Today SP and I are celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary. It seems hard to believe that four years have passed since we joined our lives together in front of our friends and family. A lot has changed. There have been good times and bad, but through it all we stuck together and grew stronger for it.
Tonight we're going out to dinner to mark the beginning of a fun-filled anniversary weekend that includes Pizza Friday at a restaurant we've been meaning to try for years, breakfast at the B&B where we got married, long walks and sightseeing. I've been toying with the idea of bringing my camera to document our meals and adventures - something I've never done before - but for our anniversary I'm thinking of making an exception.
Either way I won't be posting until Monday at the earliest so tune in then for more tales from The Home Cook.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Salad for Dinner
I wanted something light for dinner (trying to eat healthier, blah blah blah) so I made a salad:
... including two different types of lettuce, arugula, beets, hardboiled eggs, bacon, scallions, radishes, pimento-stuffed olives, tomato and cucumber. I tossed mine with some red wine vinegar, olive oil and some pecorino cheese. It was exceptionally good.
I feel bad even posting this photo of our cat but I thought it was too hilarious not to share:
If he was my son he'd disown me. He was laying next to me on the couch looking all cute and cuddly but as soon as he heard the camera turn on he started shifting around. Somehow I managed to catch him in mid yawn and haven't been able to stop laughing since. I love the fangs and the fact that it looks like he doesn't have any ears. Priceless.
... including two different types of lettuce, arugula, beets, hardboiled eggs, bacon, scallions, radishes, pimento-stuffed olives, tomato and cucumber. I tossed mine with some red wine vinegar, olive oil and some pecorino cheese. It was exceptionally good.
I feel bad even posting this photo of our cat but I thought it was too hilarious not to share:
If he was my son he'd disown me. He was laying next to me on the couch looking all cute and cuddly but as soon as he heard the camera turn on he started shifting around. Somehow I managed to catch him in mid yawn and haven't been able to stop laughing since. I love the fangs and the fact that it looks like he doesn't have any ears. Priceless.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Steak Fajitas
SP had a craving for fajitas so he picked up a flank steak at the wholesale club and grilled it simply with salt and pepper.
We had all the usual fixings - sour cream, cheddar cheese, slow-cooked onions and peppers and homemade salsa - but unfortunately the avocados didn't look good at the store so we didn't have guacamole.
We had all the usual fixings - sour cream, cheddar cheese, slow-cooked onions and peppers and homemade salsa - but unfortunately the avocados didn't look good at the store so we didn't have guacamole.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Every time we try to plan a fall activity with our friends C & D the weather conspires against us. A few weeks ago we wanted to go apple picking but it was 80+ degrees outside, so we rescheduled for this weekend. And what was the temperature today, a balmy 85. We just can't win.
After much deliberation (in which I hemmed and hawed over the menu so much that SP wanted to rip his hair out) we decided to keep with our original plan for spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. SP was in charge of the sauce, which he cooked all day using up various odds and ends from the fridge, including an orange pepper, onions, shallots, garlic, both canned and fresh tomatoes and some oregano.
I made the meatballs the way I always do with a mixture of ground beef, pork and veal, bread crumbs, egg, fresh parsley, garlic and pecorino cheese. I gave them a quick fry in vegetable oil before they finished cooking in the sauce. C & D brought a loaf of good crusty bread that I made into garlic bread both with cheese and without:
... using my special garlic parsley butter and three kinds of cheese (mozzarella, cheddar and pecorino). C & D also brought dessert, a rich tiramisu cake that had just the right balance of sweetness from the mascarpone cheese and kick from the espresso-soaked lady fingers:
An inside shot of all the layers:
SP also baked some cookies using a cookie-in-a-jar mix he got from a speaking engagement he did awhile back:
The cookies are oatmeal with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
After much deliberation (in which I hemmed and hawed over the menu so much that SP wanted to rip his hair out) we decided to keep with our original plan for spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. SP was in charge of the sauce, which he cooked all day using up various odds and ends from the fridge, including an orange pepper, onions, shallots, garlic, both canned and fresh tomatoes and some oregano.
I made the meatballs the way I always do with a mixture of ground beef, pork and veal, bread crumbs, egg, fresh parsley, garlic and pecorino cheese. I gave them a quick fry in vegetable oil before they finished cooking in the sauce. C & D brought a loaf of good crusty bread that I made into garlic bread both with cheese and without:
... using my special garlic parsley butter and three kinds of cheese (mozzarella, cheddar and pecorino). C & D also brought dessert, a rich tiramisu cake that had just the right balance of sweetness from the mascarpone cheese and kick from the espresso-soaked lady fingers:
An inside shot of all the layers:
SP also baked some cookies using a cookie-in-a-jar mix he got from a speaking engagement he did awhile back:
The cookies are oatmeal with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Pizza Friday
Tonight's Pizza Friday marks the return of the infamous Buffalo Chicken pizza:
... a lovely concoction made with chicken cooked with Frank's hot sauce, Marie's blue cheese dressing and mozzarella cheese. After baking the chicken I shred or dice it. Once the dough is rolled out a layer of the dressing goes down, followed by the chicken. I'd seen a few recipes that called for an onion of some kind, so I chopped a few scallions and scattered those over the chicken. A few extra shakes of hot sauce and a smattering of mozzarella cheese and the pizza is done.
It was just as good as we remembered. The scallions were a nice touch and definitely something we'll add again, but here's where I got careless. When I cut up the chicken I tossed it with more hot sauce. Once I added all the chicken to the pizza I dumped the rest of the sauce on top, not thinking that it would cause the pizza to become a soggy mess. You know it's bad when you go to take your first slice from the plate and as you're lifting it up all the toppings go sliding off the crust. Shame and embarrassment ensued. I won't be making that mistake again.
... a lovely concoction made with chicken cooked with Frank's hot sauce, Marie's blue cheese dressing and mozzarella cheese. After baking the chicken I shred or dice it. Once the dough is rolled out a layer of the dressing goes down, followed by the chicken. I'd seen a few recipes that called for an onion of some kind, so I chopped a few scallions and scattered those over the chicken. A few extra shakes of hot sauce and a smattering of mozzarella cheese and the pizza is done.
It was just as good as we remembered. The scallions were a nice touch and definitely something we'll add again, but here's where I got careless. When I cut up the chicken I tossed it with more hot sauce. Once I added all the chicken to the pizza I dumped the rest of the sauce on top, not thinking that it would cause the pizza to become a soggy mess. You know it's bad when you go to take your first slice from the plate and as you're lifting it up all the toppings go sliding off the crust. Shame and embarrassment ensued. I won't be making that mistake again.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Pork Chops (and is this week over yet!?)
What is up with this week? I'm telling you Friday cannot come soon enough. Unfortunately for my regular readers it's been a slow week on the food front. Monday we ate leftover meatloaf et al. from Sunday's dinner, Tuesday and Wednesday I went out with friends and tonight's meal wasn't anything to write home about. SP cooked up some of his Dijon pork chops:
... but instead of serving them with mashed potatoes we thought rice would be a good substitute. Yeah...not so much. The first problem was that we didn't have any plain white rice so he was forced to use basmati, which doesn't quite go with Dijon mustard sauce. Not that I think regular white rice would have fared better. All day I was thinking about a nice gravy like the one we had with the Smothered Pork Chops last week, but SP's Dijon sauce is just not the same.
We also opted to use up some of the frozen vegetables lurking in the freezer, so we ate some so-so corn and some downright disgusting green beans. Never again am I buying frozen green beans. Yuck!
SP ran out to get the new Bruce Springsteen album and is going to be picking up some more Chik-Fil-A for a snack while we watch CSI. I'll spare you the photos since it'll be exactly the same as last time. Hopefully I'll get back into a cooking groove tomorrow with the return of an old favorite for Pizza Friday.
... but instead of serving them with mashed potatoes we thought rice would be a good substitute. Yeah...not so much. The first problem was that we didn't have any plain white rice so he was forced to use basmati, which doesn't quite go with Dijon mustard sauce. Not that I think regular white rice would have fared better. All day I was thinking about a nice gravy like the one we had with the Smothered Pork Chops last week, but SP's Dijon sauce is just not the same.
We also opted to use up some of the frozen vegetables lurking in the freezer, so we ate some so-so corn and some downright disgusting green beans. Never again am I buying frozen green beans. Yuck!
SP ran out to get the new Bruce Springsteen album and is going to be picking up some more Chik-Fil-A for a snack while we watch CSI. I'll spare you the photos since it'll be exactly the same as last time. Hopefully I'll get back into a cooking groove tomorrow with the return of an old favorite for Pizza Friday.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Meatloaf, Potatoes and Broccoli
I totally forgot to post these pictures from Sunday dinner. I made meatloaf (Tyler Florence's ultimate recipe), mashed potatoes with the last of the Plugra and roasted broccoli.
Everything was sensational. I even cooked the broccoli to the perfect doneness - just starting to get brown around the edges, but still with some bite to it. And the roasted garlic pieces were crunchy and sweet:
This is truly our favorite recipe for meatloaf. It always comes out perfectly moist and the sweet, tart flavor from the red pepper relish is the perfect compliment to the meatloaf:
I think the best part, though, was that the mashed potatoes smelled like pure butter and tasted better than any I've ever made.
Dad's Meatloaf with Tomato Relish
Tyler Florence
Tomato Relish:
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
2 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (12-ounce) bottle ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Meatloaf:
3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 eggs
Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 bacon slices
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few minutes to create a base flavor. Throw in the red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften. Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape and prevents them from disintegrating. Stir in the parsley, ketchup, and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups of relish.
Place the torn white bread in a bowl and add the milk to just barely cover, swish the bread around in the milk and let it sit while you get the rest of the ingredients for the meat loaf together.
This is where you get your hands dirty! In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and pork with 1 1/2 cups of the tomato relish, the eggs, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. To test, fry a small "hamburger" patty of the meatloaf until cooked; the patty should hold together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.
Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Transfer the meat mixture to the center of the cookie sheet and form into a log about 9 inches long and about 4 inches wide. Coat the top of the meatloaf with another 1/2 cup of the tomato relish. Lay the bacon across the top lengthwise.
Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf is firm. Rotate the meat loaf while it's baking every now and then to insure that the bacon browns evenly. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side.
Everything was sensational. I even cooked the broccoli to the perfect doneness - just starting to get brown around the edges, but still with some bite to it. And the roasted garlic pieces were crunchy and sweet:
This is truly our favorite recipe for meatloaf. It always comes out perfectly moist and the sweet, tart flavor from the red pepper relish is the perfect compliment to the meatloaf:
I think the best part, though, was that the mashed potatoes smelled like pure butter and tasted better than any I've ever made.
Dad's Meatloaf with Tomato Relish
Tyler Florence
Tomato Relish:
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
2 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (12-ounce) bottle ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Meatloaf:
3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 eggs
Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 bacon slices
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few minutes to create a base flavor. Throw in the red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften. Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape and prevents them from disintegrating. Stir in the parsley, ketchup, and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups of relish.
Place the torn white bread in a bowl and add the milk to just barely cover, swish the bread around in the milk and let it sit while you get the rest of the ingredients for the meat loaf together.
This is where you get your hands dirty! In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and pork with 1 1/2 cups of the tomato relish, the eggs, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. To test, fry a small "hamburger" patty of the meatloaf until cooked; the patty should hold together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.
Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Transfer the meat mixture to the center of the cookie sheet and form into a log about 9 inches long and about 4 inches wide. Coat the top of the meatloaf with another 1/2 cup of the tomato relish. Lay the bacon across the top lengthwise.
Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf is firm. Rotate the meat loaf while it's baking every now and then to insure that the bacon browns evenly. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side.
Happy DeLurking Day!
My pal Katie over at A Byootaful Life was doing this today and it sounds like a great idea.
Since she's in Australia and I'm in the US I thought October 3 was tomorrow, so it's already 12:45pm and I'm just getting around to posting this now. Hopefully some of my usual lurkers will stop by today and decide to post a comment. I'd be very happy if you did.
Since she's in Australia and I'm in the US I thought October 3 was tomorrow, so it's already 12:45pm and I'm just getting around to posting this now. Hopefully some of my usual lurkers will stop by today and decide to post a comment. I'd be very happy if you did.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Tex-Mex Breakfast Tacos
There was a little leftover beef from the enchiladas so I used it to make breakfast tacos this morning:
I reheated the beef in a skillet and then added the eggs. While they were cooking I charred some corn tortillas over the gas flame. I put some of the egg mixture topped with leftover salsa in each tortilla and breakfast was served.
I reheated the beef in a skillet and then added the eggs. While they were cooking I charred some corn tortillas over the gas flame. I put some of the egg mixture topped with leftover salsa in each tortilla and breakfast was served.
Cat-tastic
It's been awhile since I took any good photos of our cat. For starters, I can only take his picture during the day when I can use natural light because he looks like he's possessed if I use the flash. Then there's the issue of once he sees the camera he jumps up from the cute position he was sitting in and comes running over to me for a petting session. Makes it kind of hard to take a decent photo, not to mention capture his adorable poses. After missing a great picture of him on the huge chair in our bedroom I managed to take this one of him:
... as he was trying to get me to scratch his chin. After snapping a dozen photos where he turned his head at the last second I let him go off and do his thing and then followed him. Luckily he stopped in the upstairs hall in front of the window where there was plenty of sunlight:
I wish he would stand still long enough for me to get some good photos but he's finicky like that. Shocking for a cat, I know.
... as he was trying to get me to scratch his chin. After snapping a dozen photos where he turned his head at the last second I let him go off and do his thing and then followed him. Luckily he stopped in the upstairs hall in front of the window where there was plenty of sunlight:
I wish he would stand still long enough for me to get some good photos but he's finicky like that. Shocking for a cat, I know.
Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas
Last night I made the same Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas that I made for Cinco de Mayo:
... but as you can see from my plate, they didn't hold together like they did last time:
They still tasted fantastic but, as SP has told me countless times, he isn't a fan of corn tortillas. I need to find a good recipe for enchiladas using flour tortillas, if one even exists.
... but as you can see from my plate, they didn't hold together like they did last time:
They still tasted fantastic but, as SP has told me countless times, he isn't a fan of corn tortillas. I need to find a good recipe for enchiladas using flour tortillas, if one even exists.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Pizza Friday
I don't know about the rest of you, but this past week was one of the longest of my life. For some reason every day felt like Friday and it was a serious struggle to get up and go to work. By the time the real Friday rolled around I was more than ready. After a lackluster lunch I was having a serious craving for chicken wings so I asked SP to pick up a pack as a pre-pizza snack:
... and they were delectable, as always. We do love chicken wings and that spicy, tangy Frank's hot sauce. The pizza, on the other hand, was not delectable. Sometimes experimenting can reap great rewards (like last week's pizza with pesto and leftover chicken parm) but this week's experiment went awry:
It certainly looked tasty, but the end result wasn't very good. I made a pesto using some spinach my mom gave me from their veggie box and it really overwhelmed the pizza. I put all of it on (first mistake, the pizza was drowning in it), and you couldn't taste any of the tomato sauce or other ingredients. There were some slow-cooked onions in there too, as well as some slice of fresh tomato. Lesson learned - sometimes keeping things simple is the best plan.
... and they were delectable, as always. We do love chicken wings and that spicy, tangy Frank's hot sauce. The pizza, on the other hand, was not delectable. Sometimes experimenting can reap great rewards (like last week's pizza with pesto and leftover chicken parm) but this week's experiment went awry:
It certainly looked tasty, but the end result wasn't very good. I made a pesto using some spinach my mom gave me from their veggie box and it really overwhelmed the pizza. I put all of it on (first mistake, the pizza was drowning in it), and you couldn't taste any of the tomato sauce or other ingredients. There were some slow-cooked onions in there too, as well as some slice of fresh tomato. Lesson learned - sometimes keeping things simple is the best plan.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Neapolitan Mac & Cheese
SP and I were watching Lidia's Italy over the weekend and we saw her make a dish called Neapolitan Mac & Cheese. Everything about it looked good - the bacon, the onions, the garlic all cooked with pasta and potatoes with provolone cheese tossed in at the end. While I was cooking it smelled fantastic in the kitchen, the prep was easy and the final product looked quite enticing:
That is until I took my first bite. I'd only had provolone as a single slice on a sandwich so I had no idea how strong it was. Yowzer! I took a few bites trying to pick out the tomato, onion, bacon and potatoes but it was no use - the taste of the provolone overwhelmed everything else. SP could tell I didn't like it, which is a shame because he absolutely loved it. Then again, he's a fan of strong cheeses.
So this was my dinner instead:
SP, the loving husband that he is, ran out to Chik-Fil-A for me once he realized I wasn't a fan of the pasta.
Mmmm....nuggets. And sweet-n-sour sauce. And waffle fries. Yum!
That is until I took my first bite. I'd only had provolone as a single slice on a sandwich so I had no idea how strong it was. Yowzer! I took a few bites trying to pick out the tomato, onion, bacon and potatoes but it was no use - the taste of the provolone overwhelmed everything else. SP could tell I didn't like it, which is a shame because he absolutely loved it. Then again, he's a fan of strong cheeses.
So this was my dinner instead:
SP, the loving husband that he is, ran out to Chik-Fil-A for me once he realized I wasn't a fan of the pasta.
Mmmm....nuggets. And sweet-n-sour sauce. And waffle fries. Yum!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Smothered Pork Chops
When my plans for Thai food with friends fell through at the last minute I needed to come up with a quick dinner idea. Some people on a cooking board I frequent recommended Tyler Florence's recipe for Smothered Pork Chops and since bone-in chops were on sale at the supermarket this week it seemed like the perfect solution.
It was recommended I serve the chops with mashed potatoes to sop up all the yummy gravy (and potatoes were on sale - how fortuitous). I also steamed a few heads of broccoli and dinner was served.
One of the things I liked about this recipe was that the chops were coated in a seasoned flour mixture, which gave them a nice crispy exterior. I seasoned the flour with salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic powder. We don't keep onion powder on hand so I finely diced half an onion and cooked it in the pan before making the gravy. Because of the cayenne in the flour the gravy has just the slightest hint of heat, which SP and I agreed was a very welcome addition. I also skipped the buttermilk, opting instead for plain old milk. It worked out fine, but I'm sure it would add a nice tang to the gravy.
I mashed the potatoes with more of my Plugra butter. They were absolutely delicious. Overall a fantastic, satisfying meal.
It was recommended I serve the chops with mashed potatoes to sop up all the yummy gravy (and potatoes were on sale - how fortuitous). I also steamed a few heads of broccoli and dinner was served.
One of the things I liked about this recipe was that the chops were coated in a seasoned flour mixture, which gave them a nice crispy exterior. I seasoned the flour with salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic powder. We don't keep onion powder on hand so I finely diced half an onion and cooked it in the pan before making the gravy. Because of the cayenne in the flour the gravy has just the slightest hint of heat, which SP and I agreed was a very welcome addition. I also skipped the buttermilk, opting instead for plain old milk. It worked out fine, but I'm sure it would add a nice tang to the gravy.
I mashed the potatoes with more of my Plugra butter. They were absolutely delicious. Overall a fantastic, satisfying meal.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Pasta and Garlic Bread
Monday is here again and we've got another meal of pasta with sauce and garlic bread. As I've mentioned before we get spoils from my parents CSA vegetable box and at this point in the season they're getting a ton of sauce tomatoes. SP made another batch of sauce, adding some leftover green pepper and onion he diced for another recipe last week as well as some fresh oregano that came in the box.
We had the other half of the baguette we used last week:
... slathered with butter, garlic and parsley. Maybe one day soon we'll indulge and have garlic bread with cheese like I used to make. That stuff is insanely good.
We had the other half of the baguette we used last week:
... slathered with butter, garlic and parsley. Maybe one day soon we'll indulge and have garlic bread with cheese like I used to make. That stuff is insanely good.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Dinner with the Parents
My parents invited us over for dinner and I actually remembered to bring my camera along! My stepgrandmother was there, along with some old family friends. We noshed on some nicoise olives on the deck while we nursed gin and tonics:
My stepfather wanted the meal to be a bunch of little dishes (like tapas) so we had a corn, avocado and tomato salad he came up with after enjoying the one I make:
My contribution was my Thai pineapple rice:
... made with basmati, chunks of pineapple, jalapeno, soy sauce, onion and cilantro. Our friends brought a cast iron skillet full of crispy roasted potatoes:
We also had delectable crab cakes:
... a nice piece of flaky grilled salmon served with a dill mayonnaise:
... chunks of rare tuna in a soy marinade:
... and shrimp in anchovy butter, an homage to a restaurant my family enjoys:
My plate, clockwise from the top - a piece of crab cake, roasted potatoes, a chunk of tuna, shrimp, salmon, Thai pineapple rice and corn salad:
My stepgrandmother brought a huge fruit salad to finish off the meal:
My stepfather wanted the meal to be a bunch of little dishes (like tapas) so we had a corn, avocado and tomato salad he came up with after enjoying the one I make:
My contribution was my Thai pineapple rice:
... made with basmati, chunks of pineapple, jalapeno, soy sauce, onion and cilantro. Our friends brought a cast iron skillet full of crispy roasted potatoes:
We also had delectable crab cakes:
... a nice piece of flaky grilled salmon served with a dill mayonnaise:
... chunks of rare tuna in a soy marinade:
... and shrimp in anchovy butter, an homage to a restaurant my family enjoys:
My plate, clockwise from the top - a piece of crab cake, roasted potatoes, a chunk of tuna, shrimp, salmon, Thai pineapple rice and corn salad:
My stepgrandmother brought a huge fruit salad to finish off the meal:
Breakfast Sandwich
I needed something quick and easy this morning so I made an old favorite:
... the breakfast sandwich. I cooked one piece of bacon and layered it on a toasted, buttered English muffin with a thick slice of tomato and a fried egg seasoned with salt and pepper.
... the breakfast sandwich. I cooked one piece of bacon and layered it on a toasted, buttered English muffin with a thick slice of tomato and a fried egg seasoned with salt and pepper.
Last Hurrah
Last weekend, when a jacket was a necessary accessory in the mornings and evenings, when we slept with the windows open and it so cold we shivered, we decided we'd go apple picking with friends this weekend. I had a whole fall menu planned. We were excited. Then the temperature rose steadily all week and by Saturday it was humid and approaching 90. Not exactly apple picking weather. Instead Saturday found us eating hot dogs, hamburgers and potato salad in a last hurrah send-off to summer.
Our friends C & D came over and we embarked on a long afternoon and evening of food and fun. While the chicken wings baked in the oven:
... we scarfed down some chips and salsa. We cooked the wings for only 45 minutes this time and they were perfect - juicy and moist with enough crackle in the skin to make them extra tasty. I made up a plate of iceburg lettuce, thick slices of ripe tomato and thinly sliced onion for the burgers:
... and finished up my All-American potato salad:
My plate with some potato salad and my perfectly dressed burger:
... with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, ketchup and melted cheddar cheese. I knew when I was forming the patties that these burgers were going to be sensational. The meat felt buttery in my hands. I seasoned it with Worcestershire sauce, grated onion, salt and pepper. D wolfed down his burger before I'd even finished taking my photos and proclaimed it the best burger he'd ever had. After stuffing ourselves silly with food we took a long walk around the neighborhood and then settled in to watch a movie. Halfway through the movie started skipping, which provided the perfect opportunity for cake:
... a decadent triple chocolate lover's dream that C & D brought for dessert. It was rich but not overwhelmingly so and a perfect end to a great dinner.
Our friends C & D came over and we embarked on a long afternoon and evening of food and fun. While the chicken wings baked in the oven:
... we scarfed down some chips and salsa. We cooked the wings for only 45 minutes this time and they were perfect - juicy and moist with enough crackle in the skin to make them extra tasty. I made up a plate of iceburg lettuce, thick slices of ripe tomato and thinly sliced onion for the burgers:
... and finished up my All-American potato salad:
My plate with some potato salad and my perfectly dressed burger:
... with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, ketchup and melted cheddar cheese. I knew when I was forming the patties that these burgers were going to be sensational. The meat felt buttery in my hands. I seasoned it with Worcestershire sauce, grated onion, salt and pepper. D wolfed down his burger before I'd even finished taking my photos and proclaimed it the best burger he'd ever had. After stuffing ourselves silly with food we took a long walk around the neighborhood and then settled in to watch a movie. Halfway through the movie started skipping, which provided the perfect opportunity for cake:
... a decadent triple chocolate lover's dream that C & D brought for dessert. It was rich but not overwhelmingly so and a perfect end to a great dinner.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Pizza Friday
We enjoyed the chicken parm so much I decided to put some of the leftovers on Friday's pizza:
... which turned out to be a brilliant idea. SP made his usual sauce, which went down first, followed by some of the chicken cut into large chunks, a few overly ripe tomatoes cut into wedges and dollops of pesto I made earlier in the week.
The flavors all worked incredibly well together. I think we'll have to experiment more with chicken as a topping.
... which turned out to be a brilliant idea. SP made his usual sauce, which went down first, followed by some of the chicken cut into large chunks, a few overly ripe tomatoes cut into wedges and dollops of pesto I made earlier in the week.
The flavors all worked incredibly well together. I think we'll have to experiment more with chicken as a topping.
Chicken Parm
Thursday night SP made chicken parm for dinner. This is the first time we've had this dish at home because I thought I hated chicken parm. It all stemmed from my college days when they had chicken parm on Sundays, the worst day to eat in the cafeteria. That was the night they served the dregs since hardly anyone was on campus. Picture gloppy breading, overcooked chicken and a sickly sweet tomato sauce. Yuck! SP has always said he makes a mean chicken parm so he set out to convince me it could be tasty.
He also used up some of our half boxes of pasta as a side dish and I made the garlic bread. The chicken itself was moist and flavorful, with a nice crispy breading and just enough cheese to make it interesting. And the sauce had a slight kick and rich tomato flavor:
This is the chicken after he fried it but before it was transformed into chicken parm. I love the deep brown color:
And my usual garlic bread, with plenty of garlic, butter and parsley:
He also used up some of our half boxes of pasta as a side dish and I made the garlic bread. The chicken itself was moist and flavorful, with a nice crispy breading and just enough cheese to make it interesting. And the sauce had a slight kick and rich tomato flavor:
This is the chicken after he fried it but before it was transformed into chicken parm. I love the deep brown color:
And my usual garlic bread, with plenty of garlic, butter and parsley:
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