Pizza

Another homemade pizza:


... with pepperoni, mushrooms and black olives:

Food from Friends

Our next-door neighbor, K, brought us some food a few weeks ago:


From the top, going clockwise: pulled pork, mac and cheese, green beans, squash, Parmesan chicken and roasted potatoes.

Rigatoni Woodsman-Style

SP vaguely remembered this recipe from when I made it last year, and after a quick look through my blog he asked that I make it. I did a quick inventory of the freezer and pantry and realized we had everything I needed to make Rigatoni Woodsman-Style:


It was just as delicious as we remembered, with just a slight kick from the sausage. I don't know why this is so tasty, but it definitely is.

Onion Chicken, Au Gratin Potatoes and Green Beans

We had leftover French's onions from Thanksgiving. I was looking at the can and saw a recipe for onion chicken that sounded super simple - coat chicken in egg and crushed onions and bake.


I have a confession to make - I've been cheating these days. SP found these Betty Crocker casserole potatoes and I fell in love with them. Simple to make and they taste pretty darn good. I'm also into steaming veggies in the microwave, especially since our supermarket was practically giving them away at Thanksgiving. One day, when Baby Girl is older and I can really get back in the kitchen, I'll go back to my old way of cooking but for now we had a delicious meal in no time flat.

Red Robin

We took Baby Girl out to dinner recently and thought Red Robin would be a safe bet since they're so kid-friendly. We brought the camera in the hopes the robin would be there, but since he wasn't I decided to grab a shot of my delicious burger:

Thanksgiving Day

Happy Turkey Day! Yes, I know this post is a little late but things are hectic around here, as you can imagine. This year we decided to keep things very low-key. We still went to my parent's house, but SP did some of the cooking (veggie sides and dessert) and my mom did the turkey and the rest of the sides. It was a great time and Baby Girl slept through the whole meal, allowing everyone to enjoy a hot meal together.

Here's the turkey, fresh from the oven:


And here it is after my stepdad worked his carving magic:


Glorious, fluffy mashed potatoes:


SP made the stuffing, with a little help from me:


...with a hint of apple from apple cider. Delish! He also made green bean casserole:


Yes, it had cream of mushroom soup, but the beans were fresh. Cranberry sauce:


Glazed carrots:


... were the surprise hit of the year. It was a simple recipe using brown sugar, sherry and baby carrots and butter. Plenty of gravy made from the turkey drippings:


The table all laid out:


My plate with lots of everything.


I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Next year maybe Baby Girl will be helping out in the kitchen.

Caramel Apple Walnut Pie

This year we had planned to host Thanksgiving dinner for the family, but things have been so crazy we just couldn't do it. SP and my mom decided to split the meal, each taking a few dishes to make so neither was overworked. One of our items was dessert, a Caramel Apple Walnut Pie:


Normally I don't like pie (I'm not a fan of chunks of cooked fruit) but the apples in this pie cooked down to be almost like applesauce, which was perfect.


Caramel Apple Walnut Pie
Makes 8 servings

8 tablespoons butter, divided use
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 cups thinly-sliced apples
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 soft caramel candies
1 unbaked pie crust
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon. Add the apples and cook until soft. Remove from heat and let cool. Stir in corn starch, vanilla, and caramels. Place crust into a 9-inch pie pan. Mound the apple caramel mixture into the crust. Melt remaining butter. Mix in flour, brown sugar, and walnuts. Top pie with mixture and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for 1 hour before slicing.

Spaghetti Carbonara

One of the first real meals I cooked post-baby was spaghetti carbonara, a dish I absolutely love, make often and haven't had since before I got pregnant.


Just look at that pan full of goodness:


I have to say, this was one of the best versions I've made, perfectly seasoned and utterly delicious. I was bad and used a full pound of bacon and 4 small onions to ensure there was plenty of both in each forkful.