Watching Food Network shows can be dangerous. For instance, if you are watching Cutthroat Kitchen you will often find that you have a hankering for whatever the challenge food they are making. Most of the time it's something that you don't have the ingredients or desire to make right then.
Until that night two weeks ago.
We were watching Cutthroat, and the last challenge is almost always a dessert challenge. The contestants were making spice cake. One of them was coming up short on time due to his sabotages, and tossed his cake into the microwave. You'd think that it wouldn't come out well, right? Wrong. It ended up being a great cake and he won. Brian eyed the cake warily and said, "I'll bet that I could do that."
Five minutes looking for a recipe and 30 minutes after that: chocolate cake (with frosting!) from our microwave. The recipe called for making them in a coffee mug. Lots of flavor, not rubbery at all.
After eating, we decided that this recipe is dangerous to know about. So we've agreed to never make it again. :)
Monday, December 21, 2015
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Playing Catch-Up
Well.
Life has a way of running away with you sometimes, especially around the holidays. So normally I would have written a post about each of these things individually. Instead, here's a group post. These are all things that we've eaten in the last couple of weeks that I thought were noteworthy...
Life has a way of running away with you sometimes, especially around the holidays. So normally I would have written a post about each of these things individually. Instead, here's a group post. These are all things that we've eaten in the last couple of weeks that I thought were noteworthy...
Spinach frittata. Something that I had never had before, and it was awesome. I'm not sure what the difference is between this and crustless quiche, if there is a difference at all. Leftovers were delicious for a couple of mornings after we had this for dinner.
This is called "Cowboy Caviar." I made it from a recipe online for the resident holiday party last week. The recipe calls for corn, black beans, black-eyed peas, cilantro, green onion, tomato and avocado. They didn't have black-eyed peas at the grocery store so I subbed pinto beans. This was great with tostitos scoops.
We were going to have friends over for a football game one Sunday but they had to cancel last minute. So we ate the food anyway (of course!) Mushroom swiss burgers were incredible, and this warm potato salad was simply divine. It's a stretch calling it a "salad" instead of roast potatoes but you know what? The name doesn't matter, it was so good.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Meatless Mondays
We're trying to embrace Meatless Mondays in our house again....one night a week we eat a vegetarian dinner.
The past two weeks have been quite good:
First, a pasta with butternut squash, feta cheese and pecans. Awesome, and I ate the leftovers for days!
The the other night was Wild Mushroom Farfalle, out of the October issue of Cooking Light. I liked this too, with the spoonful of ricotta cheese on top that you stir into your plate. The only thing I missed was something with a little crunch. Like maybe toasted walnuts. Just to give it a little texture. (When I read that I feel like a Food Network judge on a cooking show, by the way.)
Also, I'd like to add that while we (meaning we the parents) are trying to adopt a meatless meal once a week, the kids have no problem doing it more often. Meaning: neither kid would touch this. Still doesn't stop us from trying, though.
The past two weeks have been quite good:
The the other night was Wild Mushroom Farfalle, out of the October issue of Cooking Light. I liked this too, with the spoonful of ricotta cheese on top that you stir into your plate. The only thing I missed was something with a little crunch. Like maybe toasted walnuts. Just to give it a little texture. (When I read that I feel like a Food Network judge on a cooking show, by the way.)
Also, I'd like to add that while we (meaning we the parents) are trying to adopt a meatless meal once a week, the kids have no problem doing it more often. Meaning: neither kid would touch this. Still doesn't stop us from trying, though.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Gettin' Fancy
Last week's dinner menu was more written for the adults than for the kids. And it's good to do that sometimes.
Two meals stood out:
The chicken and polenta dish looked good enough to offer at a restaurant! It was delicious to boot....I used to dislike polenta. But now that I know that there's other ways to have it other than a sliced tube at the grocery store, I'm more likely to eat it. "Tube-y" polenta tastes firm and weird. This stuff reminded me of mashed potatoes.
And this right here? Seared scallops over lemony zucchini risotto. I know, really fancied for a Tuesday night! Best scallops I've had in a long time. And this risotto rules, too. I ate the leftover risotto for breakfast the next two days, with a fried egg on top. Awesome.
Two meals stood out:
The chicken and polenta dish looked good enough to offer at a restaurant! It was delicious to boot....I used to dislike polenta. But now that I know that there's other ways to have it other than a sliced tube at the grocery store, I'm more likely to eat it. "Tube-y" polenta tastes firm and weird. This stuff reminded me of mashed potatoes.
And this right here? Seared scallops over lemony zucchini risotto. I know, really fancied for a Tuesday night! Best scallops I've had in a long time. And this risotto rules, too. I ate the leftover risotto for breakfast the next two days, with a fried egg on top. Awesome.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Itty Bitty Pies
I have fond memories of Hostess Apple pies. You know, the sugary apple pie deliciousness that came two per waxed paper package. (I'm pretty sure that they had blueberry and lemon pies too, but yuck!) When I saw "hand pies" on Pinterest, I immediately thought of Hostess pies. I think Hostess ones were fried though, and obviously not as good as fresh-made, right?
Though pie-like, I wouldn't quite call these pie. Brian and I have been calling them "Apple Pie Cookies." They are pretty fantastic and in a word, dangerous. I'd make them again for sure. Here's the recipe: Apple Hand Pies. I found it on Pinterest and take no claim for it.
Though pie-like, I wouldn't quite call these pie. Brian and I have been calling them "Apple Pie Cookies." They are pretty fantastic and in a word, dangerous. I'd make them again for sure. Here's the recipe: Apple Hand Pies. I found it on Pinterest and take no claim for it.
All of the necessary ingredients
Refrigerated, pre-made piecrust. This mama doesn't mess around making her own.
Sean helping by "inspecting the biscuit cutter."
What makes these little pies special? A little dollop of caramel sauce in each one.
The finished product. There WAS four on here, but Brian really wanted one.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
An Apple a Day
Three-day weekends are good for cooking. So far I've made applesauce this weekend, and overnight apple oatmeal.
The applesauce was my standard fare. Recipe courtesy of The Joy of Cooking, aka "The Bible." We've been using this recipe for years, and the only difference this year was using a food processor instead of a food mill. What ease!
the overnight apple oatmeal is a thing to behold! One must put it together kind of late in the evening, in order for it to be ready at breakfast. I peeled and diced 4 apples earlier, and sprinkled them wit vitamin C powder so they didn't turn brown. (you can find this with the canning supplies.) You layer the ingredients and then the recipe warns you, DO NOT STIR. I was skeptical but obeyed its command. And this morning I was rewarded for my patience with the scent of apple-goodness when I staggered into the kitchen to make coffee. (I'm kind of a mess in the morning." This was extremely tasty. And luckily it makes a lot, so leftovers for the week! The only critique tat Brian had is that it's heavy on the cinnamon. I love cinnamon though, but maybe next time I'll adjust it a little.
Next up...apple hand pies. And then I still have more apples, so who knows.
The applesauce was my standard fare. Recipe courtesy of The Joy of Cooking, aka "The Bible." We've been using this recipe for years, and the only difference this year was using a food processor instead of a food mill. What ease!
the overnight apple oatmeal is a thing to behold! One must put it together kind of late in the evening, in order for it to be ready at breakfast. I peeled and diced 4 apples earlier, and sprinkled them wit vitamin C powder so they didn't turn brown. (you can find this with the canning supplies.) You layer the ingredients and then the recipe warns you, DO NOT STIR. I was skeptical but obeyed its command. And this morning I was rewarded for my patience with the scent of apple-goodness when I staggered into the kitchen to make coffee. (I'm kind of a mess in the morning." This was extremely tasty. And luckily it makes a lot, so leftovers for the week! The only critique tat Brian had is that it's heavy on the cinnamon. I love cinnamon though, but maybe next time I'll adjust it a little.
Next up...apple hand pies. And then I still have more apples, so who knows.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Weekend Warriors
What a weekend in our kitchen.
First, let's talk about this pizza for Saturday lunch. I had no idea that ricotta, arugula and caramelized onion would make such fantastic pizza toppings. Unfortunately, you can't reheat pizza with arugula on top, because it wilts. So we had to eat it all, tough break.
I made stuff for our freezer. Three freezer bags of ratatouille, and this time I salted the eggplant slices first a la Alton Brown. It definitely got some of the moisture out, making the finished product less "mushy." It'll go great with a starch and a little grated Parmesan later.
Then it was time for a magic trick....turning a $4.23 whole chicken into two meals and then boiling the carcass for chicken stock. (Thank you, rapidly approaching "sell-by" dates!) And honestly, it didn't take very long. I just sauteed some aromatics (in this case a whole sliced onion, a couple of carrots and some celery ribs) and added the carcass, covered with water and let it boil for an hour. I'll strain the fat off the top tonight and put it in the freezer for some delightful chicken soup at a later date.
Now, I've got some overripe bananas to turn into muffins, and yesterday we went apple picking. Thinking about what to make!
First, let's talk about this pizza for Saturday lunch. I had no idea that ricotta, arugula and caramelized onion would make such fantastic pizza toppings. Unfortunately, you can't reheat pizza with arugula on top, because it wilts. So we had to eat it all, tough break.
I made stuff for our freezer. Three freezer bags of ratatouille, and this time I salted the eggplant slices first a la Alton Brown. It definitely got some of the moisture out, making the finished product less "mushy." It'll go great with a starch and a little grated Parmesan later.
Then it was time for a magic trick....turning a $4.23 whole chicken into two meals and then boiling the carcass for chicken stock. (Thank you, rapidly approaching "sell-by" dates!) And honestly, it didn't take very long. I just sauteed some aromatics (in this case a whole sliced onion, a couple of carrots and some celery ribs) and added the carcass, covered with water and let it boil for an hour. I'll strain the fat off the top tonight and put it in the freezer for some delightful chicken soup at a later date.
Now, I've got some overripe bananas to turn into muffins, and yesterday we went apple picking. Thinking about what to make!
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