Can you even believe we're a few hours away from March!? I love new months. Fresh starts. It's always something I look forward to. Anyway, after a long hiatus from normalcy in the kitchen, here's my menu for this week. If I'm good about cooking and getting my butt in motion (walking/elliptical) then I'm going to reward myself with a celebration cake (funfetti cake) this weekend. DREAM BIG!
Sunday: White Fish Special
Monday: Shepherd's Pie
Tuesday: Dijon Pork Chops
Wednesday: Roasted Chicken with Sage sauce and rice
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Chicken Curry with Rice (from the jar)
Saturday: Out
What are your guys standard go-to recipes? I have like 8 that I rotate, but I want to throw some more in there. The Chicken with sherry sauce is definitely one I want to try out- just need to buy the sherry!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
On a different note...
That little girl was so cute, Beth. On a different note...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cds7lSHawAw.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cds7lSHawAw.
Independent WOMAN
This 5 yr old is more mature than me. Amen to this sista!!!
VIDEO IS HERE
also... Michael K who writes DListed makes me pee-my-pants-laugh-so-hard.
VIDEO IS HERE
also... Michael K who writes DListed makes me pee-my-pants-laugh-so-hard.
Grrrrr
I am having a BADDDDD DAYYYYYYY... not for any specific reason... i think i just woke up on the wrong side o' the bed.
Found this and it's making me feel a little better.
Found this and it's making me feel a little better.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Probiotics
poop is hilarious.
on a serious note, this is the site for the probiotics i was telling you (michi and louise) about.
on a serious note, this is the site for the probiotics i was telling you (michi and louise) about.
Ultimate FloraMax™50 Billion | 
| ||||
Ultimate FloraMax™ 50 Billion is a high-potency critical care probiotic formula. It contains 50 billion active cultures per capsule, including 30 billion Bifidobacteria, the most prevalent good bacteria in the human digestive tract. Ultimate Flora Critical Care is ideal for people with critical probiotic needs.‡ |
Weekly Menu
1) What an AMAZING weekend! To celebrate Louise's bday, Amelia's upcoming arrival, David and your Dad's success with the new America's and James Beard nomination, Elisa's engagement, etc was SO wonderful. I cannot even express how much I loved everyone being together.
2) Now I'm back to the grind of work-- boringgggg. Wishing I had President's Day off today!! But alas, I am stuck in my cube. Here's this week's menu plan. I am NOT going out to eat this week, I just decided.
Monday: Beer butt chicken, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts. Beer butt chicken is kind of Ryan's thing so I'll prob just be in the kitchen to keep him company.
Tuesday: Quick dinner of Light King Ranch Casserole with leftover chicken (I will make this Monday night and put it in fridge so I can just bake it on Tues PM) then Skeeball League. Will use rest of casserole for lunches
Wednesday: crustless broccoli/cheddar quiches with toast and turkey bacon (a fancier version of breakfast for dinner). do yall think I could add raw crescent rolls to the bottom of the little dishes to make a crust??
Thursday: Mussels (or clams, will decide day of) with angel hair pasta (I always modify THIS recipe to include thinner pasta and more sauce) with salad. i LOVE this recipe.
Friday: Asian lettuce wraps
2) Now I'm back to the grind of work-- boringgggg. Wishing I had President's Day off today!! But alas, I am stuck in my cube. Here's this week's menu plan. I am NOT going out to eat this week, I just decided.
Monday: Beer butt chicken, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts. Beer butt chicken is kind of Ryan's thing so I'll prob just be in the kitchen to keep him company.
Tuesday: Quick dinner of Light King Ranch Casserole with leftover chicken (I will make this Monday night and put it in fridge so I can just bake it on Tues PM) then Skeeball League. Will use rest of casserole for lunches
Wednesday: crustless broccoli/cheddar quiches with toast and turkey bacon (a fancier version of breakfast for dinner). do yall think I could add raw crescent rolls to the bottom of the little dishes to make a crust??
Thursday: Mussels (or clams, will decide day of) with angel hair pasta (I always modify THIS recipe to include thinner pasta and more sauce) with salad. i LOVE this recipe.
Friday: Asian lettuce wraps
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Shepherd's Pie Remix
This is one of my favorite go-to meals. It's so super easy to make and assemble, and you do it once and won't have to look at the recipe again.
The original recipe came from Simply Recipes- my favorite source for laid back, easy meals.
My recipe follows the same formula:
For the filling:
* 1 package of Jenny-O ground turkey
* 1 onion, finely diced
* A couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce
* Salt and Pepper to taste
* Pat of butter (around 1 tbsp)
* 2 tbsp of coarse grain Dijon mustard (or more for a real kick)
* 1 package of frozen veggies (I usually get peas and carrots and corn. Last time we got one that also had green beans and it was delish)
Mashed Potatoes: (you can use your own trusty mashed pots recipe)
* 3 russet potatoes (the big baking potatoes kind)
* Butter and milk and salt
- Cook the onions in Pam or a bit of oil or butter until they're nice and translucent (approx 5 minutes on medium heat)
- Prepare your potatoes and get them into the pot of boiling water.
- Add the ground turkey and break apart as it cooks. Cook it for a long time. A lot longer than you think. This will ensure that the turkey is slightly browned and doesn't taste or look steamed or boiled. Steamed/boiled=not good. Also, I have found that cooking it for longer helps to break up the ground turkey to smaller pieces and you get a delicious caramelized flavor from the onions. (approx 15-20 on medium heat)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Stir.
- Add butter and Dijon mustard. Stir.
- Add in the frozen veggies and sort of eyeball the turkey/veggie ratio that you want. I usually add about 3/4 of the bag. Stir and continue cooking. The frozen veggies will release some moisture as they cook so you'll want to make sure that's cooked off. But also don't cook too long because you don't want them to get mushy. I would say approximately 5 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes (at any point when they're done) and mash them up. Add some butter (approx 1 tbsp) and milk to the consistency that you like. Throw in some salt too to make them supa tasty.
- Put the ground turkey filling into a casserole dish that has been greased up with some Pam or butter or oil.
- Cover with the mashed potatoes and make patterns in the potatoes if you're feeling silly. You might not use all the mashed pots. The leftovers are good to snack on while you wait for the pie to be out of the oven.
- Lightly sprinkle paprika over the mashed potatoes.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes, then crank it up to broil for the last 10 minutes.
- Eat nothing but Shepherd's Pie for the next couple of days.
The original recipe came from Simply Recipes- my favorite source for laid back, easy meals.
 |
| Simply Recipe's Easy Shepherd Pie |
For the filling:
* 1 package of Jenny-O ground turkey
* 1 onion, finely diced
* A couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce
* Salt and Pepper to taste
* Pat of butter (around 1 tbsp)
* 2 tbsp of coarse grain Dijon mustard (or more for a real kick)
* 1 package of frozen veggies (I usually get peas and carrots and corn. Last time we got one that also had green beans and it was delish)
Mashed Potatoes: (you can use your own trusty mashed pots recipe)
* 3 russet potatoes (the big baking potatoes kind)
* Butter and milk and salt
- Cook the onions in Pam or a bit of oil or butter until they're nice and translucent (approx 5 minutes on medium heat)
- Prepare your potatoes and get them into the pot of boiling water.
- Add the ground turkey and break apart as it cooks. Cook it for a long time. A lot longer than you think. This will ensure that the turkey is slightly browned and doesn't taste or look steamed or boiled. Steamed/boiled=not good. Also, I have found that cooking it for longer helps to break up the ground turkey to smaller pieces and you get a delicious caramelized flavor from the onions. (approx 15-20 on medium heat)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Stir.
- Add butter and Dijon mustard. Stir.
- Add in the frozen veggies and sort of eyeball the turkey/veggie ratio that you want. I usually add about 3/4 of the bag. Stir and continue cooking. The frozen veggies will release some moisture as they cook so you'll want to make sure that's cooked off. But also don't cook too long because you don't want them to get mushy. I would say approximately 5 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes (at any point when they're done) and mash them up. Add some butter (approx 1 tbsp) and milk to the consistency that you like. Throw in some salt too to make them supa tasty.
- Put the ground turkey filling into a casserole dish that has been greased up with some Pam or butter or oil.
- Cover with the mashed potatoes and make patterns in the potatoes if you're feeling silly. You might not use all the mashed pots. The leftovers are good to snack on while you wait for the pie to be out of the oven.
- Lightly sprinkle paprika over the mashed potatoes.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes, then crank it up to broil for the last 10 minutes.
- Eat nothing but Shepherd's Pie for the next couple of days.
Link Round Up
Holy barf - these pants are unacceptable
Cute flats for people with sweaty feet
It's already 70+ degrees in Austin and I can't wait to break out my summer dresses. These espadrilles are awesome.
Receiving a real telegram would be awesome.
Super cheap and cool map idea.
Great wedding pics. Love the dual-tone BM dresses.
Cute flats for people with sweaty feet
It's already 70+ degrees in Austin and I can't wait to break out my summer dresses. These espadrilles are awesome.
Receiving a real telegram would be awesome.
Super cheap and cool map idea.
Great wedding pics. Love the dual-tone BM dresses.
Online store & weekly menu
I want one of everything on this website:
http://shopterrain.com/
THIS WEEK'S MENU
Monday: v-day crab claws and pizza
Tuesday: Skeeball League- went to Mexican restaurant w/ team
Wednesday: Taco salad (so easy, i love it)
Thurs: I will be in recovery from LASIK- ryan will pamper me
Friday: Houston! Not sure what's on the agenda for Fri. night?
Saturday: Cordua dinner
Sunday: something easy, as we'll get in from Houston around dinnertime
Sidenote: I think Ryan now wants atolillo every night of the week for dessert.
Second sidenote: My clothes are getting tighter and tighter- either I suck at scaling back (ahem pizza and mexican food earlier this week, for example) or my laundry is seriously shrinking things :)
http://shopterrain.com/
THIS WEEK'S MENU
Monday: v-day crab claws and pizza
Tuesday: Skeeball League- went to Mexican restaurant w/ team
Wednesday: Taco salad (so easy, i love it)
Thurs: I will be in recovery from LASIK- ryan will pamper me
Friday: Houston! Not sure what's on the agenda for Fri. night?
Saturday: Cordua dinner
Sunday: something easy, as we'll get in from Houston around dinnertime
Sidenote: I think Ryan now wants atolillo every night of the week for dessert.
Second sidenote: My clothes are getting tighter and tighter- either I suck at scaling back (ahem pizza and mexican food earlier this week, for example) or my laundry is seriously shrinking things :)
Weekly Menu for Feb.16th
Happy Hump Day!
I had to push back some items from last week, because we did end up eating out for Valentines and ordering pizza while we babysat...
Monday: Eggplant Parmesan
Tuesday: General Tso's Chicken
Wednesday: Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Thursday: Shepherd's Pie
Friday: Tilapia & Asparagus
Sunday: Left Overs
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Weekly Menus!
Oh heyyyy! I just realized no one posted weekly menus! I hardly shopped this weekend because I'm leaving on Friday and Will's friends are coming into town for the weekend so they'll be out and about. Or they're going to eat every once of food I have in the kitchen... Either way, I didn't plan too much by way of cooking. But here's what I've got going on:
- Taco Salad (STILL haven't made this. Whoops!)
- Chicken with Sage and Mushrooms from Simply Recipes. Recipe here
Lots of leftovers/easy meals so as not to leave too much in the fridge when I'm out. What have yall got going on??
- Taco Salad (STILL haven't made this. Whoops!)
- Chicken with Sage and Mushrooms from Simply Recipes. Recipe here
Lots of leftovers/easy meals so as not to leave too much in the fridge when I'm out. What have yall got going on??
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Yoly's Atolillo
This Niaraguan pudding recipe wraps up my childhood in a warm blanket. When I made this for the first time last year, my first sniff of the pudding cooking in the saucepan warped me back to being 11 years old and in the kitchen with Yoly. It's the easiest thing to make and, quite frankly, is good hot, right off the stove, or cold after a day or two sitting in the fridge. It's never lasted more than a couple of days in my fridge... I eat it all.
I couldn't wait, so I took a couple of spoonfuls (see lower right quadrant of bowl). Sorry 'bout it.
Atolillo
- 3 cups of 2% milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 sticks of cinnamon
- water
- Ground cinnamon for garnishing
* In a saucepan, place 2 sticks of cinnamon in water that just covers the bottom of the saucepan. Simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
* In a blender, mix together milk, sugar, egg, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla. Pulse until just blended.
* Add milk mixture to saucepan with cinnamon and water. Keep heat on med-low (never actually boiling or rumbling). Stir continuously for approximately 10 minutes.
* All of a sudden, you'll notice the mixture thicken and becoming pudding-like. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, still stirring.
* Pour into serving dish (or individual dishes if serving individually). Lightly sprinkle ground cinnamon on top.
That's it! Super easy. It's important to keep the heat low because you don't want the milk to curdle or the egg to cook too quickly. Keeping it low will give you the perfect pudding consistency.
To store, you can either just put the saran wrap over the serving dish or put it in a tupperware.
I couldn't wait, so I took a couple of spoonfuls (see lower right quadrant of bowl). Sorry 'bout it.
Atolillo
- 3 cups of 2% milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 sticks of cinnamon
- water
- Ground cinnamon for garnishing
* In a saucepan, place 2 sticks of cinnamon in water that just covers the bottom of the saucepan. Simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
* In a blender, mix together milk, sugar, egg, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla. Pulse until just blended.
* Add milk mixture to saucepan with cinnamon and water. Keep heat on med-low (never actually boiling or rumbling). Stir continuously for approximately 10 minutes.
* All of a sudden, you'll notice the mixture thicken and becoming pudding-like. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, still stirring.
* Pour into serving dish (or individual dishes if serving individually). Lightly sprinkle ground cinnamon on top.
That's it! Super easy. It's important to keep the heat low because you don't want the milk to curdle or the egg to cook too quickly. Keeping it low will give you the perfect pudding consistency.
To store, you can either just put the saran wrap over the serving dish or put it in a tupperware.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Peanut Butter Cookies
This recipe is very easy, and very guilt free. There is no flour, or flour substitute. In all their simplicity these cookies taste so good. Enjoy!Ingredients:
- 2 cups of Peanut Butter (its best to use the not too runny kind, a bit runny is okay)
- 2 cups of sugar (white or brown is fine)
- 4 beaten eggs
- If desired, add 1 1/2 cups of pecans (chopped) or semi-sweet chocolate
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease cookie sheet
3. Combine peanut butter, eggs, & sugar. Mix until smooth
4. Add nuts or chocolate or both :)
5. Spoon dough onto sheet
6. Bake for 12 minutes, or until edges are brown
7. Let stand for 5-10 minutes
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Mini German Pancakes- Must Make!
I must make these as soon as possible. Given my obsession with cakes lately- this is an interesting twist that might make me feel less guilty?? Eh. Screw the guilt. It's on the menu for this weekend.
 |
| Pop Up Pancakes from Make and Takes |
Talerine Turkey Casserole Recipe Review
I love casseroles. They make me feel cozy and the leftovers are always bomb and feed me throughout the week. This one in particular appealed to me because I love egg noodles and corn and mushrooms and I swapped out the ground beef for ground turkey to make it healthier (says the girl who ate the majority of Betty Crocker cake over the course of two days).
But I think therein lies the problem. I really liked this casserole, and I liked it even more as leftovers last night. It just wasn't quite what I expected, and I think my attempts to make it healthier took too much away from it. Here's what it should have looked like:
That to me looks like homemade Hamburger Helper. And the chubby midwestern housewife in me LOVES Hamburger Helper. And Rice-A-Roni and ramen noodles and Lean Pockets (Louise!).
What I did was:
- Swapped in ground turkey
- Didn't use the 1lb (!) of cheddar cheese that the recipe called for. Used only a bit of Parmesan cheese instead.
So what I got, really, was an interesting turkey ragu with corn and mushrooms and olives and noodles. Don't get me wrong- baked pasta of any kind is delicious, and this was delicious and healthy ( I used multigrain egg noodles also). But Hamburger Helper it was not.
Perhaps it's unfair to review the recipe for what I thought it should be when I knew I was making those substitutions all along. And maybe one day I'll actually make it with the beef and cheddar. As it was it- it was totally delicious, but I can't stay that I'd go through the effort of making it again. Not in that way at least. Next time I make spaghetti and meat sauce- I'll add the corn and olives because it did add a fun sweet and tangy element that most pasta sauces don't have.
It's sort of weird to write a review of a recipe that I didn't love. It's almost like 'what's the point of sharing??' But I figured it was worth sharing because it is a delicious recipe just not what I expected. And also, sometimes the attempt to make a recipe healthier just isn't worth it.
But I think therein lies the problem. I really liked this casserole, and I liked it even more as leftovers last night. It just wasn't quite what I expected, and I think my attempts to make it healthier took too much away from it. Here's what it should have looked like:
 |
| Talerine Beef Casserole from Simply Recipes |
That to me looks like homemade Hamburger Helper. And the chubby midwestern housewife in me LOVES Hamburger Helper. And Rice-A-Roni and ramen noodles and Lean Pockets (Louise!).
What I did was:
- Swapped in ground turkey
- Didn't use the 1lb (!) of cheddar cheese that the recipe called for. Used only a bit of Parmesan cheese instead.
So what I got, really, was an interesting turkey ragu with corn and mushrooms and olives and noodles. Don't get me wrong- baked pasta of any kind is delicious, and this was delicious and healthy ( I used multigrain egg noodles also). But Hamburger Helper it was not.
Perhaps it's unfair to review the recipe for what I thought it should be when I knew I was making those substitutions all along. And maybe one day I'll actually make it with the beef and cheddar. As it was it- it was totally delicious, but I can't stay that I'd go through the effort of making it again. Not in that way at least. Next time I make spaghetti and meat sauce- I'll add the corn and olives because it did add a fun sweet and tangy element that most pasta sauces don't have.
It's sort of weird to write a review of a recipe that I didn't love. It's almost like 'what's the point of sharing??' But I figured it was worth sharing because it is a delicious recipe just not what I expected. And also, sometimes the attempt to make a recipe healthier just isn't worth it.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Basic Sherry Wine Sauce
(Two of the main inspirations in our domestic goddess kitchen endeavors)As young girls, my dad used to make a "Pollo en Salsa Blanca" (Chicken in White Sauce) when we visited our restaurants. Most of the menu items were a bit too complicated for our toddler pallets. He served the chicken perfectly grilled, and the white sauce was so simple, creamy and delicious. I have recently started making Pollo en Salsa Blanca again as an adult, and not only is it so comforting but it is still so tasty.
The Sherry sauce is good on anything (drizzled over asparagus, spinach ravioli, potatoes, you name it!). I usually do a pan seared chicken these days. But if I had a grill I would use it as well.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbl spoon of butter
- 4 tspn of flour (or less)
- 1 cup of cream (or half & half)
- 1 tbl sppon of sherry wine
- 1 tspn of white pepper
- Chopped parsley
- salt to taste
* You can substitute the majority of the cream with chicken broth, and then just add a splash of cream to save on calories*
1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan on low heat
2. Add the flour to the butter, and stir until it becomes a paste (it will smell delicious)
3. Slowly stir in the cream (or chicken broth)
4. Slowly stir in the Sherry wine
5. If you are adding mushrooms, do so now
6. When thickened and reduced, add white pepper, parsley, and more sherry or cream if desired
7. Add salt to taste
I need your help!
Goddesses in Training, I'm enlisting your help. Here at FINS, we've started a quarterly cook-off. I won the first cookie competition (thank you red velvet whoopie pies-- these things are ridiculously delicious if you're looking to bring a little Valentines Day cheer to your loved ones.) Since the first cookie competition things have gotten a little more competitive. The last competition in the Fall was Iron-Chef style with a secret ingredient. I made these puppies, Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, which were so fun to make and tasted delicious, but I came up short with the win (for the record some girl made some ridiculous thing called "Butter Cake" that was filled with sugar, butter, and a dash of pumpkin. No wonder she won--Butter Cake-- come on.)
Anyway, on Monday, I'm trying to regain my the crown and I need your help! Here are the details of this cook-off:
Monday, 2/14, is the day when fellow FINS colleagues come together in a competition of wits, creativity and strategy:
The FINS Winter Cookoff, 2011: Cooking With Spirit!
FINS and friends will bring in specially made dishes to be judged by a specially selected panel of in-house foodies; a secret ingredient has been selected for use in all dishes:
ALCOHOL
This includes spirits, wine and beer.
The dishes may not be intoxicating. Cocktails are not allowed. Alcohol is only meant to be used as an ingredient.
The Rules:
1. Alcohol must be used as an ingredient in every dish.
2. Judging criteria:
-- Taste
-- Presentation
-- Use of alcohol (Iron Chef style)
3. Every competitor must bring in enough of the dish to be tasted by all three judges.
4. Only a certain amount of sweet and savory dishes will be allowed into competition. There is a signup sheet in the FINS Area.
5. Each competitor can only enter one dish into the competition.
6. No cheating. (AKA, the Louise Rule) (*I may or may not have entered 2 cookies into the first competition which BOTH came in #1 and #2 respectively. It wasn't a written rule then so they have made it one now)
7. There are only 8 signup spots for each category (savory and sweet). Extra food brought in will be welcome but only 16 total dishes will be judged.
Winners will get the respect and admiration of their colleagues and earn their place in the pantheon of FINS Iron Chefs.
So girls, I've signed up for a "sweet dish" (any excuse to bake and eat sweet things I'll take)-- I need your help in finding a winning recipe. Do you have anything that will win?! It must contain a spirit of sorts...
XOXO,
Cooking Girl
Anyway, on Monday, I'm trying to regain my the crown and I need your help! Here are the details of this cook-off:
Monday, 2/14, is the day when fellow FINS colleagues come together in a competition of wits, creativity and strategy:
The FINS Winter Cookoff, 2011: Cooking With Spirit!
FINS and friends will bring in specially made dishes to be judged by a specially selected panel of in-house foodies; a secret ingredient has been selected for use in all dishes:
ALCOHOL
This includes spirits, wine and beer.
The dishes may not be intoxicating. Cocktails are not allowed. Alcohol is only meant to be used as an ingredient.
The Rules:
1. Alcohol must be used as an ingredient in every dish.
2. Judging criteria:
-- Taste
-- Presentation
-- Use of alcohol (Iron Chef style)
3. Every competitor must bring in enough of the dish to be tasted by all three judges.
4. Only a certain amount of sweet and savory dishes will be allowed into competition. There is a signup sheet in the FINS Area.
5. Each competitor can only enter one dish into the competition.
6. No cheating. (AKA, the Louise Rule) (*I may or may not have entered 2 cookies into the first competition which BOTH came in #1 and #2 respectively. It wasn't a written rule then so they have made it one now)
7. There are only 8 signup spots for each category (savory and sweet). Extra food brought in will be welcome but only 16 total dishes will be judged.
Winners will get the respect and admiration of their colleagues and earn their place in the pantheon of FINS Iron Chefs.
So girls, I've signed up for a "sweet dish" (any excuse to bake and eat sweet things I'll take)-- I need your help in finding a winning recipe. Do you have anything that will win?! It must contain a spirit of sorts...
XOXO,
Cooking Girl
Menu for the Week of Feb 7th
I am so excited I finally went grocery shopping this weekend!
Monday: Beef & Broccoli over Rice
Tuesday: Grape & Walnut Chicken Salad
Wednesday: Cauliflower Mac & Cheese and Turkey Meatloaf
Thursday: Chicken with Mushroom Sherry Sauce & Quinoa
Friday: Green Bean Jalapeno Shrimp and broiled Goat Cheese Salad
Saturday: General Tso's Chicken (Beth's recipe!)
Sunday: Eggplant Parmesan
Monday: Beef & Broccoli over Rice
Tuesday: Grape & Walnut Chicken Salad
Wednesday: Cauliflower Mac & Cheese and Turkey Meatloaf
Thursday: Chicken with Mushroom Sherry Sauce & Quinoa
Friday: Green Bean Jalapeno Shrimp and broiled Goat Cheese Salad
Saturday: General Tso's Chicken (Beth's recipe!)
Sunday: Eggplant Parmesan
Monday, February 7, 2011
SYTYCD
SYTYCD = So You Think You Can Dance
Most of you probably don't know this about me, but I REALLY wish I were a backup hip hop dancer. HA! Hilarious but totally true.
I am bored and tv isn't doin' it for me right now, so I'm perusing youtube for SYTYCD videos while Ryan makes some 19 hour short rib recipe (now that's dedication!) that we're having tomorrow for dinner.
I present to you two of the best SYTYCD routines of all time:
My Chick Bad
No Air
Most of you probably don't know this about me, but I REALLY wish I were a backup hip hop dancer. HA! Hilarious but totally true.
I am bored and tv isn't doin' it for me right now, so I'm perusing youtube for SYTYCD videos while Ryan makes some 19 hour short rib recipe (now that's dedication!) that we're having tomorrow for dinner.
I present to you two of the best SYTYCD routines of all time:
My Chick Bad
No Air
Menu For Week of Feb 7th
Huge confession: I had cake for dinner last night. I popped open a box of Betty Crocker yellow cake mix, baked as directed, smeared chocolate icing on top, and voila- dinner! It.was.bomb. Although today, it's been giving me the evil all day. Trying to get me to eat it. But I've resisted. So far. Check back with me in an hour....
Anyway, I'm super excited about this week's menu. Just enough of tried and true recipes and brand spanking new ones. Down side is that it will probably be dinner for one since Will's work schedule will be crazy this week. What that means to me is that I'm at high risk of having cereal for dinner. Or cake.
Monday: Talerine Turkey Casserole
Tuesday: White Fish Special (whoop!)
Wednesday: Chicken Tarragon ( really excited about this! )
Thursday: Quiche
Friday: Salmon
What are your menus??
Help deciding on dinner
I have some andouille sausage (chicken sausage) that I need to use tonight and I can't decide on a recipe. Please help me pick!
- Andouille french bread pizza with pickled jalapenos.
Recipe here:
http://www.esquire.com/features/guy-food/french-bread-pizza-recipe-ll
Notes: I would use low fat cheese and just sliced jalapenos - Andouille sausage and tomato pasta
Recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/andouille-sausage-tomato-pasta-256775 - Italian Sausage and Summer Squash Pasta
Recipe here: http://www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2010/08/italian-sausage-and-summer-squash-pasta.html - Pasta with sausage, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes
Recipe here: http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/2011/01/pasta-with-sausage-artichokes-and-sun.html
Good Morning!
I don't know about you guys.... but I need a little pretty this morning. I'll post my menu once the coffee kicks in.
Super Bowl!
For anyone who missed the HomeAway Super Bowl commercial, you can view it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umWj9KXePF0
Hopefully you're not offended, as manyyy of our customers are. Pshhh!
On a shocking note, I won an iPad from HomeAway for tweeting about the ad!!! I'M SO UNLUCKY- I CAN'T BELIEVE I WON SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umWj9KXePF0
Hopefully you're not offended, as manyyy of our customers are. Pshhh!
On a shocking note, I won an iPad from HomeAway for tweeting about the ad!!! I'M SO UNLUCKY- I CAN'T BELIEVE I WON SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Your Next Must Read! Cutting For Stone
This was my favorite book in recent memory. I read a lot so the ones that are sort of 'eh' - I don't even remember that I read them years down the line. This one I won't forget.
The premise doesn't at all capture the essence of the book, but I'll give it a shot. Twins are born, and quasi-orphaned, in Ethiopia to an Indian nun and an English doctor in a Catholic mission hospital. Sharing a special bond but with vastly different personalities, the twins grow up in the hospital amidst disease and illness and miracles, civil unrest, and heavy life lessons. I won't give away any of the story, but it's an incredibly sentimental, lovely book. Literally I fell in love with all of the characters and hated to see it end.
Amazing book. I just passed it on to Beth and now, Martha Stewart is reading it too! So be sure it's next on your list!
Cutting for Stone on This Week for Dinner
Do yall have any must reads? I'm currently reading A Visit From The Goon Squad and it's really good/edgy.
Super Bowl Dip
I plan on making this dip for the Super Bowl.
HOT REUBEN DIP RECIPE
HOT REUBEN DIP RECIPE
Absolutely perfect for the Super Bowl, any other game day menu, or pretty much any party or snack, ever.
♦ I'm going to use sauerkraut from a jar and just pull it out with a fork, making sure to squeeze out any extra moisture against the side of the jar before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
♦ I found the little rye bread squares in the deli area of my supermarket.
Hot Reuben Dip
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 15 to 20 minutes
8 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
1½ cups (6 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese (also low fat version)
4 ounces deli sliced corned beef, chopped
½ cup Thousand Island dressing (if there is a low fat version, i will find it. see a reoccuring theme here? haha)
½ cup drained sauerkraut1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl mix together the cream cheese, 1 cup of the Swiss cheese, the dressing and corned beef. Spread in a pie plate or other shallow serving dish. Top with the sauerkraut and the remaining ½ cup of Swiss cheese.
3. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges. Serve hot with pretzel crisps or cocktail-size rye bread squares.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
So, I haven't been posting because I'm in that week in between grocery trips where I'm just trying to empty the shelves, and really all the protein and fresh veggies are gone. These past few days at 5:00pm when I'm driving home, I am so tempted to veer off the road and patron a Taco Bell. But no. I have remained true to the challenge, and found that I am scrappy.
All I had to work with today was canned garbanzo beans and onions. I found this recipe online for "Baked Falafel" and made a jalapeno - goat cheese sauce (that's all I had to replace a tzatziki). And now, I am going to start making this dish on purpose. I will, though, buy the pita bread and tzatziki beforehand- I missed that. But even Alex loved the recipe- he said it was the best he ever had :) Homemade falafel always seemed so intimidating. Well, Domestic Goddesses we have no need to fear.
(Share if you have other tried and true falafel recipes... I am so excited to find out how easy it was)
Original Recipe Yield 2 servings
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I didn't have any, but I am sure it wouldve been even better)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
Directions
- Wrap onion in cheese cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Set aside. Place garbanzo beans, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and baking soda in a food processor. Process until the mixture is coarsely pureed. Mix garbanzo bean mixture and onion together in a bowl. Stir in the flour and egg. Shape mixture into four large patties and let stand for 15 minutes.
- Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Place the patties in the skillet; cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.
- Transfer skillet to the preheated oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.
Nutritional Information 
Amount Per Serving Calories: 281 | Total Fat: 9.3g | Cholesterol: 106mg
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