not, because every time I do, I get ambitious, and he sometimes grows weary of my kitchen experiments (and the accompanying messes).

Take the Sourdough Starter-Along that started on my birthday last year. I really wanted to do it, but given that I was 9 months pregnant and it was the holiday season, I decided to wait until later. I stumbled upon it again a couple of weeks ago and decided that right when I was going to start back to work was obviously the perfect time to get a starter going. Of course.

So I started at day one, with my clean jar, kitchen scale, flour, water, and spoon. I measured carefully, stirred it together, covered the jar, and waited. Two days later I started seeing bubbles!

I know it doesn't look like much, but it's pretty exciting (to me at least) that just flour and water and some magical little beasties (bacteria and yeast from the flour, water, and air) can come together, and with minimal effort and just over a week, be strong enough to make a loaf of bread rise!

Here's where I admit to being a horrible food blogger and not taking a picture of the bread I made. It was a nice looking loaf, but it also smelled delicious and came out of the oven while I was in the middle of making dinner, and then by the time that was over we were all starving and so, well, it disappeared before I could take a picture. The result was just slightly sour (I didn't leave my dough rising long enough for it to really develop that sour flavor), but I ended up with a nice, light loaf of bread.

Since you have to feed your starter every day, I had enough again on Sunday night to start some pizza dough for the pizza we'll eat tomorrow. And I had enough this morning to make more dough should I want to, but alas, I was out of time, so I put it in the refrigerator to sleep for a few days, until I have time to bake again.

With all the craziness in my life right now, it probably was not the best time for me to start this, but I have to admit, it's kind of fun to have this little project that doesn't take much active time but that also yields some pretty fun and tasty results.

(Even if you don't make the starter, it's pretty fun to read the Starter Along posts. I used the bread and pizza dough recipes from that series for my first starter experiments, but I can't wait to branch out!)

Monday Meal Planning - 3.14.11

2011-03-14T10:43:00.000-04:00

I was planning for this, my first week back to work full-time, to be a crazy week, but it's already proving to be more crazy than I had planned. To say this morning was hectic would be a drastic understatement. I was actually relieved to get to work this morning so I could relax, as weird as that sounds.

Our meal plan has already been revised due to the hectic morning (no time to even throw dinner in the slow cooker), but it should still be a delicious week!

Monday: Brinner

We bought farm fresh eggs on Saturday, plus we have some local, thick cut bacon, and fresh homemade sourdough bread (I can't wait to post about my starter). You can't really have a bad meal with those items at your disposal! Add in some hash browns and fruit salad, and I'm already ready for dinnertime.

Tuesday: Pearl Couscous "Risotto" with Butternut Squash, Salad

I bought a really big butternut squash, apparently, because we have enough left over from last week to make another vegetarian dish this week.

Wednesday: Italian Chicken Sausage and Mushroom Pizza

I have a pizza dough started, using my starter, and I can't wait to see how this crust turns out! We also usually use this recipe for sauce, and definitely will use it this week. Typing out our meal plan is making me HUNGRY!

Thursday: Corned Beef Brisket with Veggies, Irish Soda Bread

I'm curing my own corned beef (using this recipe from Foodmomiac), but adapting it to cook in the crockpot along with the veggies, and adding in a can of Guinness stout to the cooking liquid. I wanted to make this for St. Patty's Day last year, but for some reason I wasn't feeling up to handling raw meat, and the spices sounded horrible to me. A year, and one 3 month old baby later, I now know why!

Friday: Take Out

We're heading to my parents' house for the weekend (Sophie is being baptised at my parents' church), so we'll probably have pizza or Chinese, as is my parents' Friday night tradition.

Saturday: My Dad is making ribs!

Sunday: Brunch

Our big meal on Sunday will be a post-baptism brunch. I'm thinking some sort of egg casserole , cinnamon rolls, and fruit salad. Possibly also a cake, we'll see. Although I love my recipe for cinnamon rolls, I equally love the Pioneer Woman's recipe, and due to transportation issues with my dough I'll probably make her's instead (half the recipe though; we don't need quite as many as the whole recipe makes).

Toddler Lunch Ideas

We're being more organized when it comes to Gabbie's lunches lately (getting two kids ready and out the door in the morning is quite the undertaking!), so I'll start posting these here again.

Monday: Chips and salsa, cheese cubes, mandarin oranges
Tuesday: Waffle, strawberries, yogurt
Wednesday: Pretzels, sliced ham, sliced cheese, mango
Thursday: Quesadilla, peas, strawberries
Friday: Leftover Corned Beef, carrots, yogurt

Monday Meal Planning - 3.7.11 (Okay, so really 3.9.11)

2011-03-09T11:30:00.000-05:00

I should probably change the title of these posts to “Weekly Meal Planning,” since Mondays aren’t happening. But, I want to post meal plans all the same. We’ll just pretend today is Monday for this one, right?

It’s my first week back to work, but I’m only working half days, so it’s kind of a mixed bag of quick and complex meals this week.

Monday: Chicken Strips, French Fries, Salad (cut up veggies for the kiddo who won’t eat lettuce)

These chicken strips are FANTASTIC, and super easy. My husband and daughter are huge fans. HUGE. I made the mistake of making them once and now they’re on frequent rotation in our house.

Tuesday: Hot sub sandwiches, chips, fruit salad

For the subs, I took a loaf of Italian bread from the supermarket, cut it in half and hollowed it out, leaving about a ¼ to ½ inch shell (and then the toddler and I ate the entire inside of the loaf of bread – delicious! Also dinner-ruining, but worth it). Then I layered on the deli meat and sliced cheeses of choice; this week that included deli ham, turkey, and salami, as well as muenster and Colby jack slices. I wrapped the whole thing in foil, and baked it at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes (it could have used another five if I wanted the cheese to be really melty, but 10 minutes was fine). After it came out of the oven, I sliced it into three parts, and topped each sandwich with chopped lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and Italian dressing. Delicious!

Wednesday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, Salad

I had about a ¼ pound each of ground beef and pork, so I sautéed that up with some mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper, and added in a jar of marinara. Served over buccatini, this was a delicious meal.

Thursday: Slow Cooker Spiced Chicken Stew with Carrots, Orzo

Aside from using chicken breasts instead of thighs (Aaron has a weird thing about thigh meat. I don’t know.) we’re staying pretty true to this one. Looks easy enough and absolutely delicious! Also, it doesn’t use onions, which I still can’t eat because it makes the baby spit up a lot, so that makes it a winner in our book!

Friday: Clean out the freezer vegetable bean soup, bread

I made this once before, and Aaron loved it. Basically, I use a box of stock, a quart sized bag of the tomatoes I processed and froze last summer, a bag of beans (also processed and frozen last summer), and whatever vegetables I have in the fridge or freezer. I also added slices of chicken sausage last time, which I think clinched it with Aaron. I think I’m out this time, though, so he may have to suffer without it.

My sourdough starter should be ready to use to make bread by Friday (another post forthcoming), so we’ll probably have a fresh loaf of bread on the side. Mmmm….

Saturday: Some sort of curry using up a butternut squash, Naan
I typically make this dish, but Aaron wanted to try something else, so I’m not sure yet what dish I’m making. (This from the man who recently complained that I try too many new recipes, and he can never remember what he’s eaten. Poor guy.)
Sunday: Leftovers (or possibly the meal from Saturday night if I don’t feel like cooking on Saturday)

It's Quesadilla Time

2011-02-08T09:05:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Aaron and I both went on separate grocery trips on the same day without discussing it, so we both came home with very similar items. Two such items were cheddar cheese and tortillas, so of course I ate quesadillas for lunch every day last week.

Something about me you should know: I will eat anything labeled "quesadilla" or "nachos." Something about cheese and carbs does me in every time (I know I'm not alone in this). I've long had the habit of slapping cheese and some leftovers between tortillas and frying them up, so this is nothing new. I've just never indulged quite so much in one week. However, it was my sixth week postpartum and I promised myself I would eat better and exercise after that point (just ask me how that's going - ha!), so I figured I'd better indulge while I still could get away with it.

The first day I had just a straight up, cheddar and black olives with salsa on the side. Day two had me smushing up an avocado and mixing it with salsa for a quick guacamole, throwing it on top of the cheese, and then topping the whole thing with sour cream when it was done. (Also, as an aside, I miss jalepenos, but the baby has a sensitive stomach, so I've basically had to cut out anything with any spice (or flavor, really, because onions are the number one thing that give her stomach upset).)

The third day, though, I got creative:

(Please forgive the unedited photos - I'm trying to get this done while a certain someone is still asleep.)

This quesadilla was filled with the customary cheese, but then topped with BBQ pulled pork and pickle slices. It was FANTASTIC.

Then on the fourth day, I tried something I've been craving ever since someone brought up the idea:

That would be a mashed potato quesadilla. I switched things up just a little and used American cheese instead of cheddar, and I have to say, I could eat this everyday if it was prudent. Which it's not. Darn it.

On the fifth day I went back to plain cheese, mostly because I was out of leftovers. It was good, but the creative ones were better.

So tell me, what's your favorite thing to put between two tortillas?

Monday Meal Planning 1.24.10

2011-01-24T16:47:00.000-05:00

Since Sophie is a whole month old now (!!!), I figured it's time for me to get back in the swing of things. One big part of starting to feel normal again is planning out our meals, so here we go!

Monday: Cuban Sandwiches, sweet potato fries

We're making the sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls, with this slow-cooked pork, ham, swiss cheese, dill pickle slices, and mustard. I cannot wait to dig in!

Tuesday: Macaroni and Cheese Soup, Salad

I've seen a couple recipes for this lately, so I took at as a sign to add it to our menu.

Wednesday: Pulled Cuban Pork, Yellow Rice with Peas

I know we'll have leftovers, so I'm going to take advantage of that and have a night that's light on cooking.

Thursday: Mashed Potato Quesadillas, Chips and Guacamole

Something I've been wanting to try for forever now. It is so happening this week.

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Korean Beef Short-Ribs, Rice, Edamame

(Gabbie calls Edamame, "Mommy Beans", and it's so cute I can't bear to tell her any different.)

I've been wanting short ribs for a while now, and this recipe sounds DELICIOUS.

Sunday: Dinner/Late Lunch Out

I have been dying for a good cheeseburger for a while now. I think Sunday looks like a good day to fulfill that craving.

Done Baking

2010-12-29T11:17:00.000-05:00

She took just the right ingredients and 9 months in the oven, but the time has finally come! Sophie Eloise was born last Thursday morning and is one of the two best things I've ever made.

There will be understandably little cooking during the next few weeks, but I'll post when I can. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. I know I did!

Monday Meal Planning 12.6.10

2010-12-06T09:26:00.000-05:00

Wow, yeah. So it has been two weeks. I blame pregnancy brain plus a rough week last week. But I'm back, and with a fairly easy meal plan because I'm very nearly 39 weeks pregnant and I don't want to do anything difficult. We also have two nights this week that require quick meals because we have evening activities, and one night that requires some input from all of you - I need an easy and delicious appetizer (or dessert) to take to my company's holiday party.

Here goes:

Monday: Grilled cheese sandwiches (w/tomato & avocado for the grownups) and sweet potato fries
Tuesday: Mediterranean Mostaccioli (this one is super easy for me, because it's a dish that Aaron likes to cook. Score!)
Wednesday: Taco Rice (I made this a couple of weeks ago and it was a BIG hit. In the words of Yo Gabba Gabba - Try it! You'll like it!)
Thursday: Hash Brown Casserole (Nothing like a dish where you don't have to chop anything!)
Friday: Here's where I need your help! Company holiday party: it's anticipated that I bring something delicious, while I want to put in a minimum amount of effort. So - easy appetizer ideas? Easy dessert recipes that wow? If all else fails I might make mini chocolate chip cookie pies. Because they're delicious!

I'm not planning for the weekend. Our weekends are my only time to really relax, and since I'll have a newborn soon I kind of want to be taken out to a restaurant while it's still a relatively easy task. Still, we'll probably make some Christmas cookies (cut-outs and corn flake wreaths), and I'll probably bake something for breakfast (we made these on Saturday and they were DELICIOUS!)

Okay, now onto Toddler Lunch Ideas:
Monday: Soy dog, mandarin oranges, yogurt, crackers
Tuesday: Bean and cheese quesadilla, carrot sticks, peaches
Wednesday: Buttered noodles, edamame, yogurt, blueberries
Thursday: Pancakes (probably whole wheat), apple sauce
Friday: Israeli couscous with peas and ham, apple slices

(Not) Monday Meal Planning 11.22.10

2010-11-22T09:42:00.000-05:00

There's no meal plan this week, because we're eating engirely out of our freezer until Thursday. I only have enough stamina these days to do one big task a week and cooking Thanksgiving dinner (and cleaning up the house beforehand) is what is getting that stamina.

Instead I thought I'd post my Thanksgiving Meal Plan, complete with recipe links in case you still need something to round out your menu. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

(P.S. In case you do want to cook something delicious other than Thanksgiving dinner this week, my household strongly recommends this recipe (that we had for dinner last night) for Asian Meatball Subs with Hoisin Mayonaise.)

Turkey Breast (using this brine)
Mashed Potatoes (we haven't decided on whether to do the extra baking step or not)
Gravy (I put the drippings in a ziplock bag and cut the corner, stopping pouring when before the fat reaches the hole, and then pretty much use the rest of this method.)
Stuffing (my mom's secret recipe, so I don't know the details, but it's delicious!)
Green Bean Casserole
Roasted Butternut Squash with Sage
Whole Cranberry Sauce
Parker House Rolls
Pumpkin Pie (from the Fannie Farmer cookbook - it makes two pies!)
Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie (I haven't settled on a recipe yet, but this one is near the top of the stack)
(Plus I'm making Sweet Potato Pie (recipe number 2 on that page, substituting bourbon for the rum) and Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie for Aaron's work party on Wednesday)

Then with leftovers, we're planning Mashed Potato Quesadillas (I'll share the recipe if it works out the way I envision) and Hot Browns made with Welsh Rarebit. Yum!

Can you tell I rely heavily on my Fannie Farmer cookbook for Holiday dishes? It's great for traditional type recipes and everything I've made from the book has turned out delicious. It was my first ever cookbook and I love it.

Monday Meal Planning 11.15.10

2010-11-15T09:04:00.000-05:00

When I sat down to plan our meals for the week yesterday morning, I could not think of a single thing to put on the list. That rarely happens to me, as there are usually a few recipes I'm dying to try. So I surfed around the 'net for a while, then I surfed around my archives for a while, and I managed to put together several recipes that should suffice. This whole thing is made doubly hard since I can barely fit any food in my stomach lately, as it's being squished by the baby. Being able to only take a bite or five of food kind of kills my will to cook. However, there's the whole having a family to feed thing that takes precedence, so I will soldier on.

Monday: Taco Rice

Quick and easy tonight since we have tumbling class. I saw this recipe a few weeks ago and then again yesterday when I was surfing for ideas, and it sounds like some amazing comfort food. Now I just have to try to avoid mixing the rice with melted butter, sour cream, and cheddar cheese before adding the toppings, even though I think that sounds totally better.

Tuesday: Pot Stickers and Sesame Noodles, Edamame

We still have pot stickers in the freezer (I apparently made a HUGE batch), so we'll be eating those with a side of sesame noodles. I'm halving the recipe for the noodles because it takes us forever to make it through a whole pound of them.

Wednesday: Coconut Curry Butternut Squash, Rice, Naan

We have approximately a dozen butternut squashes (plus assorted other squash) from our CSA so it's time to start using them up. This recipe has become a total comfort food in our house because it's so good and filling.

Thursday: Egg Salad Melts, Fruit

I didn't get to these last week, but the craving is strong so they WILL be happening this week.

Friday: Leftovers/Take-out

Saturday: Pizza

I still haven't gotten around to making this pizza recipe, but it needs to happen soon, and I'm thinking Saturday will be the perfect day for it. I'm planning to top it with pepperoni and black olives (my current favorite topping combination).

Sunday: Something in the crock pot.

I haven't decided what to make for Sunday yet, but there are a few possibilities, including Italian Pot Roast, Split Pea Soup, and Jamaican Red Bean Stew

And now, for Toddler Lunch Ideas:

(As an aside, do you know what kills me? It's when my child will scarf something down at dinner time, eating second and even third servings, and then when I send the same thing to lunch for her two days later, she won't even touch it. I just don't get it.)

Monday: Bagel and cream cheese, mandarin oranges, peas
Tuesday: Soy dog, cheese slice, carrot sticks, grapes
Wednesday: Grilled cheese, green pepper slices, strawberries
Thursday: Edamame, naan slices, yogurt, sliced peaches
Friday: English muffin pizza, yogurt, fruit strip

Monday Meal Planning 11.8.10

2010-11-08T10:49:00.001-05:00

Well, even though I totally failed at NaBloPoMo once again (darn those weekend and having too much fun to remember to post!), I'm going to try to post at least most weekdays through this month, if not every weekday. I have a huge backlog of recipes to post about and I'm ready to get them up. Call it nesting: blog version, if you will.

Here are the meals planned for this week:

Monday: Hearty Black Bean Soup, Crescent Rolls

I need something fast and filling on Monday nights for the next six weeks because Gabbie has tumbling class across town at 6:45. This recipe looks like it will fit the bill, and is full of beans which are among her favorite foods.

Tuesday: Aaron's Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread

It has been a while since we've eaten Aaron's specialty: spaghetti. We use a jarred sauce, and add browned sausage, and sauteed mushrooms and zuchini. It's heavenly. Add in that every time we ask Gabbie what she wants for dinner she says "noodles and sauce", and this one should be a hit. Except for with the baby, who kicks like the dickens after I eat tomato sauce and causes me to have horrible heartburn. Oh, well. It's good enough that it makes it worth what will ensue after the meal.

Wednesday: Sweet Potato Hash with Fried Eggs

I have been looking forward to this meal since I saw the recipe last week, and it immediately went on the meal plan. (Although we'll probably substitute a regular green pepper for the poblano so Gabbie can eat it too.) I love a good brinner!

Thursday: Asian Beef Skewers, Edamame

Another of Aaron's favorites and helps satisfy a red meat craving I've been dealing with lately. I have to admit, one thing I'm looking forward to most about not being pregnant any more (besides getting to have a little itty bitty baby, of course) is a meal consisting of a medium-rare steak with bleu cheese butter and a glass of red wine. Aaron has already been forewarned that this will be happening.

Friday: Leftovers

Because there's no way we can eat all this food, even with leftovers for lunch every day of the week.

Saturday: Out

Aaron is headed to beer camp (excuse me, deer camp) this weekend, so my sister is coming to stay with us and we'll probably take Gabbie out for Girls' Night Out. It should be a blast!

Sunday: Grandma's Open-Faced Egg Salad Sandwiches, veggies and dip

This one doesn't sound that appealing at first glance, but stick with me here, because I promise it's great comfort food. Plus, we just found a place that is on my way home that will supply us with farm fresh eggs all winter, and I can't wait to try them. Our first pick up is at the end of the week, otherwise I'd be eating this before Sunday. I'll post the recipe with a picture next week.

Now for Toddler Lunch Ideas

Monday: Grapes, Carrots, Yogurt, Crackers (as requested by her tiny highness)
Tuesday: Cheese Quesadilla, Mandarin Oranges
Wednesday: Mini Bagel with Strawberry Cream Cheese, Grapes, Pretzels
Thursday: Noodles and Sauce, Mandarin Oranges, Yogurt
Friday: Black bean soup, Tortilla Chips & Cheese Sauce

Weekend Baking 11.5.10

2010-11-05T14:03:00.000-04:00

When it gets to be this time of year, my desire to bake grows increasingly strong. Probably because it makes the house warmer and deliciously scented, but also because of the holidays. There are several things I'd like to bake this weekend, but I'm going to have to pick one or two because it's not possible for us to eat all of the food we currently have in the house. I'm going to have to split this list up over several weeks, but that's okay. Something to look forward to, right?

On my list are:

Homemade bagels
These homemade Twix bars that seem mentioned to be on every site I read and on Twitter lately.
Banana Bread
Cinnamon Chai Cream Pie
My mom's corn bread if she ever gives up the recipe. It's to die for.
These very in-season Pumpkin Maple Rolls
Or a pumpkin scone of some sort
Or of course, these Pumpkin Spice Donut Muffins (something pumpkin is definitely happening this weekend)

Are you baking this weekend? What are you making? What else is on your list?

Frito Pie

2010-11-04T10:28:00.000-04:00

Last month on Twitter, I saw The Bloggess mention something about Frito Pie. Curious, I Googled the term and quickly added Fritos to my grocery list. Frito pie is a simple, delicious dish, provided you already have chili and fixin's on hand. Since we were planning to eat chili that weekend, it was perfect timing. I fixed my self a bowl, and it was bliss at first bite. I will definitely be making sure I have Fritos on hand from now on when I make chili. I also think this would be a great recipe for a party, as people could customize their dishes as they like.

Frito Pie

In a bowl, layer following ingredients as desired. Feel free to add in other chili toppings that you might prefer.

Fritos
Chili
Cheese
Minced Onions
Pickled Jalapeno Slices
Avocado
Sour Cream (not pictured above, but a delicious addition)

Let sit for a minute to allow cheese to melt, then dive in!

Our Very Serious Problem

2010-11-03T09:58:00.000-04:00

I have an admission to make, but it's not exactly shocking. It's probably pretty common, even. My admission is this: I love pizza. I do! I love plain cheese pizza, supreme pizza, and every kind in between. Thin crust, regular crust, deep dish, Chicago style (especially Chicago style); I love it all.

But I, or rather we the people living in our house, have a problem: there are no good delivery places near where we live. Sure, a new place with pizza that is fairly edible just opened up and I LOVE their cheeseburger pizza, but they're also very expensive, so it's only a sometimes treat. There are a couple of decent pick-up places semi-nearby, but I like my pizza hot, steaming hot even, so I either have to commit to eating there or deal with cold pizza if I want something from them. And I really, strongly prefer hot pizza.

To combat this problem, we've tried making pizza at home, but nothing has been quite what we're looking for. We found a pizza sauce recipe we really like (it's seriously delicious - try it!), but we haven't been able to master the crust or toppings. What I really want are two good recipes - one regular crust and one deep dish - to add to my repertoire so I don't have to deal with crappy pizza any more.

The other day I was reading Serious Eats, because I love that blog and Slice is a blog all about pizza (um, don't go there if you're hungry), so of course I was reading over there. (I seriously am considering installing a wood burning pizza oven in my back yard one day in the not too distant future because of that blog.) Anyway, while I was reading, I came across this: New York Style Pizza. It looks fantastic, and it looks like it will end up being made in my kitchen someday very, very soon.

I really hope this turns out to be as spectacular as I think it will. Now, off to look for the deep dish recipe of my dreams.

Pigs in a (Cheesy, Oniony) Blanket

2010-11-02T10:10:00.000-04:00

For Halloween I always try to do a themed meal, and this year we ate Mummy Dogs and Sweet Potato Fries (because they're orange). They were fun and delicious!

However, what they really did was make me crave Pigs in a Blanket like I've made before, but haven't made in a while.

To make our house favorite Pigs in a Blanket, proceed as follows:

Sauté some onions in butter until soft and golden. Then slice hot dogs down their length (but not slicing completely through) and sauté them for a few minutes, just to heat through. Put some onions in the slice, top with some shredded cheddar, and wrap it all in a crescent roll. Brush the roll with butter that was melted with a little minced garlic, then bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crescent rolls are cooked through. I prefer them as-is, but Aaron likes to top his with mustard. Both ways are delicious!

Monday Meal Planning 11.1.10

2010-11-01T10:43:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe that today is the first day of November already! The weather decided to be seasonally appropriate today (sadly) and it is pretty frigid out there. The only thing good about seasonally appropriate weather is that it makes it the perfect time to eat seasonally appropriate food. There. I think I've said "seasonally appropriate" enough.

We'll see how we do with actually eating what we plan this week. We haven't been good at it for a few weeks now, and I think making a plan and actually sticking to it will take care of some of the overwhelmed feeling I have lately. We'll see how it goes. On to the plan!

Monday: Turkey Pineapple Chili & Cornbread

I needed something super fast for tonight because we have to leave the house by 6:15 tonight for Gabbie's tumbling class. While chili is usually a long, slow dish to make, this one is ready in 10 minutes flat, and it's a house favorite.

Tuesday: Chicken Spaghetti, Steamed Broccoli

I've been wanting to try this recipe for ages, but haven't gotten around to it. I have all the ingredients at my house right now, so I don't have an excuse. Everyone raves about it, and I can't wait to dig in!

Wednesday: Crock Pot Pulled Pork and Coleslaw Sandwiches, Sweet Potatoes

I have a 3 lb pork roast in my freezer that is taking up too much space, as well as a head of cabbage, carrots, and a bunch of small white sweet potatoes (I can't wait to try them!) from our CSA, so this meal is perfect. It uses up everything I have that needs used up! Plus it has great reviews and sounds delicious to me. You can't get much better than that!

An interesting side note - my child who won't eat anything LOVES cole slaw (usually - this will be the one time she refuses to eat it, I'm sure). Bizarre, but I'll take it.

Thursday: The Best Quiche Ever!, tomato salad

After such a meat heavy few days, it seemed perfect to have a lighter meal. We get our last egg share from our CSA this week (and are VERY, VERY SAD about this, as the eggs were the best we've ever eaten), and so The Best Quiche Ever! will be fabulous, I'm sure.

Friday: Ranch Macaroni and Cheese, roasted brussels sprouts

Friday is supposed to be one of the colder days this week, so a nice comforting bowl of macaroni and cheese sounds perfect. Mmmm....

Saturday: Baked Chipotle Beef Taquitos, red rice, chips and salsa

I've made the chicken taquitos from Our Best Bites several times, but never the beef ones. I'm pretty pumped to try them though. I'll have to hold back on the chipotles and sauce so Gabbie can eat them, and substitute monterey jack for the queso fresco so I can eat them, but I think they'll still be fantastic.

Sunday: Leftovers

This looks to be a heavy cooking week, so I'm sure we'll have plenty left over for lunches AND Sunday dinner. We tend to do our bigger meal for breakfast on Sunday anyway (ricotta lemon pancakes or pumpkin maple cinnamon rolls are on tap for this week).

And then this week on "Will the Toddler Eat It/Anything" (aka Toddler Lunch Ideas):

Monday: Cheese, Crackers, Grapes, Yogurt
Tuesday: Mini Bagel, Peanut Butter, Apple Slices, Carrot Sticks
Wednesday: Soy Dog, Green Pepper Slices, Yogurt, Banana
Thursday: "Noodles and Sauce", Broccoli, Yogurt
Friday: Pork, Cole Slaw, Kiwi, Cheese

Monday Meal Planning 10.18.10

2010-10-18T16:26:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe that we are half-way through October already. Time is definitely slipping through my fingers lately, and I want it to slow down, just a little, while simultaneously speeding up to when this baby is due to arrive. Can someone arrange that for me? Thanks.

It feels like another surge of nesting has hit me, but unfortunately the surge of energy that is needed to accomplish everything I have to do has not accompanied it. My house is a bit messy after a very busy weekend, and I want to make it sparkly clean and get dinner to the table in a reasonable amount of time. In order to make this happen, I focused on quick meals when planning this week. The only non-quick meal I have on the plan is for Sunday, and that's because I'm big on one big family meal per week (not like we don't eat dinner together every night, we have to have one fancy meal happen every week). Anyway, on to the plan!

Monday: Ham, Cheesy Potatoes, Peas, Salad

This may not seem quick, but it is. Mostly because I made it yesterday to take to Aaron's grandma's house and we have leftovers. We all ate a ton, but still have a ton left, so it's making its appearance again tonight. The recipe listed is exactly the same as the one I use; the only modification I make is to use cheddar cheese soup because I like them as cheesy as possible.

The refrigerator is high on my "Make Sparkly Clean" list, so I'm emptying as much out of it tonight as I can. There's also a pumpkin pie in there with my name on it. This dinner is going to be FANTASTIC.

Tuesday: Eggplant burgers (with some made into smaller patties for Gabbie), French fries, Carrot sticks

We have one more eggplant from the CSA to use, and we've eaten enough baba ganoush lately to supply a small village. This sounded like an interesting way to use up the eggplant, so we're going to try it.

Wednesday: Quesadillas, rice

All other leftover veggies are going into quesadillas this night. I like them with zuchini, mushrooms, and onions. Gabbie prefers straight up cheese and refried beans. Aaron will eat anything, and that's why he's awesome.

Thursday: Pork chops with Saurkraut, mashed potatoes, broccoli

This one is a crock pot meal. I put down one can of 'kraut, top with pork chops, top with another layer of 'kraut, a heavy sprinkle of brown sugar, and a peeled, cored, quartered apple or two, then serve it over mashed potatoes. Yum!

Friday: Pot stickers, rice noodles, edamame

I still have quite the stock of frozen pot stickers, and since we love them we're diving in once again. I'll probably make some sort of sauce for the rice noodles and edamame, and most likely it will include soy sauce, chicken broth, and scallions.

Saturday: Out

Aaron's mom is going to be in the state, so we're heading out to visit her on Saturday. My job will be to make the food run, so I hope they don't mind eating according the whims of a pregnant, prone-to-sudden-strange-cravings, woman.

Sunday: Chicken Cacciatore, Noodles, Peas

I saw this recipe this morning and added it to our plan. It looks fantastic, and I can't wait to try it!

Finally, on to what the toddler is eating for lunch this week:

Monday: Waffle w/pear butter for dipping, yogurt, strawberries (this is called a "we need you to actually eat something today" kind of lunch)
Tuesday: Bean and Cheese quesadilla, green pepper slices, mandarin oranges
Wednesday: Eggplant patties (assuming she likes them), peas, yogurt, grapes
Thursday: English muffin pizza, applesauce
Friday: Apple Pumpkin muffin, grapes, cucumber slices, cheese cubes

Monday Meal Planning 10.11.10

2010-10-11T14:34:00.000-04:00

Meal planning (and cooking) was really easy this week because I have a refrigerator and freezer FULL of leftovers that need to be used. Seriously full. As in, I got too excited about the whole "freezing meals for when the baby comes" thing and we need to eat stuff so we can start all over again.

Here goes:

Monday: Leftovers - either Chili or Chicken Pot Pie, veggies

We had chili and cut up fresh veggies for football on Saturday, and Chicken Pot Pie last night. You would think that it was cold up here this weekend, but you'd be wrong. We ate all these fall comfort foods on a nice, hot weekend. Truth is, I had a lot of ground beef and cooked chicken to use up, so these were made.

Tuesday: Chicken Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans

I made these a while ago, and they were delicious. They were also quite a bit of work, but well worth it. (Someday I will get to posting the back-log of recipes I have waiting!) We're rounding out the meal with Gabbie's two favorite things lately: Spanish rice (a-roni) and refried beans. She'll probably get a tortilla and some shredded cheese too.

Wednesday: Southwestern Baked Cauliflower Cakes, Chili

Our (family, top-secret) chili recipe makes a ton, so we're all sure to be sick of it by the end of the week. I'm mixing things up by adding in the cauliflower cakes so we have something new to eat.

Thursday: Potstickers, Rice Pilaf with Edamame

I love potstickers. The huge bag of frozen potstickers in my freezer has been calling my name ever since I put it in there, so now I'll finally break out a few. Mmmm....

Friday: Pizza

Because obviously I'll be tired after the long week of cooking. Actually, if I get up the motivation, I may make it from scratch. I mean, I already have the dough in my refrigerator, so what excuse do I have to not make it myself?

Saturday: I have no idea what to make for the game this weekend. Any suggestions?

Sunday: Out

We're out of town at a baptism for the day, so I'm sure we'll be well-fed.

Toddler Lunch Ideas:
We're in the middle of another round of the severe won't-eat-anythings, and they're nearly killing me. It probably doesn't help that I am Very Pregnant, and therefore my mood likes to fluctuate rapidly.

Monday: Waffle, yogurt, strawberries
Tuesday: Soy dog, cheese cubes, peas, pear sauce
Wednesday: Pasta and sauce, broccoli, strawberries
Thursday: Bean and cheese quesadilla on a whole wheat tortilla, carrots, pear sauce
Friday: Mini whole wheat bagel, cream cheese for dipping, deli meat, cucumbers, apple slices

Monday Meal Planning 9.20.10

2010-09-20T11:34:00.000-04:00

Another Monday is here and even though I'm completely sick of spending my evenings making meals that my toddler REFUSES TO EAT, I still have a meal plan ready to go. We tried to do a mix of "Things that Gabbie Will Eat" (which changes from moment to moment) and "Things that Mom and Dad Like" which does not include things like plain rice separated from plain peas. I mean, those things are okay and all, but I prefer a little more flavor in my meals.

(Can you tell it was a difficult weekend eating-wise?)

Anyway, on to the plan!

Monday: Swiss Chard Stew, Rice, Naan, Fruit Salad

We have a beautiful bunch of swiss chard from our CSA share last week, and this recipe is perfect for using up a lot of swiss chard. Both Aaron and I have been craving Indian food for a while and instead of dealing with another infuriating toddler/restuarant trip, we thought we'd make a few meals at home (hence why there's two Indian-style meals this week).

Tuesday: Pasta with Smoky Bacon and Pea Sauce, salad

We didn't get to this last week because we never made the trip to the specialty butcher to get the pancetta. Aaron picked some up on Saturday morning for two reasons - one, the meatballs I made on Saturday contain pancetta, and those were a much higher priority, and two, the specialty butcher is also the best place to buy a six pack of micro-brews. Priorities! He has them!

Wenesday: Three Packet Pot Roast, Fruit Salad

Last winter I made this pot roast a few times and Gabbie couldn't get enough of it. Unfortunately Aaron is not fond of pot roast, to say the least, so I don't get to make it as often as I'd like. This one is so easy and delicious, and I can't wait to dive in on Wednesday night!

Thursday: Indian Style Curry with Potatoes, Caulflower, and Chickpeas, Rice Pilaf

I asked Aaron for a meal idea to make up for the pot roast, and his answer was "Something Indian-ish with Cauliflower." I had just downloaded the Cooks Illustrated app for my phone, and when I searched for cauliflower, this came up. We'll try it and see how it goes. It certainly sounds delicious!

Friday: Beef Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Salad

The purpose of these is to use up the pot roast leftovers, since my usual leftover eater is certain not to touch them with a ten foot pole. He loves these enchiladas, however, so it's a win-win!

Saturday: Chicago Style Pizza, Antipasta, Fruit Platter

Lately I have been dreaming of the pizza I ate at Pizza Due in Chicago last year, once during each of my two Chicago trips, and I decided it's high time to try to make something similar at home. Now, I just need to find a good recipe.

Toddler Lunch Ideas
Due to aforementioned crappy eating this weekend, Gabbie is restricted to healthy choices (aka no treats or ice cream), with her only sweet choices being yogurt and fruit. Not that this makes a big difference to what she eats for lunch, since we don't usually serve up treats at lunch time. We've decided that the best we can do is offer her a variety of healthy choices and hopefully she'll learn that if she's hungry she has to eat what's available to her, and also that there aren't rewards for eating your dinner except that you are full.

Monday: Soy Dog, Broccoli, Cheese, Banana
Tuesday: Bean and Cheese Quesadilla, Carrot Sticks, Mandarin Oranges
Wednesday: Cheese, Crackers, Raisins, Kiwi
Thursday: English Muffin Pizza, Broccoli, Yogurt
Friday: Pot Roast Leftovers, Roll, Kiwi

Monday Meal Planning 9.13.10

2010-09-13T09:54:00.000-04:00

Fall has arrived suddenly here in Michigan, which has been making me crave things like baked goods, soups, and pastas much more than even usual. This has also coincided with my work load getting ever so slightly lighter, success in potty training, and everyone just generally being in a much better mood (probably because we're not so hot and sweaty like we were all summer).

I also think there's a touch of nesting thrown into all of this too, because all I want to do is provide my family with a nice organized home and hearty meals. I didn't really have a nesting phase with Gabbie, so this is new territory for me. I like it, and I'm going to run with it while the desire is there. I have a huge list of recipes to share, and I'm hoping to have more time to share them starting this week, but let's start smaller - I actually made a meal plan this week! And here it is:

Monday: Corn Tortilla Crusted Chicken Tenders, Roasted Broccoli

Gabbie has developed the normal-kid taste for chicken nuggets, so I'm hoping this will help fulfill her want for them in a slightly healthier way. I saw this recipe in Everyday Food, thought of the huge bag of corn tortillas in my pantry, and figured this would be a good way to solve a few problems. Gabbie is also still in love with broccoli, and since it's also a favorite of Aaron's and mine, and we have a couple bunches from the CSA, it solved yet another dinner conundrum. I'm hoping this meal goes over as well as I envision.

Tuesday: Sweet and Sour Eggplant, Rice Noodles, Lima Beans

I know that the eggplant dish and the lima beans don't sound like they necessarily go together; however, I'm throwing the beans in there because Gabbie usually looks at me like I'm trying to kill her when I put any eggplant down in front of her, I figure she needs something other than rice noodles to fill up her belly. We also usually eat some cut up fruit with dinner to make sure she's getting enough nutrients outside of the white carbs she so strongly prefers.

Wednesday: Mini Shell Pasta with a Creamy Smoked Bacon and Pea Sauce

With pasta, bacon, and peas being three things Gabbie will usually eat, this should be a satisfying one dish meal. I'll probably add in more peas than it calls for just to get more green things in our diet.

Thursday: Grilled Cheese with Tomatoes and Avocado, Corn on the Cob, Grapes

Yet another use up the CSA goodies type meal. I mash up an avocado, and spread that on one slice of the bread, top it with a tomato slice or two, some cheddar or provelone and, in Aaron's case, a few slices of ham. Top it with another slice of bread and grill in a well-buttered pan, adding in more butter as you flip the sandwich. This is the type of meal we would have called a Garden Meal growing up, and they're my favorite kind of meal in the summer and fall months!

Friday: Mediteranean Mostaciolli, Bread

This is a hearty, meaty sauce, with sour, sweet, and salty notes, making it incredibly satisfying. Plus, there's lots of veggies in there too, which means it makes the mom in me feel better about serving pasta yet again this week.

Saturday: Meatball Subs, Veggies and Dip

On Saturdays during the fall, we eat our dinner early while watching the 3:30 football game of the day. Both my husband and I root for our own teams (MSU for me, U of M for him), which means football takes up the majority of our Saturdays. Since he's a much bigger fan than I am, I don't mind spending some of that time cooking up a delicious meal. We always have veggies and dip on hand for game time snacking, as well as usually some sort of snack mix and something sweet to celebrate our victories (or nurse our hurting hearts in the case of defeats).

The meatballs listed above are seriously the best I've ever made. I'll make sure to take pictures and post the recipe (I should have done that when I wrote about them last year), because I promise you'll want to try these!

Toddler Lunches:

So, last time I posted a few new things to try with Gabbie. The egg salad did not go over well, to say the least. Aaron liked it though, so at least it got eaten. We never got to the Mexican roll-ups, and ate the tortillas during a burrito dinner instead, so I'll have to try those (and post the recipe) sometime in the future.

Monday: Ham and Cheese on Garlic Naan (all cut into a heart shape with a cookie cutter), fruit leather, carrots, and pretzels

Tuesday: Leftover Chicken Tenders (provided they go over well), Rice, Peas, and Grapes

Wednesday: PB&J Roll-Up (using a flour tortilla), Lima Beans (again, depends on how well she likes them), Apple Sauce

Thursday: Whole Grain Waffle, Yogurt, Fruit Salad with strawberries, blueberries, and mandarin oranges

Friday: "Noodles and Sauce" (pasta with spaghetti sauce), Green Beans, Garlic Naan fingers

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

2010-09-07T09:22:00.000-04:00

My deep love affair with the Artisan Bread in 5 Brioche recipe continues unabated. This stuff is magical! Not only does it make a fine loaf of bread just the way it is (and even better grilled and topped with a delicious egg salad), you can use it to make fantastic cinnamon rolls, hot dog buns, and this heavenly cinnamon swirl bread:

The really best part of all of this is how absolutely easy it is. Really! Even with 60 hour work weeks, trying to enjoy this pregnancy, redecorating our upstairs, and having to take a certain someone to the potty every thirty minutes or so, I can still mix up a batch of this dough and turn it into something spectacular.

Due to above mentioned 60 hour work weeks, I'm going to just link you to the recipe today. I made it exactly as written and it turned out beautifully. I can't wait to use it to make french toast as described on the linked page. My husband is bound to get jealous of how much I love this recipe (or at least gain a pound or five). This weekend I'm thinking I'm going to use it to make some Monkey Bread. Or maybe tomorrow. It just sounds so fantastic!

Monday Meal Planning 8.23.10

2010-08-23T14:58:00.000-04:00

I know it has been a while. I am more than aware. I am also more than busy, what with working the equivalent of two positions at work, toddler potty training (and fighting with 2-year-oldness), baby stuff, husband stuff, house stuff. It's very nearly more than I can handle. I daily give praise for my husband who is such a great help with everything, because otherwise we would be living in squalor, eating ramen or take out for every meal. Instead he helps me get a nutritious meal on the table several times a week and is a clean freak.

Anyway, here's what we're planning to eat this week. We're keeping it simple because I have a lot of long hours that I will be working in addition to some home improvement projects. Like I said, more than busy. Recipes that are starred will be appearing soon.

Monday - Grilled cheese, tomato and avocado, chips, broccoli slaw*
Tuesday - Tortellini with fresh tomato sauce*, salad
Wednesday - BLTs, veggies and dip, fruit
Thursday - Slow Cooker Cheesesteaks, cucumber salad, fruit
Friday - Appetizers for dinner - Artichoke dip, bruschetta, veggies and dip
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Chicken Enchiladas Suisas, Creamy Black Beans

In addition, in order to make our mornings go a little more smoothly, we have started planning out Gabbie's lunches for the week. I'm always on the lookout for new toddler lunch ideas, so I thought it might be helpful to others if I put our ideas here. We're testing out a couple of new things this week, so I don't know about the success of all of these recipes, but I can definitely update next week with what did work! Another important note is that she has to have a cold, finger food lunch two days a week (Wednesday and Friday) because they have picnic lunches those days.

Monday - Soy dog, yogurt, cantelope, carrot sticks with dip
Tuesday - Egg salad*, crackers, cheese sticks, grapes
Wednesday - Cold tortellini with sauce for dipping, cucumbers, banana
Thursday - Mexican Roll-ups*, yogurt, cantelope
Friday - Salami, cheese, crackers, carrot sticks, mandarin oranges

Have Made/Want to Make

2010-08-04T14:30:00.000-04:00

It has been far, far too long since I've posted here regularly. Now that summer is here and both Aaron and I have been a lot more busy at our jobs, we've been doing many more fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants meals. It helps that we have a refrigerator full of vegetables and a stocked pantry, because it means we can get away with this most of the time. We have made some delicious meals lately (although all of us would regularly prefer to be eating more cinnamon rolls), and there's a big, growing list of recipes I want to try.

Things we have made:

Pizza - using The Pioneer Woman's dough, and barbeque sauce (see above)or this delicious sauce (without the anchovies because I didn't have the paste on hand) and any variety of vegetables we have sitting in the fridge. I also made breadsticks using this dough by rolling out the dough, brushing it with garlic butter, and sprinkling on parmesan cheese, then baking according to directions. They were easily the favorite part of dinner that night.
Sesame Noodles - we added in some crisp-tender steamed veggies to make this even more delicious, and because we are determined to throw away as little of our bounty as possible.
Spicy Bok Choy and Noodles (will post the recipe soon)
Mixed Vegetable Pancakes
Cinnamon Bun Pancakes
Zucchini bread - we are, like everyone else, up to our ears in zucchini these days, and this recipe makes the best bread/muffins I've had

Some things I want to make - the top of the list:

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese, because, DUH!
Zucchini Fries with Romanesco Sauce (Tastespotting has a ton of delicious looking zucchini recipes right now, in case you need some zucchini inspriation.)
Homemade Big Macs
S'mores Cake (or classic s'mores made with a peanut butter cup instead of the usual chocolate bar)

There's so much more on the to-make list, but I'm out of time. And also, now I'm hungry.

Seriously the Best Cinnamon Rolls I've Ever Eaten

2010-07-17T13:31:00.000-04:00

I will admit to, at times, being prone to hyperbole. This is not one of those times. This morning I made the best cinnamon rolls I've ever eaten in my entire life.

It didn't take much (active) time either, which makes it even more awesome. The only problem were that I wanted more than one, but two was a bit too much. Such a problem to have, right? The fact that the entire family passed out in a sugar coma soon afterwards was also not too big of a problem. There's not much better than a family nap on a Saturday morning.

Finally, one last "problem": I used the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day brioche recipe, which means that if you follow this exactly, you'll have 3/4 of the dough left to use in this or other recipes. But, you can 1/4 the dough recipe if you'd prefer. It's all up to you. It's all so delicious, though, that I would recommend the full recipe. (And it's MUCH easier than the brioche recipe I tried the last time with similarly delicious results.)

Now, without further ado - the recipe!

Mrs. Ca's Fabulous Cinnamon Rolls

1 1/2 pounds ABin5 Brioche Dough
1 stick of butter, softened (I used salted, but you could go either way)
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Icing:
2 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. real vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

On a lightly floured surface, roll out your dough to about 1/8 inch thick (mine made a rectangle about 10x13 inches). Spread 1/2 of the softened butter over the dough. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle generously over the dough (you will have extra). Roll up into a log from the long side. If your dough is fairly soft, refrigerate for 20 minutes before slicing.

In a cake pan (mine is 9 inches), spread the rest of the softened butter. Sprinkle with some of the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture. Slice your dough roll into 8 equal pieces, and place cut side up in the pan. (I placed 7 around the sides and one in the middle.) Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 40 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. When done rising, bake for 40 minutes.

While rolls are baking, put cream cheese and milk in a small, microwavable bowl. Microwave for 15 seconds to soften the cream cheese. Remove from microwave and whisk to combine. Whisk in vanilla and powdered sugar. Set aside until ready to serve rolls.

Place desired amount of rolls on each plate and top with cream cheese glaze. Eat, then groan in pleasure. (And probably take a family walk instead of a family nap because these are definitely far (FAR) from light in fat and calories.)

Hacked

2010-07-01T11:14:00.002-04:00

In a non-fun twist of events, my email has been hacked! So, if you get an email (or apparently a bunch of emails) from mrs.jessie.ca[at]gmail[dot]com, don't open it/them. I apologize if you're getting majorly spammed by account. I let Google know, so hopefully it will stop soon.

Just what I needed today. Grrr....

Monday Meal Planning 6.28.10

2010-06-28T09:04:00.000-04:00

This week is going to be more than a little crazy, so recipes we've planned are quick, easy, and pretty much dictated by my recent cravings. Being pregnant has it's perks; all I have to do is say I'm craving something and no one complains about the plan for that day.

Monday: BBQ Pork, Cole Slaw, fresh veggies

I made so much pork last week that we're still eating it this week. That's fine, though, because it's delicious! The bonus this week will be some pickles that I just bought for an extra side.

Tuesday: Prosciutto Pasta, Roasted Green Beans

So, the one craving that's been a constant my entire pregnancy so far? Green beans. I want them all the time. Luckily I love my family enough to not make them eat green beans at every meal. They can deal with once a week, and it gives me something to look forward to.

Wednesday: New York Dogs, Sweet Potato Fries

Based on this month's Food Network Magazine feature, New York dogs are steamed hot dogs (we'll probably boil then pan fry ours), topped with saurkraut and spicy brown mustard. Yes please! Pickles on the side again with these.

Thursday: Pan Braised Chicken with Chimichurri, Rice Pilaf, fresh peas from my parents' garden

(I would totally make the skirt steak linked to with the chimichurri sauce, but I can't deal with well-done steak, so I'll happily wait until after September for medium-rare goodness.)

Friday: Pizza and fresh veggies

Again, using the Pioneer Woman's pizza dough recipe, and I'm going to give this sauce recipe a try. Toppings will be whatever leftover veggies or meats we have in the fridge (although, right now, sausage and mushroom pizza sounds pretty darn good). We might also make something with our CSA share for the week (so excited its finally starting!).

Sixty Minute Rolls

2010-06-27T17:27:00.000-04:00

For as long as I can remember, for every special occasion (and often for everyday meals) my mom has made these rolls. The rolls are so easy to make that even the most yeast-phobic bakers can easily master this recipe. They're light, slightly sweet, and in my opinion, best when steaming hot and slathered with butter. And sometimes honey.

As a bonus, you can roll out the dough, top it with softened butte,r sugar, and cinnamon, then roll up, slice, and bake as directed for delicious quick cinnamon rolls. See? I told you these were awesome!

Sixty Minute Rolls

(Can be halved)

3 1/2 to 4 1/2 c. unsifted, all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 packages dry yeast
1 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. butter

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix 1 1/2 c. flour, sugar, salt, and undissolved dry yeast.

Combine milk, water, and butter in a sauce pan. Heat over low heat until liquids are very warm (120 - 130 degrees F). (This step can be done in the microwave.) Butter does not need to melt. Gradually add this mixture to the flour mixture and beat for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 c. flour, beat 2 minutes. Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about five minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; place bowl in a pan of water at about 98 degrees F. Let rise 15 minutes.

Turn dough out onto floured board. Divide into half and shape; place into lightly greased 9" x 13" pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, 14 minutes.

Bake at 425 degrees F for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown on top and baked through.

Monday Meal Planning 6.21.10

2010-06-21T09:26:00.000-04:00

Woohoo! It's the first day of summer! I don't know if you can tell, but I'm pretty darn excited! I also am feeling so much better these days, now that about 90% of the first trimester yuckiness is gone, and so I've been much better about cooking again. We're still on our kick of trying to reduce the amount of food we end up throwing away, so this week is full of meals that get double duty, with the leftovers from one meal showing up again in another meal. One last thing before I get to the plan: Our CSA finally starts next week and I could not be more excited. Be prepared for lots and lots of vegetables showing up in our plan soon (even more than normal; I know!).

Monday: Rotisserie Chicken, Green Beans, 60 Minute Rolls

If I were really on top of things this week I would have made my own "fauxtisserie" chicken. Alas, I am not quite back up to 100% yet, so straight from the store it is. Plus I usually only make those when whole chickens are on sale, and I haven't seen them on sale for a while now. We're roasting the green beans this week instead of steaming them (that way we can get away with telling Gabbie they're green bean "fries" and she'll eat a ton of them (hopefully)), and I promise, promise, promise I will share my rolls recipe this week. Promise! They're so good and easy.

Tuesday: Cold Sesame Noodles, Egg Rolls

I'll make the noodles tonight so they'll be ready for dinner when we get home tomorrow. The egg rolls are of the frozen variety, which work just fine for me! Although, Aaron will probably convince me to let him pick up egg rolls from our favorite Chinese restaurant, because they're just so much better.

Wednesday: Spicy Shredded Pork, Tortillas and taco fixings, Spanish Rice

Aaron requests this pretty much every week, but I only give in about once every month or so. He's lucky this week, because he's getting exactly what he wants. This recipe has topped our previous favorite smoky beef tacos on his list of favorite Mexican dishes I make.

Thursday: BBQ Chicken Pizza, Salad

For the pizza I'll use The Pioneer Woman's pizza crust recipe, and top it with bbq sauce, shredded leftover rotisserie chicken, thinly sliced red onion, a mix of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, and top it with green onions when it comes out of the oven. I cannot wait to dig into this!

Friday: Pulled Pork and Coleslaw Sandwiches, cucumber salad

I know, barbeque two days in a row. I guess my excuse is I'm dragging our Father's Day celebration out into a week-long man-pleasing-food party. We'll mix the leftover pork with BBQ sauce, and throw it on a bun with some cole slaw. Man, I love that combination! Slightly spicy and vinegary tender meat, plus the creamy sweet crunch of the cole slaw. Food heaven, I swear.

Saturday: Vegetable Jalfrezi, Basmati Rice

I have been craving a good curry lately, and I'm really hoping this one fits the bill. It looks fantastic, and reading the recipe leaves me practically drooling, so I'm really looking forward to making this. Mmmm....

Artichoke-Stuffed Portobellos

2010-06-15T10:13:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago there were exactly two things that sounded appetizing to me: artichoke dip and mushrooms. I knew I wanted to do something that used both these things, so I decided to take the easy way out: I stuffed portobello mushroom caps with artichoke dip, and lo, it was fantastic. So easy too! I can see using smaller "baby bellas" and making them as a party dish. As it was, they were fantastic served with some french bread for soaking up the extras. This is definitely something we'll eat again and again.

Also, sorry for the lack of pictures, because it really was quite a pretty dish. It just smelled and looked so good we couldn't stop ourselves from digging right in and eating all of this right then and there.

Artichoke-Stuffed Portobellos

For the artichoke dip:
One large jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayonaise
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese

Remaining ingredients:
4 large portobello mushroom caps, stems removed and gills (black stuff) scraped out with a spoon
olive oil
salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together all artichoke dip ingredients. Drizzle both sides of portobellos with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place top-side down on a baking sheet and divide the dip equally among the four mushrooms. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until dip is bubbling and starting to brown on top. Serve with slices of fresh baguette.

P.S. If you would prefer, you can forgo the mushrooms, and spread the dip in a small casserole dish, baking as described above. This is a delicious dip, best served with buttery crackers.

Monday Meal Planning - 6.14.10

2010-06-14T09:58:00.000-04:00

Ah, meal planning. I have had such good intentions lately, but have not been quite so good with the follow-through. Last week I had a full plan and grocery list together, and I don't think a single dish on the list happened. It's so frusterating when that happens! We had also planned to go to a local "Taste of Greece" night in town, an event put on by a nearby Greek Orthodox Church, but they ran out of food by the time we got there. Talk about dissapointment!

Of course, I forgot all about our craving for Greek food when putting together this week's plan. Instead I focused more on using ingredients in more than one dish so we can hopefully waste less food, and also on dishes that are more hot-weather friendly since it's supposed to be in the 80s most of this week. Even though it's hot, I sure do love summer!

On to the plan:

Monday: Sloppy Joes, Sweet Potato Fries, Broccoli Bacon salad

Tuesday: Twice Baked Potatoes, Salad

Wednesday: BLATs, leftover Broccoli Bacon Salad, Chips

Thursday: No-Bake Lasagna, Salad

Friday: Chicken Salad on Croissants, sliced veggies (carrots, cucumbers, peppers, etc.)

I also really, really want to bake this week. Something quick and summery, possibly fruity, but I can't decide what. Any suggestions?

Monday Meal Planning 5.31.10

2010-05-31T16:46:00.000-04:00

Oh, my goodness, has it been a long time since I've made (and subsequently stuck to) a meal plan, but this week I am determined! It's a week full of extra-curricular activities, but I'm not going to let that stop me. We have been doing a horrible job of cooking at home and eating real dinners, and it's time for that to change.

On to the plan...

Monday: Refried bean dip, tortilla chips, watermelon

This is a quick and easy dinner since we just got back from being away on an impromptu trip to my parents' house. My favorite recipe is a cold dip in which you layer ingredients as such: refried beans, creamy taco sauce (equal amounts (or slightly more sour cream) sour cream and mayonnaise and taco seasoning to taste), shredded cheddar cheese, chopped iceberg lettuce, and diced tomato. So easy and it lasts forever too, so we'll have lunch for tomorrow as well.

Tuesday: Baked potato bar and roasted zucchini spears

Another quick and easy dinner; I'll just throw the potatoes in the oven when I get home and dinner will be mostly ready when Aaron gets home. Toppings I usually include on the bar are: butter, sour cream, seasoning salt, cheddar, green onions, chopped bacon, and salsa.

Wednesday: Pizza Rolls and Salad

We'll make the pizza rolls using this whole wheat pizza dough that I mixed up, and whatever toppings everyone prefers (Gabbie prefers just cheese, I like pepperoni and mushrooms, and Aaron likes ham and pineapple).

Thursday: Pierogis, sausages, and steamed green beans

We're on the hunt this week for a nitrate-free sausage to eat with our meal, but it seems to be hard to find around here. A special trip to one of my favorite specialty stores may be in order, and I never mind that.

Friday: Stuffed portobello mushrooms and roasted asparagus

I haven't decided on a recipe yet, I just know that I have a major mushroom craving lately and I'm making sure it's satisfied at least once this week.

Southwest Nacho Potato Skins

2010-05-18T10:27:00.000-04:00

(Holy crap it has been more than a month since I've posted! I didn't realize! I'm such a slacker!)

I'm completely horrible at meal planning these days. Our lives have been a little crazy lately due to travel and other issues, so the last month has been mostly fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants meal planning (meaning, during our lunchtime chat, either Aaron or I says, "So...dinner...have any ideas?")

On Sunday we were really busy all day and forgot to eat lunch, so were pretty starving by the time dinner-time rolled around. When we're starving and haven't planned ahead, nutritional considerations basically fly out the window (unfortunately), and so we decided that since we had everything we needed, we'd make Southwest Nacho Potato Skins and Spanish rice.

It was an excellent dinner and really, really hit the spot. Gabbie loves the rice, but wouldn't eat the potato skins (minus the spicy stuff) because of the skins still on the potato. Weirdo - the crispy, salty, buttery skins are the best part! These are pretty easy to throw together and definitely worth the time it takes to bake the potatoes in the oven.

Southwest Nacho Potato Skins
source: Food Network Magazine, January/February 2010

4 large russet potatoes
butter
salt
pepper
shredded cheddar cheese
salsa
pickled jalepeno pepper slices, minced
sour cream
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Pierce the potatoes all over with a fork, and bake at 350 degrees F for about one hour, or until easily pierced with a knife. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F.

Cut potatoes in to quarters and scoop out the baked potato leaving about a 1/4 inch of potato left against the skin. Brush both sides with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake, skin side up, for 15 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown.

Remove from the oven, flip them to skin side down, and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake for five more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Top the cheesy skins with salsa, pickled jalepenos, sour cream and green onions. Serve hot.

Vegetable Tacos

2010-04-08T10:34:00.000-04:00

Aaron and I are big fans of Mexican food and regularly make burritos or tacos at home. Or at least we used to, when we were still eating meat most days of the week. It has been a long while since we've made our regular beef burritos or tacos and we were both craving something like that but without meat.

Enter a recipe for veggie tacos from Simply Recipes. I played with the recipe a little because I wanted something with a bit more bulk (I get complaints if I fix something that leaves Aaron hungry again after an hour or so), and we're very happy with the result. This was a quick, delicious, filling meal that was exactly what we were looking for in a vegetarian taco.

Vegetable Tacos
adapted from Simply Recipes

olive oil
1 heaping cup chopped zucchini (about 1 7-inch zucchini)
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalepeno (or 6 slices pickled jalepeno) diced
salt and pepper
pinch of cumin
1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. corn
1 small to medium tomato, chopped
pinch of oregano

corn tortillas (we used six)
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
olive oil
queso fresco, crumbled

Heat a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet. Add zucchini, onion, garlic, jalepeno, salt and pepper to taste, and a pinch of cumin, and sautee until vegetables have softened. Add corn, black beans, tomato and oregano and cook until heated through. Set aside and keep warm.

In another skillet, heat some olive oil and add tortitillas one at a time. When a tortilla has started to bubble, but is still soft, flip it over, top with a small amount of the cheddar cheese and fold in half, cooking until the cheese is melted. Repeat until all tortillas are cooked.

Peel open each tortilla, add in a scoop of the vegetable mixture, and top with crumbled queso fresco.

Avocado BLT (BLAT?)

2010-04-06T10:40:00.000-04:00

Most of the week I cook with a mind toward leftovers, because that's what Aaron and I eat for lunch all week. On Fridays, though, I get to cook whatever I want, and I usually make a small batch of something that won't keep well. Last Friday I made Avocado BLTs and we liked them so much we're having them again this Friday. By "liked them so much" I mean Aaron finished his and I had to make him another because he was making such big puppy-dog eyes at me. He said it was the best BLT he's ever had, and this is a man who has serious opinions about bacon and tomatoes, so I'll take that as a huge compliment.

The greatest thing about these sandwiches is that by the time the bacon was done the meal was done. I don't think you can ask for a faster meal than that. Also, there's no picture of these from last Friday (maybe I'll try this Friday) because we basically inhaled them as soon as they touched the plates.

Avocado BLT
(adapted from Food Network Magazine, March 2010)

Bacon (we used 3 slices per sandwich)
1 whole wheat (or multi-grain) baguette, cut in 4-6 inch pieces (we got 3 sandwiches plus some leftover bread from one)
Olive Oil
1 clove of garlic, halved
Salt
Pepper
Roma tomatoes (we used one per sandwich), halved
1 avocado, halved and sliced
Lettuce

Pre-heat your broiler. Fry the bacon to desired level of doneness, and drain on paper towels. While the bacon is cooking, halve the baguette pieces and brush with olive oil. Place under the broiler until golden brown (make sure to watch them, it happens pretty quick!). Sprinkle cut sides of tomatoes with salt. Place the bread on a plate and rub the cut side with the cut side of the garlic.

Rub the bottom half of each sandwich with the cut side of the tomato until most of the juice is absorbed. Place the tomato skins on the bread and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with avocado slices, bacon, and lettuce.

Monday Meal Planning - 4.5.10

2010-04-05T11:27:00.000-04:00

Spring seems to have arrived in Michigan (finally - and we'll ignore the 2 days this week when the forecast is for highs in the 40s), and when spring gets here it never fails that I start craving vegetables - and allergy medication - like mad. I want plates full of vegetables, light salads and fresh berries. I also want slabs of grilled meat, but seeing as though we have yet to purchase a grill, I'll happily settle for vegetables alone. Since Aaron requires a little more substance than a plate of vegetables, I think the plan for this week meets both of our needs - jam packed with vegetables and protein for staying power.

This week I'm also adding in what Gabbie will eat while we're eating our meals. I try my hardest to cook only one dinner, but there are certain things (leafy greens, things that are mixed together, etc.) that she won't eat, so I try to modify what we're eating so that she can have a healthy dinner without me having to make an entire seperate meal. It has been a challenge, but we've been doing well so far. I'm also learning to give her a little of the main dish as is, because sometimes, like a couple of weeks ago when she ate lentil-barley burgers and wouldn't touch spaghetti-os, she surprises me. Her meals are listed in parentheses on the line below what we'll be eating.

Finally, I'm really excited this week to be able to use my new iPad in the kitchen instead of printing out recipes. I read a great tip online about using your iPad (or iPhone) in the kitchen. Put it in a ziplock-type bag and seal it. That protects it from moisture and mess, but you can still use it and see it just fine. I tried it with my phone and found that it's true - the touch-screen worked fine even with the layer of plastic in between my finger and the screen.

On to the plan!

Monday: Spinach and Chickpeas, Rice, Fresh berries with yogurt and honey
(Chickpeas w/the spinach picked out, rice, berries, yogurt)

Tuesday: Cheese Tortellini, Tomato Sauce with butter and onion, Salad, Bread
(Tortellini with a side of sauce for dipping, carrots, bread)

Wednesday: Veggie Tacos, Spanish Rice
(Cheese and bean quesadilla, spanish rice)

Thursday: Kale and Cheddar Frittata, Carrot Salad
(Scrambled eggs, cheese, carrot salad)

Friday: Avocado BLTs, Sweet Potato Fries
(Bread, cheese, sweet potato fries, yogurt)

Saturday: Green Chile Chowder, Cheese Quesadillas
(Cheese and bean quesadilla, applesauce)

Secret Ingredient Deviled Eggs

2010-04-04T18:07:00.000-04:00

It may be hard for some to believe, but I was thirty years old before I ever ate a deviled egg. Then I had one only because my husband's grandmother insisted. I was prepared to have to choke it down, but instead was surprised to find myself enjoying it. A lot!

I came home and tried to make them myself the following weekend. We ended up throwing away the batch I made (thankfully I had only made a couple!) because they were gross and nothing like the ones that Grandma made. I asked around and tried a few that showed up at potlucks but none were the same. I became convinced that Grandma had some strange recipe, some family secret, and I wasn't looking forward to trying to get it from her - I figured there would be some serious bargaining to make my securing of the recipe possible.

So, you can imagine my surprise when she handed over the recipe with nary a hesitation. It's a fairly standard recipe with one little tweak that makes all the difference - garlic salt!

So, since I finally got the recipe I was looking for, I think I should share it with all of you.

Secret Ingredient Deviled Eggs

Hard boiled eggs
Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
Yellow mustard
Garlic salt
Ground black pepper

Cut eggs in half, scooping out yolks and placing them in a bowl. Mask yolks well with a fork. Mix in remaining ingredients to taste and blend until mixture is smooth. Place mixture into a plastic baggie and cut off a corner of the bag. Pipe filling into the halved eggs.

Easter Brunch

2010-04-02T10:13:00.001-04:00

Due to the fact that my sister is flying back home mid-day on Sunday, we're celebrating Easter this year on Saturday by having an Easter Lunch at home. I've been planning what to make all week, and need to pare down the list because there's only 4.5 people (Gabbie only eats enough for 1/2 a normal person) eating, and if I make everything we'll have enough food for dozens.

Here are some Easter lunch/brunch ideas (the ones I have decided on are marked with a *)

Appetizers

Fresh Fruit Bruschetta

Fruity Poppy Seed Salad

Cinnamon Rolls

Pasta Salad

Deviled Eggs (I'll share my recipe later)

Maple-Candied Bacon

Bacon-wrapped Stuffed Dates

Main Dishes

Smoked Ham*

Tangy Spiced Brisket

Side Dishes

Cheesy Potatoes*

Steamed Asparagus with salt and lemon juice*

Desserts

So! What are you making for your Easter meal?

Weekend Breakfast

2010-03-27T10:41:00.000-04:00

I still had a loaf of brioche in the freezer from when I made a batch back in late January, and decided today was the day to thaw it out and make some French toast.

In order to fancy it up just a bit more I added vanilla extract and lemon zest into the custard and topped the finished dish with fresh raspberries and blueberries. This was a delicious, bright-tasting, and surprisingly quick breakfast.

Brioche French Toast

One small loaf brioche, cut into 1/2 to 1 inch slices
2 eggs
1 c. milk
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Butter for pan
Real maple syrup
Fresh berries

Mix together eggs, milk, zest, and vanilla in a shallow dish. Dip in slices of brioche for approximately 30 seconds per side. Allow excess egg mixture to drip back into the dish. Fry in melted butter until each side is golden brown, approximately 3 minutes per side. Top with warm maple syrup and berries.

Rhubarb Crisp

2010-03-23T07:13:00.007-04:00

A few of my favorite foods are starting to be in season right now. Berries are coming from closer than Chile (don't even get me started on food miles), asparagus is green and fresh and delicious, and the other day at the store, right when you walked in the door, there was a display of beautiful, red rhubarb.

I love rhubarb.

It's a tradition that the first time I see rhubarb at the store in the spring, I buy it and make a rhubarb crisp. It's a delicious tradition.

This year I made a few tweaks to my recipe, and it seems like they were the right tweaks to make. This is, perhaps, the best rhubarb crisp I've ever made. And, so, I feel it's my duty to pass the recipe on so that others can enjoy the yumminess.

Rhubarb Crisp

Adapted from several recipes

4 c. chopped rhubarb

up to 1/2 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. tapioca

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1/2 c. flour

3/4 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

Toss together the rhubarb, sugar (to taste depending on the tartness of your rhubarb) and tapioca and put into a buttered 8 x 8 baking dish. Cut together (using a pastry blender, food processor, or with your fingers) the remaining ingredients and spread on top of the rhubarb. Bake, uncovered for 35 minutes at 350 degrees F.

To make it even more delicious, serve topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Monday Meal Planning 3.22.10

2010-03-22T06:48:00.057-04:00

We did pretty well at making meals out of food we had on hand all last week as planned. The only exception was Thursday night when we bought subs and beer and plopped down in front of the television to engage in some March-type madness. (GO STATE!)

I went grocery shopping today and all of the space I had managed to make in the pantry and refrigerator last week is now filled up again. My meal plan this week is designed to clean things out even more. My list is designed so that I would only have to buy a few produce items and some meat (we got a jonesing for pulled pork and lasagna). I've been doing good at keeping my grocery bill low, and this week managed to buy produce, a few canned goods, meat, and some mascara for less than $75.

As long as you don't count the special trip I made to the Middle Eastern bakery yesterday to buy fresh-baked pitas.

Mmmmm....fresh baked pitas. So good!

Anyway, onward to the meal plan!

Monday: Turkey Patty Pockets, Hummus and Veggies

A recipe I will be sharing this week, adapted from the most recent edition (April 2010) of Everyday Food (EDF). We actually ate this last night, because we were in the mood for something fresh-tasting and were dying to eat more of the fresh baked pita bread. We ended up very pleased with how this meal turned out. I can see this ending up in rotation fairly frequently.

Tuesday: Crispy Rice with Mushrooms and Carrots

Another EDF recipe that we are really looking forward to eating. Fried rice topped with a sunny-side-up egg, and surprisingly still fairly low in calories, plus vegetarian. This sounds like it's right up our alley.

Wednesday: Spicy Shredded Pork Tacos, Grilled Zucchini

The cover of EDF this month shows a pulled pork sandwich, which is what put us in the mood for the same. I bought my brother The Pioneer Woman's cookbook for his birthday last month and the shredded pork recipe was the first he tried, and then he called me to rave about it. I'm going to throw the ingredients together in my crockpot, and then eat half in the tacos and half later in the week slathered in BBQ sauce and topped with cole slaw on a fresh, grilled bun. Excuse me for a moment while I mop up the drool that just happened. Given the nice weather we've been having lately, I've been jealously smelling everyone in the neighborhood grilling their dinner and dreaming of BBQ, so I am quite eagerly anticipating this meal.

Thursday: Mushroom Caraway Soup, Roasted Broccoli, Bread

Even though it has been, as I mentioned above, absolutely beautiful outside lately, I still crave soup about once a week. This mushroom soup caught my eye while meal planning so we'll be giving it a try. The broccoli is mostly for Gabbie's sake, since it's her favorite food lately (so weird, but I'll take it).

Friday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches topped with cole slaw, Sweet Potato Fries

I CANNOT WAIT FOR FRIDAY JUST SO I CAN EAT THIS!

Saturday: Lasagna, Salad, Garlic Bread

Funny story here: when I was planning out our meals for the week, I read the list to Aaron, like usual, for his approval. When I came to this, I said, "The Pioneer Woman's Lasagna," and he whined, "Why can't you make your lasagna? I love your lasagna!"

My lasagna is the Pioneer Woman's lasagna. Apparently I've tried so many recipes I have the poor guy confused. I think he'll be pleasantly surprised come Saturday.

Monday Meal Planning 3.15.10

2010-03-15T11:18:00.000-04:00

I was looking in my refrigerator yesterday, trying to decide what to eat for lunch, and I realized that we have way too much food in our house to justify shopping for anything other than a few staples. So I challenged myself to cook for an entire week using just what we have in our refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Even without shopping, we're going to be eating extremely well this week.

We also had a few things come up last week that pre-empted some of the planned meals so there are a few repeats this week from last week's plan.

Monday: Lentil Barley Burgers with Firey Fruit Salsa, Roasted Broccoli

Tuesday: Ravioli Toss, Bread

Wednesday: Pad Thai with Shrimp, Spring Rolls

Thursday: Brinner - Strawberry Shortcake French Toast

Friday: Pizza, Salad

Saturday: Creamy Pasta with Peas and Bacon

Sunday: Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa, Israeli Couscous Pilaf

Some delicious things I've made that I forgot to write about

2010-03-10T09:21:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, like now, when I'm writing dozens of pages a day at work, I just don't really feel like putting together a long, cohesive post. And, even though I haven't blogged here much lately, that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. I have! Promise!

Here are some things I made that were pretty darn good:

Tomato sauce with onion and butter

This was amazingly simple and I'm keeping a can of whole tomatoes in my pantry at all times from now on so that I can make it whenever I want. It doesn't have many ingredients, but it's fine just the way it is.

The Pioneer Woman's Pizza Crust

We made a couple of delicious pizzas using this crust (each batch makes enough for two pizzas). I couldn't get it to slide nicely onto my pizza stone the first time (see pizza that ended up as a calzone) so now I assemble it on parchment paper and cook it on the stone on the paper. If you want a crispy bottom crust, slide the paper out from underneath for the last few minutes of baking. So easy and good!

My favorite of the pizzas we made used the leftover tomato sauce from the recipe above (it was hard to save some, but I managed to work up the willpower to not eat it all), mozzarella and cheddar, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts and chicken apple sausage. SO GOOD! (And now I'm ready for lunch at 9 in the morning.)

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day - Master Recipe

I finally mixed up my first batch of dough yesterday and I have to say that the result was amazing! Another really simple recipe that has an amazing result - a nice crusty white loaf with a beautiful airy interior. Aaron sang the praises all evening and had to stop himself from eating the entire (fairly decent sized) loaf in one sitting. I told him it would be fine, since I still have the dough for three more loaves in the refrigerator, and it takes no time at all to whip up another one.

Here's how simple it really was - I started mixing up the dough at about 7:00 am yesterday and was finished mixing (using my stand mixer) about five minutes later. I used cold water so that it would take longer for it to rise, because I wanted to leave it out for the initial rise and come back to throw it in the refrigerator on my lunch break. I made it home at about 11:45 am, and it had risen beautifully. I took out a one-pound portion of the dough (can I mention here how much I love my kitchen scale? LOVE!) at 5:00 and we had fresh bread by dinner at 6:30. There really wasn't much work to get it to the table - seriously about 5 minutes of hands on time. This really is just great!

Monday Meal Planning 3.8.10

2010-03-08T10:09:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's all dusty up in here. I seem to have forgotten I had this blog for a couple of weeks. I'm going to blame the weather that is turning nicer and the sun that is staying up later, both of which have distracted me by making me do things in the evenings like head out for a walk with Gabbie in the evening, or daydream about all the fun things we can do when the warm weather is here to stay.

I've been mostly daydreaming about grilling, made difficult by the fact that we don't actually have a grill yet. Never one to be dissuaded from accomplishing my daydreams, I have started researching grills and asked for one for Mother's Day (waiting that extra month for Father's Day is out of the question).

Then, late last week, I managed to get three cooking magazines back to back, and I'm inspired for cooking once again. My issues of Everyday Food and Food Network Magazine showed up in the mail a day apart, and then I had to go out and buy the March issue of Cooking Light after reading about it online in several places. So, those magazines inspired my cooking for the week, and I'll be sure to post the meals if they turn out.

You might also notice that we have a little bit of meat showing up on the menu this week again. We're still not cooking meat at home regularly, but after visiting my favorite butcher in my hometown this weekend, we have a few things that we bought that are begging to be eaten.

And now, to the plan:

Monday: Stirfry with broccoli, peas, carrot, green onion, and egg; brown rice

We are craving fresh veggies - it must be the spring thing - so I figured, why not throw them all into a big pot together, cook them just until crisp tender, coat them with a little teriyaki sauce, and shovel them into my mouth as quickly as possible. I'm really, really craving the vegetables, if you couldn't tell. I've been making my rice lately with vegetable broth or vegetable base added to water. It adds some nice flavor, and we all love it.

Tuesday: Orecchiette with Bacon/Tomato Sauce; bread

I can't wait to try this, it sounds fantastic. I also am finally mixing up a batch of dough from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day tonight, and I'll bake our first loaf for dinner tomorrow.

Wednesday: Smoked Pork Chops, steamed broccoli, baked sweet potatoes

Sometimes there is nothing more delcious than a simple meal, and this is one of my favorite simple meals. Sometimes I add in a rice pilaf, but I didn't think we needed the rice this week. I will admit here that I don't know if it's fair to post this meal here. I have never (although I will also admit I haven't looked hard outside of the grocery stores and butchers in my area) seen smoked pork chops anywhere than at my favorite butcher in my hometown. But they're delicious, so if you see them, I strongly recommend trying them. Also, Gabbie loves them, so I am trying to cook meals she'll eat more of more regularly so that I don't have to end up making her something different.

Thursday: Lentil Barley Burgers with Firey Fruit Salsa, steamed carrots and zucchini

It totally surprised me that Aaron practically drooled when I told him about this recipe. I've finally converted over my meat eater! I am also a big fan of fruit salsas, so I was practically drooling too. Can't wait to eat this!

Friday: Ravioli Toss and Garlic Bread

Another veggie-loaded dish. I think that by the end of this week my vegetable craving will be satisfied. Or maybe not. This is the time of year I typically start daydreaming about our CSA vegetables and all the things I will cook with them. Spring is in the air and I can't wait for spring vegetables to get in my belly!

I don't have any weekend dinners planned at this point, but I do have a couple of weekend breakfasts planned, including a strawberry shortcake french toast and a remake of the best mushroom omelet I've ever cooked. I'm also thinking about corning my own beef starting this week for St. Patrick's day next week. Either that or we'll have our favorite Guiness Steak Pie. I just looked in my archives and saw that I've never shared that last recipe. That will need to be addressed, because it's amazing.

Banana Nut Oatmeal

2010-02-25T11:09:00.000-05:00

The three people in our household are big, BIG fans of oatmeal for breakfast on a cold winter's morning. We typically stick to our simple favorites, but do like to fancy it up sometimes. Last week I was surfing around Serious Eats (a website that makes me want to head into the kitchen every time I visit) and saw this article that gave a couple of delicious-looking and yet simple oatmeal recipes. I gave the choice of which we would eat the next morning to Aaron, and he chose Banana Nut Oatmeal, and oh, how glad I am that we ate this, because it was an easy, delicious alternative to our normal weekday morning oatmeal.

Banana Nut Oatmeal

source: Serious Eats

I doubled the original recipe and made a couple of other tweaks based on food allergies and preferences. Altered, the recipe made enough for the three of us to have a nice-sized breakfast.

2 Tbsp. chopped pecans
1 large, slightly overripe banana
1 c. Quaker old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 c. milk (we used 1%)
2/3 c. water
4 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
A few shakes cinnamon
1 shake nutmeg
A few dashes Kosher salt

Mash the banana with a fork until it forms a wet puree. In a small pot, combine banana puree, oatmeal, milk, water, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. (Don't leave out the salt, it really helps enhance the other flavors.) Heat over medium until it reaches your preferred consistency, stirring occasionally. (I brought it to a simmer and cooked for five more minutes, which was perfect for us.) Top with pecans, and enjoy.

Oatmeal Scones

2010-02-12T14:00:00.001-05:00

Aaron denies this, but he has had a major scone craving for a while now. We would be looking at a cookbook, and come across a recipe, and his eyes would roll back in his head, and with an acompanying Homer Simson drool, he'd moan, "Mmmm....scones...." The same happened when we saw scones on a cooking show, at the coffee shop, and a mix at the store. Yet he still claims he didn't have a yearning for scones. I made them anyway, and he's mighty glad I did. These oatmeal scones are delectable - great fresh from the oven, still light and fluffy the next day, dense and moist the third day. And that's as far as we got, because we were lucky they lasted that long. I cut them out with a heart-shaped cookie cutter, which would make them a great addition to your Valentine's day breakfast (or brunch, which is how we're celebrating). Next time I'm going to freeze half of them after shaping but before baking so that I can pop a couple in the oven on a busy morning and have fresh scones before I head off to a busy day at the office.

Oatmeal Scones

Source: Epicurious

Note: the original recipe claims this makes 30 scones, but I patted them out as written (they were about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick) and cut with a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter, resulting in exactly 12 scones.

1 1/2 c. flour

1 c. old-fashioned oats

6 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg, beaten to blend

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/3 c. dried currants (I left these out)

1 large egg yolk, beaten to blend

Additional sugar (I used turbinado sugar - red decorating sugar would make these extra Valentine-y)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Blend the first six ingredients in a food processor until the oats are coarsly ground. Add the butter, pulsing to combine until the mixture looks liek a coarse meal. Transfer to a bowl. Add in the beaten whole egg and the buttermilk. Using a fork, stir until just combined (do not overmix). This dough will be quite sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Using floured hands, shape the dough into an 8-inch round. Using a floured 1 3/4 inch cookie cutter, cut out scones. Gather scraps, reshape, and cut out more scones. Transfer to the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg yolk and sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake the scones until golden, about 18 mintues. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Veggie Lasagna

2010-02-09T10:45:00.000-05:00

My department at work is fairly small, and approximately half of us are vegetarians or prefer to eat vegetarian food when possible. So, when I agreed to make the main dish at our holiday party, I had to come up with something that would please meat eaters and vegetarians alike. I made The Pioneer Woman's Lasagna (delicious!) for the meat eaters and an adapted version for the vegetarians. It was delicious, and I'm glad because I'm still eating the leftovers I froze (I made two full-size lasagnas and 12 people showed up - the meat eaters took home leftovers, but the vegetarians not so much).

Here's my adaptation:

Veggie Lasagna

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables - I got the broccoli, cauliflower, carrot version

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 jar spaghetti sauce - I used a roasted garlic tomato sauce

1/4 c. chopped basil

1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 c. ricotta

2 whole beaten eggs

1/2 c. grated parmesan

4 c. mozzarella

1 pkg. no-boil lasagna noodles (you'll use about 1/2 a package)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Slightly thaw the frozen mixed vegetables and chop into small pieces. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the onion and bell pepper and sautee until the onion is transparent. Add in garlic and sautee for 30 seconds more. Add in the chopped frozen vegetables and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the meantime, mix together the basil, parsley, ricotta and eggs. Set aside.

Spread a little of the sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Add in a layer of noodles (I think I used 3 across, so it didn't totally cover the bottom of the pan, but that's fine.) Top with a layer of veggies, a layer of the ricotta mixture, a layer of sauce, and a layer of mozzarella. Repeat the layers one more time, ending with the mozzarella, and then sprinkle the parmesan over the top. Bake for 60 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

Monday Meal Planning 2.8.10

2010-02-08T09:22:00.000-05:00

It has been a long couple of weeks, for some reason that I can't seem to put my finger on, and I haven't had time to sit and think, let alone sit and blog. Add to that some general apathetic feelings toward my blogs lately, and that means I haven't been here. I'm coming around though, so I thought I would kick things off with a meal plan.

(Also to be noted - the macaroni and cheese experiment from the last meal planning post failed SPECTACULARLY. The whole thing was a curdled mess and we ended up just throwing the entire dish in the trash and ordering pizza. The black bean nachos were great, but nothing special like I wanted to try - just cheese, black beans, onions, green peppers and tomatoes on chips, baked until the cheese is melty, topped wtih pickled jalepeno, sour cream, and my new favorite food ever - Margaritaville salsa.)

We're still sticking with vegetarian eating for the most part (our new rules are - maybe once a week at home or a special occasion, or if we're eating out), and I'm also dieting, so the meals are lighter or filled with more vegetables so I can eat a smaller portion of the more calorie-laden meal that the rest of my family demands.
Anyway, here goes:

Monday: Macaroni and Cauliflower Cheese Bake, Roasted Broccoli

Last week I borrowed Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution from the library, and we spent the rest of the week drooling (not really) over the book. We're ordering our own copy post-haste, because this is a book I want to have on hand. Of course it also helps that Aaron and I both have kind of a crush on Mr. Oliver, and would eat pretty much anything he told us to eat. The book isn't very vegetarian friendly, but there are a few good non-meat dishes in there.

The broccoli is being roasted, because according to Aaron I can't steam broccoli right (he's mostly correct) and it typically ends up being mushy when I do try. So, roasting it is - just cut it up into bite-sized pieces, toss it on a baking sheet with a drizzled tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt and pepper. Then roast at 450 for 10 to 15 minutes until it's crisp tender (and delicious!).

Tuesday: Chickpea Korma on Pitas with Yogurt Dressing, Sauteed Zuchini

I'm adapting a chicken korma recipe from this month's Food Network Magazine (which I still love, but would probably love more if they could get their distribution better figured out) because the sauce sounds amazing but the chicken not so much. I'll post the recipe if it turns out. (I really hope it does!)

Wednesday: Veggie Lasagna, Garlic Bread, Salad

I made up a vegetarian lasagna recipe for the office Christmas party, and have been meaning to post it ever since. I froze some of the leftovers (it makes a lot, but could be easily halved), and we're eating those on the night I get home late because of Zumba class. It's easy and delicious! I'll post the recipe tomorrow.

Thursday: Lentil and Spinach Soup, Rolls

Another recipe from the Jamie Oliver book that I can't wait to try. I love lentil soup. I'll also post my rolls recipe shortly - they're called 60 Minute Rolls, a quick yeast roll recipe that my mom has made for years. So good!

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Food Network magazine had a little pull-out book of 50 pizzas either this month or last, so we're going to try out one or two of those. I'm thinking tomato, artichoke, roasted red pepper, and pepperocini. Okay, so that recipe's not in there, but I'll use their dough at least. And maybe make the meatball one too.

Tarragon Shallot Egg Salad Sandwiches on Grilled Brioche

2010-01-27T20:15:00.045-05:00

So, this sandwich:

comes really, really close to the dish I was trying to recreate. So close, in fact, that I'd call it a success! I accomplished exactly what I wanted, and it is really good.

While in Chicago I ate a fan-freaking-tastic meal at a small plates vegetarian restaurant called Green Zebra. My meal consisted of several small plates, including: fresh burrata cheese with satsuma tangerines, salted cucumbers, pickled red onions, and pumpernickel crumbs; udon noodles in a spicy-tart broth with squash dumplings and greens; an ice cream tasting; and my favorite dish of the night - soft-boiled egg salad with tarragon on grilled brioche. I've been day dreaming about it ever since.

I started looking for ways to recreate it as soon as I got home, and while I never found a recipe for a soft-boiled egg salad, I did find a hard-boiled salad that sounded similar and a recipe for brioche (I suppose, if you lived somewhere other than where I live, you could just go buy a brioche, but, like I said earlier this week, grocery stores around here kind of suck, so I was on my own). I soft-boiled the eggs and used the salad recipe, and it is perfection. Exactly what I wanted. And so, so good. It's quite time consuming, but if you're bored or in the mood to tackle a somewhat difficult cooking task (as I often am on weekends) do this. You won't regret it.

Tarragon Shallot Egg Salad Sandwiches on Grilled Brioche

Adapted from Epicurious

For egg salad

4 large eggs

1/4 c. light mayonnaise

1 1/2 Tbsp. finely chopped shallot

3/4 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon, or to taste

2 tsp. white wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

For sandwiches

slices of brioche

butter

Make egg salad:

Cover eggs with cold water by 1 inch in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil. Boil one minute and then cover and remove from heat. Let sit 4 minutes. Flood pan with running cold water and let eggs sit for a couple of minutes until cool enough to handle. Peel eggs and finely chop. (This will be very messy with soft boiled eggs.

Stir together eggs and remaining salad ingredients in a bowl with a fork. (I stirred quite vigorously in order to get the yolks to blend into the dressing.)

Spread slices of brioche with butter and grill in a hot skillet until browned. Serve egg salad between slices of grilled brioche. You'll probably need a knife and a fork.

Golden Brioche

2010-01-26T08:15:00.000-05:00

I have been on a bread making kick lately; partially inspired by the goal I stated a while ago on my to cook/bake list, and partially because I'm trying to minimize the amount of processed foods that come into my house. My transformation to crunchy hippie is nearly complete!

Anyway, this delicious, buttery brioche was made for the purpose of trying to recreate a sandwich I had in Chicago that knocked my socks off. I started it on Saturday afternoon at around 3 and it finished baking about 24 hours later, and if that's not a lot of freaking effort for a sandwich that took me about 2 minutes to eat, I don't know how to make more of an effort.

It was also totally worth it.

I was a little nervous it wouldn't turn out. I mean, look at these:

They were supposed to rise to fill the pan within two hours. That didn't really happen, particularly not with the pan on the bottom. I'd say they probably doubled in size, but that still wasn't nearly large enough. Since I didn't need three loaves of brioche (I didn't really need two either, but this was the best looking recipe I could find) I made the other third of the dough into bubble-top brioche rolls. These, at least, looked a little more promising in the pan:

(A note about the pan: it's as old as I am (if not older) and I inherited it from my mom when I moved into my first apartment. It's so well seasoned you barely have to grease it, and I love the size.

Anyway, the rolls turned out wonderfully, so I had a little more hope for the bread after that.

The loafs were totally different sizes; the small one never really rose, while the larger one took off once in the oven. They both taste even better than the rolls, though, so I don't care that they didn't rise like I expected. I would declare this recipe completely worth the three sticks (!) of butter it contains.

(And here's a sneak peek at the reason I made the bread in the first place.)

Golden Brioche

Adapted from Epicurious

1/3 c. warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)

1/3 c. warm milk (105 to 115 degrees F)

2 envelopes dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp from a larger container)

3 3/4 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

3 large eggs

1/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, each stick cut into 4 pieces, room temperature (This last part is very important)

1 egg, beaten to blend with 1 tablespoon water (for glaze)

Place 1/3 c. warm water, warm milk, and yeast in a bowl of a standing heavy-duty mixer; stir until yeast dissolves (this took about 2 minutes). Fit mixer with dough hook. Add flour and salt to bowl; mix on low speed just until flour is moistened, about 10 seconds. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat in 3 eggs on low speed, then add sugar. Increase speed to medium and beat until dough comes together, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding next (dough will be soft and batter-like). Increase speed to medium-high and beat until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 7 minutes.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Lift up dough around edges and allow dough to fall and deflate in bowl. Cover bowl with plastic and chill until dough stops rising, lifting up dough around edges and allowing dough to fall and deflate in bowl every 30 minutes, about 2 hours total. Cover bowl with plastic; chill dough overnight.

Butter and flour 3 normal-sized bread pans (my two were different sizes, and I only have two, so that's also why I made the rolls). Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. For each loaf, cut one of the pieces into four equal pieces. Roll each into a short log, about the width of your loaf pan. Arrange logs crosswise in bottom of each prepared loaf pan. Cover pans with waxed paper. Let loaves rise at room temperature until dough almost fills pans, about 2 hours. (I let mine rise 3 hours and it had not almost filled pans, but it was time to bake them so we could have dinner at a normal time.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Gently brush top of loaves with egg glaze. Bake until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn loaves out onto racks; cool at least 1 hour.

(For the rolls, cut the piece into 6 equal pieces and each of those pieces into 3 pieces, which you then roll into balls, placing 3 balls in each cup. Allow to rise for about an hour or two, until the dough has risen above the rim of the pan by about 1/2 to 1 inch. Glaze with egg mixture. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack.)

If you'd like to freeze a loaf, cool completely then wrap each loaf in foil; place in resealable plastic bags and freeze up to one month. Rewarm thawed loaves wrapped in foil in 350 degree F oven for about 15 minutes, if desired.

Monday Meal Planning 1.25.10

2010-01-25T07:30:00.001-05:00

We've made it to the last week of the month without eating meat! It really hasn't been too hard, save for a couple random chicken wing or cheese burger cravings. Come February, we're still going to keep this up for the most part, maybe eating meat for a meal or two per week. At least that's the plan; we'll see how it works out in reality. We just really would prefer to eat sustainably grown local meats if possible, and in order to afford that we have to cut back on our meat consumption quite a bit.

Anyway, this is the last week of our vegetarian month, so it's the last all-vegetarian meal plan that I have planned. Could happen again; we'll see. I'm also trying to prep some things ahead, and I'll share the plans below where applicable.

Monday: Black Bean Quinoa Salad, Fruit Salad

Since the quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) salad is supposed to be served cold, I'll make it on Sunday night (I wrote this yesterday to be posted today) so it can sit and the flavors can meld. Then all I will have to do is throw together the fruit salad on Monday night and dinner will be ready in mere minutes. I love when dinner is fast, because we're usually all starving when we get home. This will also mean fewer dishes Monday night, and fewer dishes is never a bad thing!

Tuesday: Peanut Noodles with stir-fried tofu, egg rolls

We're planning to use whole-wheat spaghetti for this dish, since our local grocery store kind of sucks and doesn't have udon or soba, or anything more exotic than whole wheat pasta really. I'm adding the tofu for more protein, and because Gabbie will eat it. The eggrolls are just frozen veggie egg rolls from the grocer's.

Wednesday: Tomato Pie, Broccoli Slaw

I love this tomato pie, but it is a little time consuming to be made on a week night. Therefore I am mixing up, rolling, and freezing the prepped crust, and chopping up tomatoes, on Sunday night. Then I'll only have to chop the onions and shred and mix the cheese mixture, assemble, and bake on Wednesday. And again - fewer dishes!

Thursday: Macaroni and Cheese, Peas, and fruit

I'm going to try something new here, so if the recipe turns out, I'll share it. It comes from a failed - texturally but not taste-wise - crockpot experiment, and I'm eager to see if I can make it a success by cooking it on the stove top first, then baking it.

Friday: Black Bean Nachos/Quesadillas

Another experiment I'll share probably next week - I'm using the black bean mash from another recipe, and we'll see how that works in nacho form. Since Gabbie can't eat the chips without choking (don't ask me how we know this - it wasn't a pleasant experience) she gets hers in quesadilla form. That will also allow Aaron and I to douse our nachos with pickled jalapeno slices with wild abandon. We both absolutely love spicy food!

Saturday: Soft-boiled egg salad on grilled brioche, veggies and dip

Yet another experiment, this one inspired by a delicious dish I had in Chicago last weekend. I'm baking the brioche today and freezing it. Then I'll reheat it on Saturday (we have plans for the day, otherwise I'd make it fresh then) for the sandwiches.

Sunday: Eggplant Parmesan, Salad, Garlic Bread

We have a new recipe for this I'll share later this week. It's messy and time consuming, but absolutely divine. You won't regret the effort, I promise.

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

2010-01-24T13:06:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted the picture you see above in my meal plan for the week. Then I dropped off the face of the earth. Sorry 'bout that.

Anyway, every month in Food Network Magazine they have an article called "Copy That!" where they remake some chain restaurant's famous dish. For the January/February 2010 issue, the dish was Panera's Broccoli Cheddar Soup. I'm a big fan of this soup, but it's surprisingly not vegetarian (they use chicken broth), so while soup from Panera is a common lunch for me, I didn't get to indulge in this soup this month. I didn't have to mourn for too long, though, because the issue came early in the month and the recipe is adaptable enough - just replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth and voila! A vegetarian version!

My only complaint, if I had to have one, was that the leftovers thickened up considerably, but I have no idea how to prevent that, and it thinned out a little when reheated. It was enough, though (seriously, you could scoop it out with an ice cream scoop and it would have held form), that Aaron was kind of grossed out by it and wouldn't partake in leftovers.

The deliciousness on the first night was enough to make up for the later on weirdness, so I would still totally recommend you make this.

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

Adapted from Food Network Magazine, Jan/Feb 2010

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 c. half-and-half

3 c. low-sodium vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

salt and pepper

4 c. broccoli florets

1 large carrot, diced

8 oz. grated cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish if desired

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the vegetable broth, bay leaves, and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes

Add the broccoli and carrot to the pot and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup using an immersion blender (or in batches in a standing blender). Add the cheese by handfuls into the soup, whisking over medium heat until melted before adding in the next handful. Add up to 3/4 c. water if the soup is too thick. Serve with crusty bread and butter.

Meal Planning Monday 1.11.10

2010-01-11T11:18:00.001-05:00

Our month of being vegetarians is going quite well. None of us has fallen off the wagon and submitted to the cheeseburger craving. Yet. I have, however, had to promise Aaron whatever meat-filled dishes he wants for Superbowl viewing (thanks to Food Network Magazine for their meat-filled Superbowl food articles), and I have a feeling we'll be hitting up our favorite pub for their delicious burgers on, oh, February 1st. Overall, it has been pretty easy so far, save for the difficult experience of ordering a vegetable burrito the other day at the local fast food mexican place, instead of their delicious, wonderful, totally crave-worthy carnitas burrito. Oh, its' so, so good.

Anyway, enough day dreaming about meat. On with the week o' meals:

Monday: French Lentil Soup, French bread

That's right. I made French bread from scratch yesterday, and I have to admit, it was dead easy. That is, after I figured out how to correctly shape the loaf while I was incorrectly shaping the first loaf; the second one turned out pretty at least. And it tasted fabulous. Much better than the loaf I tried to make last weekend. It was light and airy with a nice crisp crust. The recipe makes two french loaves, which is perfect since I wanted bread with two meals.

Oh, and the soup is delicious too.

Tuesday: Eggplant Parmesan, Salad

Aaron wanted eggplant, so he's definitely getting eggplant. This is a favorite dish for both of us.

Wednesday: Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Bread, crudite

Can't wait to try this - it's a knock-off of the Panera recipe, which I love.

(ETA: Okay, I cheated and made this last night because I was seriously craving it, and it was delicious! Also pictured: a slice of the French bread and organic cultured butter (which OMG SO GOOD!).

)

Thursday: Mushroom Bourginon over egg noodles, steamed and buttered green beans.

Have I ever mentioned my love of mushrooms? I didn't eat them until I was about 22, but ever since then I just can't get enough. (Great, now I have that song stuck in my head.) This recipe has been on my too-cook list for a long, long time, and I'm finally dusting it off and giving it the attention it needs. To say that I'm drooling over this days before I get to eat it would be a correct assessment. I can't wait!

Friday: CHICAGO PIZZA!

My best friend and I are celebrating the fact that we both recently turned 30 by taking a weekend trip to Chi-town. She doesn't know it yet, but I'm dragging her to Pizza Due, where just this past July I had one of the most terrific pizzas I have ever had. It may have been aided by the amount of whisky I had imbibed, but I don't remind repeating that part either.

Saturday will be in Chicago as well. I'm guessing Aaron and Gabbie will be eating macaroni and cheese on one night and pizza on the other.

Sunday: Pizza Potatoes, salad

Yes, I realize that's a pizza heavy weekend, but it is National Pizza Week afterall. See? Totally justified.

Argentinean Pumpkin Soup

2010-01-06T08:42:00.000-05:00

We are now six days into our month of eating vegetarian, and I have to admit it's going really well. My cravings for cheeseburgers and pot roast and bacon (mmm...bacon...*drool*) have lessened, and I've been enjoying everything we've cooked so far.

Earlier this week we made Argentinean Pumpkin Soup, and I have to admit we were both feeling a little dubious about the soup as it came together. When it was done, I tasted it, made a few additions from the spice cabinet, and declared it ready. I had also baked a loaf of bread, which was decidedly less successful since you couldn't chew through the crust. The middle was good, but only when fresh out of the oven. I guess bread is on my list of things to work on and perfect.

We each sat down with a bowl of soup, and while Gabbie refused to touch hers (stinker!), Aaron and I dug in and quickly realized how satisfying this soup really is, especially on freezing cold days like we've had lately. Aaron declared it a delicious, "rustic" meal, and said he'd happily eat it again any time. Good thing, since it made lots of leftovers!

Argentinean Pumpkin Soup

adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

4 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 lb. sugar pumpkin and/or butternut squash (we used both), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I measured the weight after chopping, so you'll want to account for that in the size of the squashes)

1 medium onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

salt and pepper

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. onion salt
4 c. vegetable broth

1 c. water

2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 c. dried apricots, quartered

Put the butter in a soup pan over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the pumpkin, onion, red bell pepper, potatoes, and salt, pepper, cinnamon, and onion salt,and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, water, tomatoes, and apricots, and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Partially cover and cook, stirring occiasionally until the pumpkin starts to fall apart, about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve piping hot with nice fresh bread.

Monday Meal Planning 1.4.10

2010-01-04T10:11:00.001-05:00

Here's our first full week of vegetarian meals! It's been four days so far, and we're doing okay. Of course, I would love a cheeseburger, but I think I'll survive.

Monday: Argentinian Pumpkin Soup, bread

We made this last night, and I'll post the recipe later today. We were both a little suspicious of the soup, but had a couple of pumpkins that needed to be used so we thought we'd give it a try. It was surprisingly delicious, and we're both excited about the lunch leftovers today.

Tuesday: Quick Curried Chick Peas, Basmati Rice, Naan, steamed green peas

We didn't get to this late last week (we had pizza instead), so it's making the meal list again this week. I have been reading good things about it online, so I can't wait to try it.

Wednesday: Cheese Quiche, steamed broccoli, grape tomato salad

I love a good quiche. I usually put the broccoli in the quiche, but I don't think Gabbie will eat it that way. She eats cheesy eggs, and she eats steamed broccoli, but she won't eat things mixed together. The tomato salad is one of our favorites, and goes great on the side with quiche.

Thursday: Tortellini with sauteed mushrooms and zuchini and tomato sauce, salad, garlic bread

A quick, easy, mid-week meal. We sautee the veggies, boil the tortellini, and heat up a jar of spaghetti sauce. Simple and delicious, it's a complete comfort food.

Friday: Cheesy vegetable pancakes, rice with peas

I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants on this one, combining a few recipes to try to get what I imagine to happen in my pan. We'll see how it goes.

Saturday: Braised lentils, Spanish style, Olive Bread

Another meal I can't wait to try. Gabbie and I love lentils, and this recipe sounds fantastic. I don't particularly like olives, but I like them on pizza and I think if I halve the amount of olives in the recipe I will love it.

Sunday: Leftovers or veggie quesadillas

I'm sure we'll have plenty of leftovers and I'll be tired of cooking by Sunday, so leftovers will probably happen. One night off of cooking per week is usually needed.

Mama J's Cocktail Meatballs

2009-12-31T11:25:00.000-05:00

I'm finally getting around to posting the meatball recipe I've been talking about for weeks. Better late than never, right? Right?

Okay then.

So. When Aaron and I first started dating, most of what we ate came from a restaurant, was fast food, or came out of a box. We were 21, what do you expect? Plus, he wasn't a huge fan of home cooking. His mom wasn't a horrible cook, but there are a lot of things she made that he hated (and still hates - see pot roast). But, there were also a few things that his mom made that he absolutely loved. These meatballs are one of those things.

Of course, now I've ruined him for fast food, convenience food, and food that comes out of a box. He prefers eating my cooking to eating out, which while a very nice compliment, means more work for me, even when I don't especially feel like cooking. Luckily, the few things his mom made that he loved are very easy to throw together, so it's win-win. He's not getting these for New Year's Eve like usual, mostly because we can't finish a batch between the two of us and we won't be able to eat the leftovers and stick to our vegetarian for a month plan. But you could make them if you need an addition to your spread; they're quick, easy, delicious, and at a party they're usually the first thing to disappear.

Oh, and yes, I know the ingredients sound weird, but seriously, don't knock it until you try it. The combination makes for a very flavorful sauce. I promise.

Mama J's Cocktail Meatballs

Meatballs:

2 lb. ground beef

1 egg

2 Tbsp. bread crumbs

2 Tbsp. water

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. seasoning salt (ex. Lawry's)

Sauce:

1 bottle chili sauce (the smallish one)

1 sm. glass grape jelly (I get the one that comes in a reusable glass, but if you can't find it, add most of a small jar - all except about a 1/4 c.)

juice of 1/2 lemon

Mix the ingredients for the meatballs until just combined, and let sit for about 10 minutes. Roll into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

Slowly heat the sauce ingredients in a heavy skillet, whisking to combine as the jelly melts.

Drop the meatballs into sauce. Cook gently for 1 hour, uncovered.

Old Bay Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges

2009-12-29T09:50:00.000-05:00

Our planned meal last night included cheeseburgers, fries, and raw beet and carrot slaw. Instead, we had chili dogs, paprika roasted broccoflower (delicious!), and roasted sweet potato wedges. This was mostly because I forgot the carrots and the fries at the store and decided I was craving a hot dog more than a cheeseburger. Despite feeding my meat cravings before the month o' no meat, my favorite part of the meal was the sweet potatoes. Even Gabbie ate them, which is no small thing these days (she's decided eating is not for her, thankyouverymuch). Plus, they're super simple and quick. Can't beat that!

Old Bay Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges

adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food, Jan/Feb 2009

1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. On a baking sheet, toss sweet potato wedges in olive oil. Sprinkle on Old Bay seasoning, and roast for 30 minutes or until fork tender, turning half-way through baking time.