Gourmandery

Monday, June 29, 2009

Billy Mays, too?

Movies: Blood Work was OK.

Books: Shadow of Power by Stever Martini was pretty good, although I figured out the major mystery about halfway through the first chapter.

Food: Judging from the Roasted Mango-Chipotle sauce we had on our chicken last night, Bronco Bob’s sauces are awesome. I have a sample jar of the Raspberry-Chipotle sauce as well that I’m saving for some salmon in our future.

I’m on worship team this weekend. Our church is only having services on Sunday morning since July 4th is on Saturday. That will make things easier for our family. I have mixed feelings about it since it will be my first time back since having Molly Ann and also since our worship leader left. That is a whole long story about which I still feel weird. His leaving was a surprise and under odd circumstances. I miss him a ton as a worshipper and I know that I’m going to miss him more as our team leader. I’m very curious about what kind of person will come in to replace him - it’s hard to imagine anyone else, really.

I’ve posted a bunch of new items at Ticklish Giggles recently and there’s a new theme as well.

Happy Monday.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Beau’s Mom is here from California for a week-long visit with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She’s spending the first leg of her east coast trip with the Speaks’ clan. She arrived on Saturday afternoon. Beau and Jesse met her at the airport and then took her on a quick foray to Wegmans to pick up the few ingredients we needed for our chicken fajitas dinner. After dinner she crashed and Jesse went to bed so Beau, Molly Ann, and I had a pretty normal Saturday evening hanging out in our bedroom watching TV.

Oh, and Saturday was my sister‘s 40th birthday - I never made it to the computer all day to post birthday wishes here on the blog, but I did call to sing the Birthday Song to her. Happy belated birthday, my sistah. And it was also Granny‘s birthday, so happy belated birthday to you, too, my friend!

Yesterday morning was family dedication day at church. We were dedicating Molly Ann to the Lord at the 9:30 service so we headed out early. Jesse, Beau, and Molly Ann all developed colds throughout the weekend, with MA being at her worst yesterday. So I kept MA out of the service all together since she needed to be fed anyway. Marmie hung out with Jesse in order to keep him out of the nursery and so that Beau could be in church with his mom. At the end of the service we stood at the front with my folks, Beau’s Mom, and several ladies from my small group who stood with us to dedicate our baby girl to God. We are grateful that the Lord entrusted our two children to us and we pray to be the Godly parents He wants for them and to grow them up as He desires. We pray that they each become fully devoted followers of Jesus with deep faiths in the One who created them, loves them, and died for them so that they may live.

After church we headed to Artie’s for our Father’s Day brunch, which was delicious. We love that local chain of restaurants. They are top notch.

From there we headed home and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon and evening. Once Jesse was in bed, we adults played Flinch for a couple of hours. That’s a fun game - slower paced than Nerts/Pounce, but still fun in its own way. We plan to play again tonight unless we feel more like Scrabble.

Currently, Beau, Grandma C, Jesse, and Molly Ann are at Clemyjontri while I work here at home. Then later this afternoon, we gals (Grandma C, Molly Ann, and I) are going to have tea with Marmie.

Tomorrow we head north to meet up with Beau’s Sis and her daughter and boys for a picnic. I’m looking forward to meeting baby Caleb (our great-nephew), who was born just 3 weeks before Molly Ann. We will leave Grandma C with Beau’s Sis, where she’ll spend the next leg of her visit.

All in all it has been a fabulous time and I’m sad it is almost over already. Grandma C just got here!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Anyone else addicted to those Food Network Challenge shows? In particular, the cake decorating competitions are my weakness. The talent it takes to do those enormous cakes is amazing.

[ADDED LATER]: From Cake Wrecks ... it pretty much speaks for itself, although Jen’s commentary is great.

Speaking of cake decorating, did anyone see the episode of Cake Boss where that crazy bride screwed up her cake the day before her wedding? She is nutso. And incredibly selfish and rude. And her mother clearly never disciplined her daughter.

Back to the Food Network, I am watching this season of The Next Food Network Star. I see a couple of front runners early on - both have the cooking chops and have good TV potential. ***SPOILERS FOLLOW*** I was ticked that Brett was so willing to sell out the homemaker cook (I can’t remember her name) because she accepted his offer to help plate her food on a challenge. He offered the help, she accepted. There was no help in the actual cooking, just in the plating up of the dishes. If you ask me, she could have plated on her own in the time she had left - I think it took more time for her to show them how she wanted things than if she had just done it herself. But that Brett was such a jerk made me happy that he got the boot.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Let it be known that Wegmans Fajita Marinade is the best on the planet.

Actually, just about anything from Wegmans is top notch. Other items we recommend:

Lemon & Garlic Marinade - this is what we use for our cedar plank salmon, but it’s also good with chicken.

There’s a tarragon vinaigrette that we use for chicken, but I’m not seeing the bottle we use. This may be it, but I can’t guarantee it.

They have two BBQ sauces that we like when we don’t make our own. Memphis style and Kansas City style.

Finally, let me recommend the Caramelized Onion & Bacon Dressing. Beau bought this when they seemed to be out of ranch dressing. It’s delish.

If you don’t have a Wegmans, I’m so sorry. You’re missing out on the best grocery store EVER.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Is there a difference between the two? Not that I could tell. Seems to me that except for the manufacturer and packaging, Baked Lays and Pringles are the exact same product.

So then, Which is Better?

I vote Pringles because of the cool tube packaging alone.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

I found this great, simple recipe for quick chicken and pasta. I tried it last night - it is quick, simple, and tasty. I’m trying to figure out how to convert it to a slow cooker recipe without overcooking the pasta.

Pesto Chicken and Pasta
Serves 4

3-4 lbs chicken thighs
1 jar pesto
1 lb pasta

Notes before you start cooking:

1. I had bone-in thighs with skin on. The skin created a lot of excess fat in the pan. If you prefer less fat, remove the skin. If you prefer no bones, buy boneless thighs or try using breasts, just know that breasts may dry out quickly.

2. The garlic and water content in the pesto will cause the oil in the pan to splatter. Have a cover or spatter guard handy.

3. I used elbow pasta because that’s what we had in the pantry. But any pasta will work, of course.

Instructions:

1. Heat a large skillet on a medium setting. Drizzle 1-2 Tbsp olive oil into the skillet to warm.

Start a pot of water to boiling for the pasta.

2. Spread pesto over the skin side of the thighs. Then place them pesto/skin side down into the hot skillet. Spread pesto over the top side of the thighs while they are cooking.

3. After about 5 minutes, turn the thighs over and continue cooking for at least 15-20 minutes more. Make sure your largest pieces get completely cooked through.

When you turn the chicken, the pot of water should be nearly ready for the pasta to be added.

4. When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain the water and add any leftover pesto. Fold the pasta and pesto until all of it is well covered.

Serve with crusty rolls or garlic bread and a nice salad.

We found the chicken to have great flavor and paired well with the pasta although if pesto is not your favorite it may be too pesto-y as a meal.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Amen, brutha.

[via Thinkling Bill]

[ADDED LATER]: Bonus clip that made me tear up I was laughing so hard:

Thursday, February 19, 2009

I haven’t done much cooking since the morning sickness kicked in. I still have random issues with the kitchen, but at least I can be in the room. That’s a nice change from when I was pregnant with Jesse.

Anyway, we had thawed a 6-pack of chicken quarters and didn’t know what to do with them. I had searched for crock pot recipes, but nothing stood out and not all of the chicken would fit in the pot anyway. Then an idea struck - simple, but it turned out delicious and is on our winner list.

Italian Baked Chicken
serves 8-10

6-pack chicken quarters (or you can use thighs and legs)
Dash Poultry Magic
Dash Italian seasoning
1/2 jar marinara sauce
2-3 Tbsp bread crumbs
2-3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil, then spray with non-stick spray or drizzle with olive oil. Place chicken pieces on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the Poultry Magic and Italian seasoning. Cover each piece of chicken liberally with marinara sauce and also spoon some sauce onto the exposed areas of the pan (this will make extra delicious sauce for later). Sprinkle the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese over the chicken.

Cover with non-stick foil and bake for roughly 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove the foil and continue to bake for 30 more minutes or until done.

Serve with a pasta of your choice. Spoon sauce from bottom of pan onto pasta or heat the rest of the jar of sauce for your pasta.

We loved this simple chicken dish. And it was super easy to make.

I may try this with boneless breasts in the future, although I’ll reduce the cooking time significantly.

Friday, February 13, 2009

I went to my diabetes class yesterday, which was encouraging and informative. If you’re interested in what I have to share about it, I have a longish post at Ticklish Giggles.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

You know you threw a good luncheon at the office when all of the bosses came to you to say it was great. I especially liked that the Chief, who worked at HQ for a while, came to tell me that our party was far better than anything he went to at HQ.

And The Director made an appearance. It was like old times, almost.

Mom, your ham rolls are a huge hit and you may get a couple cookbook sales as a result.

Beau and Jesse came for the festivities and Jesse charmed just about everyone. He was actually very well behaved and ate a pretty good lunch followed up by a whole piece of pumpkin pie that was fed to him by KN. And then she fed him about 1/3 of a chocolate cupcake, too. Poor Beau has probably had a very active afternoon. Or Jesse crashed and took a really good nap. Or both.

All I know is that I’m weary. I was up at 5am to start the actual cooking part of the food prep. I’m ready to go home and crash.

One thing that needs doing tonight - our White Elephant gifts need to be wrapped for tomorrow night’s party.

Monday, December 15, 2008

This week seems to kick Christmas into High Gear.

Today: I need to finish prepping the food for the Christmas lunch at my office tomorrow. Since I’m the lead planner, this means that I did all of the shopping and most of the cooking. I’m totally OK with that and I’m happy that I can actually do the cooking needed now that my pregnancy has normalized somewhat.

On the menu are ham rolls (I can’t post this recipe because it’s published in my mother’s cookbook), cheesy hash brown potatoes, and hot Alpine chicken salad (if you’re interested, I’ll post a recipe later), and BBQ meatballs (using this BBQ sauce recipe, which I made on Saturday).

Tomorrow: The Christmas lunch at my office.

Wednesday: We’re doing a joint small group White Elephant party with my parent’s small group. Should be a fun time. Each couple has been asked to bring a savory and a sweet. I’m making more meatballs (see above) and Beau is making truffles. His truffles are to die for.

Thursday and Friday are clear, however…

Saturday: We have the family Christmas gathering with my Dad’s side of the family. This year it’s at my parent’s home and the meal theme is traditional British. This means roast beef and the trimmings, including Yorkshire pudding, which I love. We’re making potatoes and sticky toffee pudding. I’ve never made sticky toffee pudding, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Sunday will be a normal Sunday except that we’ll go to church that morning since we’ll be partying with family the night before.

And I have a hard believing that Christmas is really just next week. Crazy!

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Again, I cannot access Gmail this morning. I get a 404 page, so there is definitely something going on. It’s frustrating.

Dad, I wanted to email you about your former employee - he pled guilty yesterday, is cooperating with the feds to find the kingpin, and will get a minimum of 5 years and I’m guessing will be deported upon release. Apparently he had 80Gb of data on his home computer, but his ISP turned him in because he tapped into a known sketchy IP address that was on a watch list.

From the Mommy Files, Beau and I were talking about the Duggar family and I said that as much as I love being a mom, if we were 20 years younger and I didn’t get so sick when pregnant I’d totally be up for having 4-5 kids. Not 18, but a nice large brood of kids. That said, I’m thrilled with our 1.3 children because I never expected to have any children at this age. I adore Jesse and I’m falling more in love with the little lemon in my belly every day. Thank you, Lord, for this unexpected blessing.

Nutella = French Vanilla Coffeemate + coffee (decaf) = deliciousness. And it’s way cheaper than *$.

I’ve got a case of the Thursdays.

Friday, October 03, 2008

1. I remembered #5 from yesterday - just a general complaint that my lower back is already hurting after sitting for too long. I fear the pain yet to come as the baby gets larger. Oy.

2. On the debate, I am ashamed to say that we turned it off about 40 minutes in. I was worried because she kept ignoring the moderator questions to discuss her own agenda items. I didn’t think that would work well. Turns out that I was wrong and should have stuck with it, apparently. I think he was completely charmed by her, as well and I like that he openly laughed when she was funny, even at his own expense.

3. *$’s Signature Hazelnut Hot Chocolate is deadly good stuff. Just a subtle hint of the hazelnut with the rich chocolate - it reminds me of Nutella. Which reminds me, Beau was supposed to buy me a jar of Nutella. Honey, will you add that to the grocery list, please? [ADDED LATER] Also, please add hummus and pita bread. Thanks!

4. We get our FIOS installed on Tuesday. I’m very excited!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

I think I forgot to post the recipe to my Mom’s delicious zuchini casserole a few weeks ago. I made it again last night. This batch was much better than the first. So here’s the recipe, slightly modified by me:

Zucchini Imperial
Serves 6-8

4 cups cooked zucchini (sliced)
1 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 medium onion, small dice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Crumb Topping
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1-2 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Mix all but the crumb topping ingredients together well. Pour into greased casserole. Sprinkle top with buttered bread crumbs. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until custard is set.

I had bought four large zucchinis over the weekend and sliced them all up. This made two casseroles. I was planning to freeze the second one, but then our next door neighbors gave us some spare ribs that they grilled, so we gave them half of the second casserole.

Aside: We’ve come to really love our neighbors and the one thing that makes me sad about possibly moving out of this neighborhood is losing that.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Spoilers aplenty, so the post is hidden. Clicky the linky…