FOOTBALL! GRR! and wine?

YES! The ultimate combo...pizza and a nice glass (or four) of a "meh" Zin. YES!

Greek burgers

On Elle's suggestion, I made fancy poultry burgers with a Greek flair. Ground chicken, tons of Greek seasoning, feta, sundried tomatoes. Mix. Grill up. Eat on buns with mayo mixed with some sundried oil and a tiny dash of Greek seasoning. Also some roasted potato wedges. I enjoyed them, maybe not enough to make again give Mr. R's apprehension of the ground chicken. He did eat it, and said it was better than he anticipated - but given that he rolled his eyes and sighed when I told him what we were having that is a rather low bar. I would suggest them though, especially if you were looking for something to do with ground poultry. No pics, they weren't particularly pretty - kind of gray.

Chicken dish pie

I didn't make it in a pot, it's chicken dish pie. Cook chicken. Cook onions, carrots, celery in butter . Add flour. Add hot chicken broth. Add frozen peas and onions. Add a splash of cream. Meanwhile, bake the bottom crust - a sheet of rolled out puff pastry in a 9x13 - at 400 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. Pour chicken mix over top. Top with another sheet of puff pastry - this one, you brush with an egg wash. Bake again, until puffed and golden - 10-15 minutes, longer if needed. Yum-o.

Fried food Saturday

R and I whipped up some gameday goodness on Saturday - fried pretzels with homemade honey mustard and lovely disgusting Velveeta dip with tortilla chips.

For the pretzels - take a box of frozen soft pretzels - fry in shallow pan with oil. Salt.

For honey mustard - mix a large dollop of mayo with several squirts of yellow mustard and Dijon mustard. Add about 1 tbsp honey, some salt, and some pepper. Keep tasting until it meets your taste standards.


For the Velveeta dip, in its tiny crockpot, fry up a pound of breakfast sausage, with onions if you'd like, or peppers. Throw in a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes. Cube up a big brick of Velveeta. Throw in some salsa. Add chili beans if desired. Once the 'veeta is melted, add in cheddar cheese, for a touch of authenticity. Slam with chips.

Brownie goodness

Ok, I made some seriously delicious brownies this weekend. I was motivated, again, by a post at Baking Bites, which linked me to a recipe for Peanut Butter Brownies And fabulously easy. And to at Smitten Kitchen. Supposedly (the B-lo crew will have to confirm) this recipe mimics a recipe served at the fab Butterwood bakery. These were FABULOUS. be honest, cut them into little tiny squares, and you have a perfectly presentable nibble for a party or dinner gathering. I mean, these were so good. They weren't greasy. The chocolate was just right. It was so tasty. The only tweaking I made to the recipe was to (similar to the picture) add a heaping handful of chocolate chips to the actual batter (I'd skip it next time, didn't add anything) AND I used mostly dark chocolate chips for the ganache. I threw in about 1/4 c of semisweet because R was getting concerned that it would be too bitter, but I knew it wouldn't be, so I told him to go away. Here are pictures of the pan both sans ganache and fully ganached.

I will try to get a cross section photo of my own brownies, but sadly, they are rapidly dwindling due to our own gluttony and my (i'd like to think) generosity at handing them out to a few peeps.

Sauerkraut Fest

Some of you have seen these lovely photos from our trip to the Sauerkraut Festival this past weekend. A polish sausage with kraut. A "German Sundae" - potatoes, kraut, cheese, sour cream, and an olive.




We also had our first " apple flappin" which were slices of apple battered and fried. Then powdered with sugar. Also, sauerkraut balls, which are balls of...sauerkraut and something else, breaded and...you got it, fried.

Mmm...apples

So, it's apple time in Ohio. I'm too lazy to make pastry (peeling and cutting up a half dozen apples is work enough) so an apple crisp is the route for me. For said lusciousness, peel and thinly slice 6-8 GRANNY SMITH apples (I don't care what anyone else says, you need MOSTLY grannies...you can toss in a Gala, Honeycrisp, Jonahgold, whatever else or TWO, but MOSTLY GS) and toss in a large mixing bowl with about 2 tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 c white sugar, a handful of brown sugar, some vanilla, and about a 1/3 c flour. Layer in a 9x13 dish. In the same mixing bowl, mix 2 c oats, 1/2 c flour, a large pinch of salt, 1/3 c white sugar, 1/3 c brown sugar, 1-2 tbsp cinnamon, some nutmeg (to taste) and 1 room temp stick of butter. Mix well, until mix is crumbly. Use hands. Press on top of apples - there's a LOT of topping, use it all, it's the best. Bake in a 375 deg oven for, oh, say 45-55 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the apples are v. bubbly. Serve, obviously, with vanilla ice cream.

Healthy, or at least healthiER, living

So, the chub is getting me down. Have decided I need to be both MORE active and LESS about butter in my life. I'm not going crazy folks. I will never be schmall. But I don't feel healthy anymore, so have decided that I will at least eat healthfully during the week, and can splurge a teeny bit on weekends. I've been living life like it's always the weekend for several months now, and it shows. Right above my waist...right there...you can feel it. Sick.

For this week, my foods will be as follows (it's quite a bit as you see, but I've got a system)

1 container probiotic yogurt (blueberry)
1 packet low sugar oatmeal
1 sandwich with just meat and mustard on whole grain bread
1 apple
1 8 oz glass of milk
Up to 8 vanilla wafers (reduced fat) if I want them over the course of the day
Up to 6 reduced fat Triscuits with up to 1 1/2 oz cheese (Must get that 3rd serving of dairy), if I want it
Sensible dinners featuring lean meats and LOTS of vegs and a lot less carbs.
For example, tonight's sensible dinner will be Greek chicken in a pita pocket (half) with low fat (actually, no fat) tzatziki and salad. I will prob add a TEENY bit of feta for flavor - luckily feta has so much flavor a teeny bit goes a v. long way.

See, a lot of food. And still at least 1500 calories, more like 1800 prob. But combined with more doggie walking/jogging, I imagine I will at the very least starting FEELING healthier in a few weeks, even if my good friend Mr. Chub doesn't go away. And that's the important thing kids.

Don't fret, pets. I will still make yummy things, esp on the weekends. I just won't eat too much of them!

Country luncheon

More tales from the countryside. I dragged Mr. R out to the farm market on Saturday where we bought roasted turkey breast for $2.99/lb. TWO DOLLARS AND NINETY-NINE CENTS A POUND. We pay $6/lb on sale at the K-roger. Also, we got roast beest for $3.99/lb. That's compared to around $7-$8/lb at the Kroger. Seriously. Seriousleh. I heart that place. And it is good stuff too, not like, watery blah shite.

Before we bought meat and cheese though, we stopped at Der Dutchman and had their barn-raising buffet. That is the name, I didn't make that up. On the buffet was the following:
Fried chicken
Pot roast
BBQ beef ribs
Ham
Mashed potatoes
Noodles
Lima beans
Corn
Green beans
Stuffing
Cornbread
Some kind hashbrown type thing
Poultry gravy
Beef gravy
Big ol' salad bar
And at your table, a loaf of soft white bread and apple butter.

It was super fun and good. They have a bakery attached with pies and what have you. I wanted to buy one of everything, but seeing as I'm starting a healthier eating style this week, I thought it less than prudent. It was good. Go Amish!

Stew!

More beef stew. I heart it. I heart dumplings too.

Pre-cooked dumplings, v. small and demure.

Below, post-cooked dumplings, v. puffy and large.






Bowl of stew goodness, although this isn't a particularly appetizing photo

Fancy night out

R and I went to a fancy schmancy dinner last weekend, at Brio TUSCAN grille. Tuscan. I do enjoy the grille, yes I do. We ordered a lovely bottle of Sketchbook Pinot Noir (mmm) and proceeded to slam the following from their lovely dinner menu:
Spinach/Artichoke Dip
I had the Pasta Brio, which was nice
R had the Roasted Lamb Chops, which he enjoyed, but I thought tasted gamey.
For dessert, R had tiramisu and I had the torta di cioccolata. The tiramisu was lovely. My cake was good, although, at this point in life, I want a little more complexity in my chocolate. I want it darker, with background tones like coffee or hazelnut, or something going on. I did eat the whole thing though. And the gelato was delish.

We both enjoyed our meal, but unfortunately, nothing holds a candle to Maggianos.

Tropical pie

In celebration of Miss L's birthday, I prepared a key lime pie (made with key lime juice she procured on a recent trip to the Keys). Very easy, which hopefully translates to tasty. Juice, condensed milk, egg yolks. Pour into graham cracker crust. Dollop with whipped cream. The end.

I probably won't be able to photograph a single slice, as it will be served in a group meeting at work later today, so here's the whole kit and kaboodle.

Fiesta at the Barrel

Miss M, Miss S, Miss L, and I all rocked the Barrel on Friday. We hit it, and we hit it hard. To the left, the whole table of food. A cornucopia, if you will. Below, my own personal cornucopia.

Chicken braid take 2

Mmm...the braid. I heart the braid. My last attempt at the braid was delish, but not the best looking specimen necessarily. My most recent attempts were not much better, I'm afraid. Here the braid is unbaked:





And baked.

Mmm...childhood breakfast fave

Soft-boiled eggs on toast. Place eggs in pot. Cover with cold water. Bring to boil. Allow to boil no more than 3 1/2 minutes. NO MORE THAN THAT! While eggs boil, toast bread. Butter. Put on plate. After 3 1/2 minutes, run cold water over eggs to stop cooking. Crack egg with spoon. Spoon soft egg from shell. Smoosh onto bread. Add salt and pepper. Eat. Enjoy.

I would like to point out that these eggs were even slightly OVER done for my taste. Looking back, I would go 3 minutes even. But R was wary of the soft-boiled goodness. Little did he know. Little...did he know.

Cheesecake bars

Not really anything extraordinary, but over the weekend I made the cheesecake bars featured on Baking Bites. They were quite easy. Much easier than a standard cheesecake. I am not the huge vanilla fan that Baking Bites is, so I did not opt for the vanilla power - just some extract in the cheesecake top. But I found it a bit bland. Not very "cheesy" - you didn't get that cheesecake tang. I threw some random strawberry ice cream topping on mine to jazz it up, but fresh fruit would obviously have been better. I did like the idea of these bars however - may have to experiment. Maybe a graham crust? Maybe incorporate dark chocolate? Sour cream, for more tang? Who knows.

A note about about hot bacon dip

I had to go far back in the way back machine to find a post about hot bacon dip. This dip is such an integral part of my life, and yet, I've devoted relatively little time to it on this space. How sad. It is prepared several times a year and is received with much joy and celebration by all who taste it. Except for vegetarians or those who otherwise shun bacon. Mmm. Bacon.


R's brother's friend T-bone took bacon dip to a whole new level over the weekend by serving himself up a dollop of it on a piece of smoked cheddar cheese (from Yutzy's) and summer sausage. Essentially, a blob of cheesy bacon dip on top of cheese and another meat product. V. interesting. Mr. T-bone may or may not have spent the day imbibing adult beverages prior to this feat.

More kielbasa goodness...

Both for ease and for deliciousness, nothing says "welcome to my home" like a huge platter of kielbasa and mustard-roasted potatoes.



With garlic green beans, of course.

Shower Madness

R and I played host and hostess to the baby shower on Saturday. We did fairly simple food. A cake from the Suisse Shop bakery (of M&R wedding fame), savory summer pie, blueberry muffins, and a fruit platter courtesy of the mother-to-be's fam.





I heart the savory summer pie - a quiche without pretension - that uses fresh ingredients. My dad always makes these with fresh garden tomatoes and basil. I was able to use my own basil, but my tomatoes bit the dust this year and just did NOT thrive. I bought some lovely tomatoes from the downtown Farmer's Market. I jazzed mine up with some of last week's ham as well. I also used the pre-made pie crusts from Yutzy's, which were really REALLY good. The muffins were nice as well, although, unless you have the 6 qt Kitchenaid, do NOT attempt a double batch at one time. That almost led to muffin batter engulfing my kitchen.


The cake, as always, was superb. Very VERY moist, and their buttercream is incredible. A lot of buttercream tastes too, well, buttery. Like eating a stick of butter. Which is unappetizing. But this does not. The cake is lightly almond flavored. The raspberry filling cuts the richeness of both cake and icing. Mmm.

We have bread....and cheese....

And bacon grease as the case was...I looked at the loaf of good white bread. And I knew we had good white American cheese in the fridge from the much-hallowed Yutzy's. I looked at the leftover bacon grease again. A plan was forming in my head....

Faux Cracker Barrel

Ham, HBC, and a green veg...the way to be. Lovely ham purchased from Yutzy's market. Lovely HBC. And pea pods. (NOT snow peas, sadly). For the ham, I simply sliced it, and put it in a baking dish with a sauce of Dijon mustard, brown sugar, a splash of cranberry juice, and pepper. For the HBC, chop one small onion and mix it with one can of cream of chicken soup, approximately 1 c of sour cream, 1 1/2 c or so of shredded cheese, salt, pepper, 6 tbsp melted butter, and one bag of frozen potatoes (shredded or diced). Mix more melted butter and cornflakes and sprinkle on top. Bake. Inhale. Eat too much. Get sick. Eat more.

Breakfast of CHAMPIONS

Rock the Barrel

Miss Elle and I SLAMMED some Cracker Barrel today. And I mean slammed it. It required a race against the clock south of town, screeching brakes into a parking spot, a race across the parking lot into the store, and a rush to the table to enjoy some downhome country chain store cookin'. I was already halfway out the door with the mention of Hash Brown Casserole, but the realization that fried okra was on the menu was as well had me grabbing my keys and signing out for lunch.

Elle and I both enjoyed "Country Dinner Plates." Elle had grilled chicken tenderloins with ranch, which were delish. She had green beans (healthy) and HBC as sides. Also onion rings for a table side dish. I had ham (HAM!), HBC, and the previously-mentioned okra. We shared biscuits as well. Biscuits = love you know.

So delish.

The Cracker Barrel logo comes from the CB website. Please don't sue me.

Yo Adrian

Another staple of my household is some variation on a Philly-type sandwich. This week, it was chicken phillies with delicious tots. I jazzed up my chicken/peppers/onions/toasted bun with a sauce made of mayo, whole grain mustard, and a bit of a horseradish. Mmm.

Bake sale

My work got bake saled the eff OUT this week.



Coworker Mrs. M made lovely adorable carrot cakes for raffle!

Minor cake catastrophe

This week, we held a charity bake sale at work to benefit Share our Strength. I prepared the Barefoot Contessa lemon cake as one of my contributions. There was an unfortunate "sticking to the pan" incident. See right.




However, if you pour enough gooey glaze over top, you can cover those accidents RIGHT up.







Extreme closeup of a particularly bad spot.

Mmm...giant burrito

Much to my surprise, R agreed to forgo the dull planned dinner of leftovers (blah, pork chops) and replace it with GIANT BURRITOS from Chipotle! Yay! He strayed from his normal fave of barbacoa beef to just regular spicy steak and I had the veggie burrito with black beans. Both of us opted for tomato AND corn salsa with sour cream and cheese. Mmm fat. He also had lettuce. Delish.

I made the mistake of hoovering a bowl of cereal when I got home from work (I was hungry) then eating this burrito less than 2 hours later...I was hurting...I had to lie down on the sofa bed...for an hour...watching Birth Day...

Adult Beverage Saturday

R and I had a lovely cocktail hour(s) on Saturday. R had several cocktails which led to him telling Daisy that he loved her (an odd sentiment, obviously, given their history) but a fun, relaxing evening nonetheless. Which was needed, given the drama of late.

R was drinking a lovely Long Island Iced Tea, the Barefoot Contessa version. You mix vodka, rum, tequila, gin, and Cointreau with a hefty splash of lemon juice and a splash of sugar syrup. Put ice in the glass, put in the booze, then fill to the top with cola.






I made a cranberry cocktail/cape codder/something of that nature featuring cranberry juice, vodka, club soda, and a lime twist. Daisy sneakily drank a sip of mine and seemed to enjoy it roundly.

Disgusting gelatinous mess of goo

Ugh. I made a WRETCHED casserole last night. R declared it "edible" and managed to gag down a bowl, but I could only manage about 3 bites. And I love casserole. To protect the innocent, I won't even link the original recipe, but here's what I did:

I mixed 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, salt, pepper, 3 c cooked egg noodles, 2 1/2 c cooked chicken, and some sauteed onions and mushrooms together. I added some white wine. It still was a bit thick, so I added about 1 heaping tbsp of Miracle Whip, the ultimate casserole treat. I don't know what happened, but the sauce tasted like hot lotion when it came out of the oven. It was way too creamy - like a lotion, not a sauce - and it just tasted funky. R said it was the mushrooms making everything taste like dirt, but I just didn't like the texture and flavor. Bleck. Will NOT repeat.

Cookies!

More cookies...this post will become more comical when you see what else I made for a family reunion this past weekend (have been too lazy to pose those items for a photo). Peanut butter chocolate chippers. Delish. Cream 2 sticks of butter with 1/2 c white sugar and 3/4 c brown sugar. Add 2 eggs. Add 1 c peanut butter. Add 1 tsp vanilla. Mix 3 c flour with 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp powder, and salt (I like more salt, but recipe calls for 1/4 tsp). Slowly add flour mix to butter mix. Add in 1 lb chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tbspfuls on a parchment lined or greased cookie sheet. Bake for 11-14 min. Longer if you make bigger cookies. Cookies should appear slightly underdone, allow them to rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Mmm...sausage

Delicious kielbasa. And mustard-roasted potatoes. Mmm. Chop lots of potatoes. Coat with a mixture of olive oil, whole grain mustard, salt, and pepper. Spread on sheet pan along with hunks of kielbasa. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until potatoes are crisp and tender. Mmm. delish. Mmmmmmmm.....drool....

Ladies Cake

Mmm...cake. I like cake. In addition to the pound cake, I also made a "better than sex" cake and double chocolate gooey butter cake (both Paula Deen - the woman knows her way around a dessert)

Daisy put her face in a corner of the DCGB cake, hence, the removal of a square of that cake in the picture.

D's potato salad

Future s-i-l prepared to the potato salad that accompanied the pulled pork on Friday night (she also pulled the pork, which gave her, I hope, a champ arm workout for the day). She made it look easy. Too easy maybe. Easy enough that I may actually make a potato salad one day. From what I could tell it was potatoes, mayo (only a particularly brand and variety), red onion, egg, pepper, and this seasoning blend that was new to me, Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt. It is a mix of salt and other herbs (not paprika, according to the website) and a teeny amount of pepper, not very much though. It def had a garlicky/oniony flavor, and there were green bits. Beyond that I'm not sure. Crack? Ganja? Who knows. I will be using it in other recipes and delving its Krazy flavor mysteries...

LW continues...

Fajitas. Lovely fajitas. Beef or chicken. Cheese. Sour cream. Salsa. Peppers and onions. Mmm.

Marinade meat (any meat, just adjust marination time - is marination a word?) in lime juice, olive oil, balsamic, garlic, salt, pepper, something spicy (red pepper, cayenne, whatever) and any other seasonings you desire. I let beef go a long time, chicken at least 4 hours. If you AREN'T like me and you DO eat fish, fish just get to look at the marinade for a bit - no more than 20 minutes or so, or else you'll have cooked fishies. Grill that up. Slice and serve. Booya.

Not the easiest food item to take a picture of, especially if you don't have a chip to support your soft tortillas.