Pizza Friday

Last night we had another Pizza Friday pizza, this time with mushrooms and black olives:


After last week's bubbly pie I was excited to see that this one stayed nice and flat. I knew it was going to be a good pie as I was rolling out the dough. I guess the warmer weather is working in my favor because I rolled this dough out with no problems.


Not only did it look beautiful, it tasted fantastic. After one bite SP gave me the thumbs up. In fact, it was so good we ended up eating the whole pizza in one sitting (over the course of an hour or so). Yum!

Buffalo Chicken Tenders and Potato Salad

I love simple meals that taste so much better then you anticipated. We love chicken wings made with Frank's hot sauce, so I really wasn't concerned about the flavor elements of this meal, but we were both very impressed by how amazing this meal was. Both these recipes came from the May issue of Everyday Food.


The All-American Buffalo Chicken Tenders couldn't have been easier to put together. I did make a few changes (I didn't have buttermilk so I breaded the chicken in egg and milk first then dipped them into the flour) and I used Marie's blue cheese dressing instead of making my own, but the end result was the same. Have I mentioned how much we love Frank's hot sauce?

I made the Potato Salad with Celery and Scallions on Tuesday because it had to sit overnight, but it kept really well in the fridge for two days when I had to change my dinner plans around to accomodate a trip to the vet last night. This meal came together in less than 30 minutes, a definite winner in my book!

Avocado Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Black Beans

I know Cinco de Mayo was on Monday, but my home life has been a little topsy-turvy lately so our celebratory meal didn't happen until last night. A woman on a cooking board I frequent recently shared a recipe for Avocado Enchiladas that sounded fantastic. Really, when it comes to avocados, you can't go wrong in my book. I love everything about them so I knew this recipe would be a winner.


I basically tripled the recipe so I'd end up with 6 enchiladas. I also used the enchilada sauce from this recipe and it was perfect. It's a great, simple sauce recipe and it made enough for me to have some leftover for another time.

My buddy Melissa has a recipe for Spanish Rice that I've been dying to try so I finally made it last night. This was seriously the best Spanish rice I've ever had. And it was so simple to make. Yum!

Black beans rounded out the meal. I got a recipe from a coworker (I used canned beans, but the idea was the same). I liked the flavor a lot, but the texture needed some work. Of course SP told me after dinner that he isn't a fan of beans (except for refried). Oh well. The rice and enchiladas were stellar so I'll definitely be making this meal again.

Avocado Enchiladas
Modified from ...But where do you get your protein?

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth

1 ½ tablespoons chili powder

1 small canned chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can

6 ripe avocados, sliced in half, pit removed and flesh scooped out
1/2 a small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
12 flour tortillas
Grated sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Additional cilantro leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 ½ tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle and adobo sauce, and ¾ cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray. Mash up the avocado in a glass bowl. Add the onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, tomatoes, jalapeno, lime juice, and salt and pepper. Mix together as you would if you were making guacamole.

Spoon the avocado mixture into the tortillas and roll them up. Place tortillas in the prepared baking dish and cover with enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with additional cilantro just before serving.

Clams Casino Pasta

I know not every recipe can be a winner, but Cook's Country rarely lets me down. But I have to say, this was just plain bad:


It looks good, doesn't it? Vibrant colors, lots of good bits like bacon and fresh breadcrumbs, but it was just not good. I want to like canned clams because of their convenience factor, but I think it's time to admit that I just don't like the flavor.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I ate a few bites of this, pushed the plate away and had a peanut butter, banana and Nutella muffin instead. SP was also excited for this meal but he told me he tried the leftovers I gave him for lunch and wasn't a fan. Oh well. You win some and you lose some. I just hate when I lose.

Burger and Fries

When your husband is sick you tend to make concessions to things you wouldn't normally agree to. At least that's what happens to me on the rare occasions when SP isn't feeling his best. Such was the case this weekend when we ran some errands on Saturday before hunkering down for the weekend. He wanted frozen hamburgers, specifically Bubba Burgers, and I was feeling bad for him so I obliged.

Last night we needed something easy for dinner so I decided to try the burgers:


The results were OK. Nothing stellar and nowhere near as good as homemade, but they were decent. In an effort to acknowledge Cinco de Mayo I used pepper Jack cheese and pickled jalapeno slices on the burgers, along with bacon and lettuce.

As for the fries, I decided to throw caution to the wind and deep-fry them. I just let them sit in the hot oil, bubbling away, for probably 20 minutes in an attempt to get them crispy. I think I succeeded, but I still didn't like the flavor the oil imparted (and I used vegetable oil, which shouldn't have much of a flavor at all). Maybe I need to look into peanut oil...

Macaroni & Cheese

Sunday night I made macaroni and cheese:


I didn't realize until I started making the sauce that we were out of cheddar cheese. We always have a ton on hand, so I forgot to check. We did have a very small amount (maybe 1/4 cup when it was grated), so I had to throw together a bunch of cheeses I found in the cheese drawrer - pepper Jack, provolone and a smidge of blue cheese crumbles. I threw in a small head of chopped broccoli that needed to be used and I topped the casserole with panko, which didn't work so well. Fresh bread crumbs would have been a lot better.

The sauce was seriously lacking in cheesy flavor, probably due to the missing cheddar. I should have compensated with some Dijon for flavor. And I'm not sure why the photo is so pink/orange. My apologies!

Muffins

A woman on a cooking board I frequent posted a recipe for Peanut Butter and Banana Nutella Muffins last week and I knew I had to make them.


Not only was it an easy recipe to prepare (I did all the mixing by hand and we all know I'm not a baker), it used ingredients I almost always have in my pantry.


The finished product was moist and flavorful, but I definitely skimped on the Nutella:


Next time I'll make more muffins (I think I ended up with 19) so I can cram more of that fantastic Nutella into each muffin. Yum!

Sunday Breakfast

Sunday morning I made us a hearty breakfast:


... of scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, bacon and hash browns.

Signs of Spring

I've been meaning to take pictures of some of our flowers. This is the hanging basket on our front porch:



One of the trees in our front yard is absolutely gorgeous. I didn't realize until I was discussing it with a coworker that it's a dogwood tree. I need to remember to take pictures of it in the fall/winter because it has these amazing red berries. So nice. Here it was a few weeks ago:


This is when I thought it couldn't be a pink dogwood because the colors were a deep red:


But now the flowers are most definitely pink:


I just love how perfect each flower is:





We also have pink tulips:


And a few daffodils (although by now these are gone):


I love spring!!

Pizza

After we had our wings on Saturday I made pizza:


Not my best effort, unfortunately. Forgive me...I've been dealing with a sick cat and husband. The idea seemed good - portobello mushrooms sauteed with garlic, salt and pepper - but the dough didn't cooperate. I'm not sure why but it had air bubbles everywhere, making the pizza look almost alien. It was still thin crust, despite it's resemblance to a Pizza Hut pizza in the above photo. It tasted good, but I wasn't thrilled with its appearance.

Chicken Wings

Since both SP and our cat have been sick, we spent a quiet weekend at home. On Saturday we wanted to have some fun snacks so we picked up a package of chicken wings:


We like to make our own barbecue sauce, but we've seen so many brands at the supermarket we decided to try one as an experiment awhile back. We bought Stubbs's Original BBQ Sauce because we liked the label. It was OK, but we weren't thrilled with it, so it's been sitting in the fridge. We didn't want it to go to waste so SP decided to use it for the wings. There was a nice mild peppery flavor, a pleasant change from Frank's (which is our all-time favorite).

Breakfast for Dinner

On Thursday we had breakfast for dinner:


I made breakfast burritos (flour tortillas filled with scrambled eggs mixed with green pepper and onion, topped with some taco sauce), hash browns and bacon. It really hit the spot and I had a leftover burrito for breakfast on Friday.

Chinese Takeout

SP was fighting some kind of head cold/upper respiratory infection/allergies last week so we had Chinese food for dinner one night:


I got an egg roll and chicken with peanuts in hot sauce. The egg roll was a little cold/chewy and the chicken had no peanuts that I could detect. And hot sauce was a misnomer since this was tame as tame could be. Next time I'll ask for some spiciness.

Ricotta Pasta with Spinach

I'm not sure what happened here...


Personally, I blame the frozen spinach. I think there was too much of it and it sucked up all the moisture. The last time I made this it was much creamier, but I also used fresh baby spinach. I also ran out of white wine so I used chicken stock instead. The flavor was definitely compromised. This was not a stellar preparation of this dish.

Blogging with a Purpose Award

Jaime over at Burnt Toast gave me the Blogging with a Purpose award.


I've seen her blog on my Site Meter statistics but I haven't had a chance to really check it out, so I was incredibly flattered that she thought of me for this award. Thank you Jaime!!

UPDATE: I know I need to choose people to give this award to, but as you can tell from my lack of posting, things at home have been a bit crazy lately. Between a sick cat, work headaches, an allergy-suffering husband and dinner commitments with friends I haven't been cooking much let alone updating my blog. I promise to update this post again with award recipients.

Pioneer Woman Chicken Spaghetti

I stumbled upon The Pioneer Woman awhile ago, but I haven't gotten around to making any of her delicious-looking recipes. I thought Pioneer Woman Chicken Spaghetti would be a good recipe to make ahead of time. I put it together last night to have for dinner today.


It isn't often that this happens, but SP wasn't a fan of this dish. I really liked it (you can't go wrong in my book with a creamy, cheesy pasta dish), but he didn't like the fact that the green pepper and onion were basically raw and crunchy. And I don't think he liked the overall flavor either. Disappointing, since I thought it was so good I had seconds.

Tacos

On Thursday I made tacos:


... with ground beef, guacamole, sour cream, cheddar cheese, tomatoes and lettuce.

Cobb Salad

SP asked for a salad for dinner this week, so I thought Cobb salad would fit the bill nicely.


I baked the chicken before cutting it into chunks. The rest of the cast of characters included bacon, cheddar and blue cheese, avocado, black olives, scallions and tomatoes all served over chopped romaine lettuce. I realized while I was eating that I'd forgotten the hardboiled eggs. I had my salad with creamy Caesar dressing.

Pat's Stromboil Bread

Broccoli rabe is my new obsession but I didn't feel like making it with pasta, so SP suggested we revisit Pat's Stromboli Bread, with a few modifications:


This time I used less broccoli rabe (1 bunch) and it still made a ton of filling. See how it overflows in the bread? Maybe I need bigger bread. I also baked it without the foil wrapping, which kept the bread nice and crispy. SP was happy to eat the sandwich with his hands instead of a knife and fork.

Pat's Stromboil Bread
Everyday with Rachael Ray

One 16-ounce loaf semolina bread
Salt
1 bunch broccoli rabe, cut into 3-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound bulk spicy pork or chicken sausage
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
2 cups shredded provolone cheese
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
8 thin slices mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°. Cut off the top quarter of the bread lengthwise and scoop out the bottom piece.

In a deep skillet, bring about 2 inches of water to a boil. Salt the water and add the broccoli rabe in batches, simmering for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Wipe out the skillet; add the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, and heat over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling with a spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, if using.

Fill the bread shell with the sausage mixture. Top with the provolone, parmigiano, mozzarella and bread lid. Wrap the sandwich in foil and bake until the cheese is melted, 15 minutes. Cut into thick slices to serve.

Burger and Fries

The weather people have been so off lately. They called for rain on Sunday, but no rain ever materialized. We took the opportunity to grill some burgers:


I mixed the meat with the leftover salad dressing from the zucchini salad I had made earlier in the week (Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, oil and grated red onion). We topped our burgers with cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and sliced red onion. They were meaty and flavorful, but I don't think I packed the meat tightly enough because they started to fall apart on the grill. I made some oven fries but I'm quickly becoming disillusioned by fries baked in the oven. They never, ever get crispy, even when I overcook them and use my baking stone.

White Pizza

We might be going out with friends on Friday so I decided to make our weekly pizza last night. I wanted to do something different and I recently saw Rachael Ray make a white pizza that look absolutely delicious:


I decided to make two smaller pizzas instead of one large one because my pizza stone just isn't big enough. No matter how hard I try, a normal large-size pizza doesn't fit on the stones I have. SP had the brilliant idea to just make two smaller ones, which worked out quite well.

I followed the recipe (except for the basil) and it was creamy and cheesy and oh-so-yummy. My only complaint was that the crust started to get too brown around the edges before the bottom crust got crispy. That was my fault because I rolled the dough as thin as I could. It still tasted great and SP loved the thin crust, but next time I'll need to either lower the oven temp or keep the dough thicker.

Florentine Mac & Cheese

I saw Rachael Ray make this recipe for Florentine Mac and Cheese recently and it looked fantastic. I decided to make it without the chicken meatballs:


While I liked the concept, I didn't like the finished product. There was way too much spinach and not enough sauce. I ended up adding a few splashes of milk after I took it off the stove because it was just too thick. And there wasn't much of a cheesy flavor. I'd try doing a spinach mac & cheese again, but I'd probably use my usual recipe (with a touch more milk or stock) and add the spinach.

I served it with a zucchini salad I swear I saw her make with this meal, but it wasn't on the website in the same version she made. I used a potato peeler to make long strips of zucchini before tossing it with the dressing, which was tangy with a nice bite from the Dijon mustard. Definitely something I'll make again.

Crispy Parmesan Chicken, Boiled Potatoes and Peas

I needed a quick dinner before heading to the store so I threw together an old favorite with a slight twist:


Instead of pork chops coated in egg and bread crumbs mixed with grated cheese, I used chicken breasts. They were so moist and flavorful, with a nice cheesy bite. I love boiled potatoes tossed with butter and parsley so I decided to toss in some peas instead of having them as a separate side dish. It was a great combination.

On a side note, I'm really loving these C&W frozen peas. Ever since Alosha turned me on to them I've been buying them instead of the supermarket brand. This might sound silly, but they actually taste like peas. I'll gladly spend the extra money if it means I get a good product.

Linguine with Sausage, Onions and Peas

Sunday night SP asked for fettuccine alfredo with sausage and I decided to add some onions and peas for color and a veggie component:


I kinda threw this together so I was surprised by how well it turned out. I started by browning the sausage in the pan, then adding sliced onion and cooking it until it was soft. I mixed 1 cup of heavy cream with 1 cup half-and-half and added it to the pan with salt and pepper. While that reduced the fettuccine cooked. Right before I added the pasta to the pan I threw in 1 cup of frozen peas and 1/2 cup grated cheese, then tossed the pasta with the sauce to coat. It was rich and creamy, but not too heavy because of the peas. And the hot sausage was perfect, with just a little kick and great sausage flavor.

Spring Plantings

Here they are, like pretty maids all in a row. Last summer, being our first in the new house, we weren't quite settled enough for me to think about a garden. This year I decided I couldn't miss the chance to grow fresh herbs and tomatoes, so this weekend we went out and got four different kinds of tomatoes and a small rosemary plant. I still need to get basil and I might do peppers and other herbs as well.


Unfortunately yesterday was sunny and in the 70s and today is overcast and in the 50s. I thought for sure we were past the last frost, but tonight they're calling for temps in the 30s. Hopefully a few days in the garage will keep them warm enough until the temperature rises again.


A friend of my mother's gave us a rose bush, which we also planted today:


It doesn't look like much now but I was assured it would be flowering in no time. My mom couldn't remember what color the roses would be so it'll be a nice surprise later in the summer. Don't mind the weeds and other debris around the rose bush. We still need to dig a bed and layer in some mulch and other flowers. For now we're enjoying the flowers that have popped up at random in the yard:


Such a vibrant purple. I love spring!

Doctor Who and a Fry Up

When I was younger, my mom and I would watch the old episodes of Doctor Who on public television. SP and I are huge British TV fans and we've been watching the new episodes (love, love, love David Tennant) on the SciFi channel and BBC America, but my mom had never seen them. We decided it would be fun to have my parents over for brunch on a Sunday to watch the show and I'd make a traditional English breakfast. My fry up:


... had almost all the usual suspects - fried eggs, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and bacon. We did without the sausage and we had bagels instead of toast, but it really tasted like the breakfasts I used to enjoy in England.

Pizza Friday

It's been a little while since we had a Pizza Friday:


We went with our usual - pepperoni, mushrooms and black olives. It was really tasty, even better than usual. I think next week I might experiment and try something new.

Chicken Tikka Masala

It's been awhile since I last made this recipe, but it was just as good as we remembered:


I was really proud of my basmati rice. I'm still perfecting fluffy, dry rice and this was almost spot-on. An incredibly easy, very tasty meal. I did have a moment of weakness and ate some cake for dessert:


With a glass of frosty cold milk, it was a sweet ending to the day and I only had a little so I wasn't too bad.

Asian Grilled Salmon and Asian-Style Green Beans

As I've said before, we're trying to be better about eating fish, especially salmon because of the really healthy omega-3 fatty acids. SP asked that I find an Asian-style recipe for the rest of the frozen salmon, which we had last night:


I'm still trying to figure out where I got this recipe from. I hate when I print something out and forget to include the source. I'll update when I figure it out. In case I don't, I'll type up the recipe when I get home. I served the fish with white rice and Asian-Style Green Beans. The green beans were amazing. I loved the flavor, but I should have left out the cornstarch because it made the sauce too thick. Definitely a meal we'll be repeating soon.

Grilled Salmon

4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon salt

Whisk together peanut oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, green onions, garlic, brown sugar, ginger, red chile flakes, sesame oil, and salt. Place fish in a glass dish, and pour marinade over all. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.

Preheat barbecue or gas grill. Oil the grill rack, and adjust height to 5 inches from coals. Remove salmon from marinade, and place on grill. Grill for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until fish just flakes when tested with a fork. Turn halfway through cooking.

South of the Border Casserole

I got this recipe from my buddy C Laz back in June 2007. It's hard to believe it's been almost a year since then. I kept meaning to make this since it sounded so good and I finally dug it out this week while looking for a ground beef recipe. I figured I'd better make it now before the weather changes.


I modified the recipe slightly by using bowties instead of ziti or penne since I already had half a box that needed to be used up. I also seasoned the mixture with salt and pepper a few times, which the recipe doesn't say to do, and I chopped some cilantro to sprinkle over the top. Overall I really liked this. It had a good kick from the chili powder and jalapeno, and I loved the creaminess from the sour cream. I'm glad I finally got around to making this - thanks C Laz!

South of the Border Casserole

1 pound of lean ground beef
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed from half, minced
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
28 ounce can of whole tomatoes (fire roasted tomatoes, if you can find them)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons of cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups sour cream
8 oz penne, ziti or any small pasta
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup cilantro, minced

In a large deep skillet, brown meat until no longer pink. Drain fat, if necessary. Add the olive oil, peppers, onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium-high heat. Saute until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin. Add the can of tomatoes, breaking up the whole tomatoes with a spoon, but still leaving big chunks. Add sour cream, stir until mixed. Add pasta. Cover and cook until pasta is al dente, about 25 minutes. Make sure to stir frequently so the pasta doesn't get stuck to the bottom. Serve with the cheddar cheese and cilantro sprinkled on top.

Fat Rabbit Returns

I got home this evening, opened the back curtain and there he was - Fat Rabbit:



Am I crazy or is this a seriously fat rabbit? He just seems very large to me. He was in the middle of the yard so I was able to get a better shot of him. When SP got home he was none too pleased. I had to stop him from opening the back door and yelling, "Stop eating my yard!" He does have a point, of course, especially since we're hoping to grow vegetables and herbs this summer. He wants to put chicken wire under the fence. If he does it properly, it will mean no more Fat Rabbit sightings, which does make me sad but then again, I'd rather have my vegetables and herbs then be Club Med to a bunch of rabbits. Even if they're really cute.

Skillet Chicken and Rice with Peas and Scallion

This recipe for Skillet Chicken and Rice with Peas and Scallion was something I saw on America's Test Kitchen awhile back. I kept meaning to make it but it was alway preempted by another dish. It finally made its way into the rotation this week and man am I glad it did. This is a fantastic one-pot meal (which is always nice).


I love creamy rice dishes and this had just the right sauce-to-rice ratio. Unfortunately I only had 1 cup of rice and the recipe called for 1 1/2 cups, but I just decreased the liquid by a cup and it worked out fine. SP said there was too much chicken (I was shocked that my carnivore said that), but I think that's because there was less rice then there should have been. I loved the peas (another huge thanks to Alosha for turning me on to C&W frozen vegetables) and the freshness of the scallions. Definitely something we'll be making again.


Skillet Chicken and Rice with Peas and Scallion
Recipe from America's Test Kitchen

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (vermouth)
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
5 scallions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour to coat and shake off any excess. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the chicken well on one side, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

2. Off the heat, add the butter to the skillet, and swirl to melt. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and return to medium-high heat until softened, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the rice thoroughly and let toast for about 30 seconds.

3. Stir in the wine and let the rice absorb it completely, about 1 minute. Stir in the broth, scraping up any browned bits. Nestle the chicken into the rice, browned side facing up, including any accumulated juices. Cover and cook over medium heat until the thickest part of the chicken registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes.

4. Transfer the chicken to a clean plate. Gently brush off and discard any rice clinging to the chicken, then tent the chicken with foil and set aside. Return the skillet of rice to medium-low heat, cover, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, 8 to 12 minutes longer.

5. Off the heat, sprinkle the peas over the rice, cover, and let warm through, about 2 minutes. Add the scallions and lemon juice to the rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with the chicken and lemon wedges.

Couch Cat

It's been awhile since I posted a picture of the cat. He spent most of the weekend on the couch hiding behind some folded dish towels and newspapers:

French Toast and Bacon

We had some Texas Toast leftover from when I made Monte Cristos so I decided to make French toast for Sunday breakfast:


We had some ripe bananas so I sliced one to go on top of the bready goodness. SP asked for some bacon to go alongside as well. I'm starting to get the whole salty/sweet thing after some of the syrup got onto the bacon.

Salmon Florentine and Lemon Broccoli

I was watching the Food Network last weekend and Ellie Krieger's show came on. She was making a few things that looked tasty, like Salmon Florentine and Lemon Broccoli:


The salmon was really good, if a little dry. We're trying to be healthy and eat more fish, so this was a great meal. The episode this meal came from was about super foods, salmon and spinach being two of them. The spinach mixture was really good, with a little creaminess from the ricotta cheese. I left out the sundried tomatoes because SP isn't a fan, but I'm sure they'd be fantastic in here.

I was going to use broccolini like the recipe calls for, but the small bundles I found in my supermarket were $3 each - way too steep for my budget. There were maybe 5 pieces per bundle. I would have needed 4 bundles just to make a meal. I subbed broccoli and it worked just fine. Some rice (white, not brown...I just can't get into brown rice) finished off the meal.

I think something is wrong with my camera because all the good shots came out blurry. I'll have to check the settings.

Chicken and Biscuits

Recently I've discovered that Everyday Food recipes can be hit or miss. I've had luck with some recipes, but this one for Chicken and Biscuits didn't go over so well.


I thought it was fine - certainly not craveable or something I'd be in a hurry to make again - but SP, a man who will eat just about anything and ask for seconds, did not like this meal. In fact, he didn't even take leftovers for lunch. Shocking.

I'm so glad this marks the end of the bake-off biscuits. We got three on sale and the processed flavor was starting to get to me. Next time we need biscuits I'll ask SP to make them. They were so, so much better then the ones from a can.