Stir Fry and Ice Cream

I have started some new recipes this week.

First on Sunday I started the recipe for Peach and Pecan Ice Cream, from this months issue of Southern Living. Holy crap it's yum!

Then when I got home Monday, I put the cooled mixture in my ice cream machine, let it go for about 30 min (stopped it early because Lee couldn't take the noise anymore) and then put it in the freezer until after dinner.

I also picked up this month's issue of Cooks Country magazine. I love this and Cooks Illustrated because they tell you in the recipe why some things work and why they don't. They also rate condiments like mustard, ketchup, and bbq sauce. Those reviews haven't failed me once!

I can't find a link to the recipe on the website without paying for an online subscription (lame!) but if it looks good to you, email me and I will write it out for you.

Tonight is a work party at St. Arnolds brewery so I won't be cooking. Tomorrow night is Pork Marsala. I will be better prepared for the recipe posting after seeing the website issue with Cooks Country....

Oh hi...

Whoops.. it's been a long time since I have posted anything, mainly because I am either cooking something I have made a million times (turkey tacos!) or we are just eating out. Plus Lee has been really busy at work too!

A few weeks ago, I was driving home trying to think of what I could make for dinner that we hadn't had before. I had the following ingredients:

Chicken Breasts

Cherry Tomatoes (from our garden!)

Onion

Bell Pepper

Potatoes..

HEY! Kabob's!

The minute I walked in the house I got the kabobs put together so that I could marinate them at least 30 min before cooking them. I put them in a freezer bag and poured a bottle of balsamic vinaigrette on them and flipped the bag around every few minutes.

In the meantime I cubed some potatoes, coated them in a little oil, and put them in the bottom of the baking dish.

I put them at 425 for about 40 minutes and they came out like this:

They were pretty good, a little bland though. But at least I was creative and healthy huh?

Next week I plan on trying a few new things from Cooks Country this month and hopefully that puts me back in the habit of blogging again..

Using what's in your pantry part 2..

Having a stocked freezer and pantry and be helpful and hurtful all at the same time...

For example:

Husband: Do we have anything to make for dinner?
Wife: I think we have some odds and ends, but I don't really know. (i.e. can't we just go get something? like pickles?)
Husband: Hmmm well what's in there?

THEN you make a dinner that he LOVES with crap from the freezer. He is going to get spoiled!

I had:

Chicken thighs
Homemade spaghetti sauce
Cheese ravioli
Green beans

I thawed the chicken for about an hour in some water in the sink. Once it was thawed I put salt and pepper on it and started it in the skillet in a little oil.
Once the chicken was nice and browned and almost finished, I removed it from the pan. At this point I had water almost to a boil. I threw the green beans into the skillet with the chicken jus and the oil and let them get going.
I thawed the sauce in the microwave in a bowl while all this was going on.

Once the water was boiling, I tossed the ravioli in the pot and put the chicken back in the skillet to finish cooking.

The finish product came out like this:
And dammit, it was really tasty.

Now he will expect magic meals to appear on the table with no grocery shopping all the time!

Using what's in your pantry.. Part 1

I have written about the advantages of using what's in your pantry before... but I wanted to provide another example or 2...

Last Friday, Lee and I decided we wanted some yummy steaks for dinner. Lee stopped on the way home to get the steaks and I went rummaging through the pantry to see what I could throw together on the side..
I had:
New potatoes
Red bell pepper
Onion
Garlic

HEY! Roasted veggies it is!
I turned the oven on to 425 degrees, tossed the potatoes, onions, and bell pepper chunks in a little olive oil, ran outside and snipped some rosemary, and minced the garlic and tossed it all together. Whala! 35 minutes later the veggies were soft and flavorful.

Someday I shall cook..

Lee traveled Mon, Tues, and Wed. So Monday I made Chicken Spaghetti for Donald and I. It was fantastic!

However, my stomach was not excited when I ate leftovers the next night. Dang.

Anywhoo - all i want in the whole wide world right now are these:

Fried Pickles.

Please?

Lee is also traveling this next week on Mon, Tues, and Wed - so not much cooking again. Sorry....

Dinner - the only time this week...

This week I have failed on cooking - except for Sunday.

I made lasagna for Lee's mother's birthday dinner. I would have loved to have made my mom's, but hers is a 2 day affair and I didn't have the time for that. Instead I looked to my next source for home cookin... Pioneer Woman!

I didn't get a photos during all the commotion, but it turned out pretty much like her photo...
Make this. Then eat the leftovers.
MAN.

Pioneer Woman's Lasagna..

For dessert I made brownies with a salted caramel sauce (much like these) and they were wonderful as well!

All in all, great dinner. And great left over!

Ice cream is your friend

It's just not friends with your hips...

We have aquired many gizmo's and gadets the last few weeks.. one being an Ice Cream Machine... they were half off at SurLaTable... and in purty colors. AND you got a $15 gift card! Um,..yes!
I chose the happy green color. I started with a vanilla base.. and then added about 6 thin mint cookies... Sorry for the blur - i may or may not have been hopping up and down when I took this...
Nom nom nom..

For Memorial Day BBQ at lee's parents - i will be making homemade blackberry cobbler..
I wonder what Pioneer Woman is making?