Weeknight Dinner: Greek Marinated Chicken

So.
I know I spend too much time on the computer.  Right now, I'm sitting on the couch, feet up, TV on, blogging.  It's not really multitasking, seeing as I don't really care who wins the football game that's on in the background.  But still.  When I watch TV, I also have a lap top in my lap.
One of the good things about all this computer time is the amount of time that I spend perusing recipes.  There are so many interesting things to look at.
As I've said in the past, one of my favourite places to look for recipes is Pinterest, which almost invariably leads me back to one of my favourite food blogs, BudgetBytes.  Once again, Beth's recipe proved to be easy, filling and darn tasty.  I have marinated in yogurt before, but it always seems like a revelation when I do so.
This meal was nicely economical because I went to the store and there was an in-store special of packages of 8 drumsticks for $5.  I know! That's 2 meals around here. 
What I would say is that you need to use chicken pieces with the skin still on.  It holds the marinade and crisps nicely.  But beyond that, this is all up to you.
I present to you now Budget Bytes' Greek Marinated Chicken:

Yikes

So.
I just made a list of the recipes I haven't blogged this year.  There are 9.
That means if I post one per day for the rest of the year, and don't make anything else, we're all good.  But that's not going to happen.  I mean, it will be close, but there are some other things I want to do too.
So, over the next week or so, expect at least a post a day.  Perhaps more...seeing as I'd like to post this year's Christmas dessert in all it's glory too.
Here's what to look forward to over the next little bit:

1. 45 Minute Dinner Rolls
2. Bolognese Sauce
3. Stuffed Crown Roast and Gravy
4. Chicken Taco Bowl
5. Taco Filling
6. Greek Marinated Chicken
7. Bean Burritos
8. Chicken Tortilla Soup
9. Chili Rubbed Steak Salad with Goat Cheese

Lot

Magazine Challenge: Chicken Fettuccine with Pesto Cream Sauce

So.
One of the restaurants that I enjoy in Toronto is called Il Fornello.  They have lovely wood-fired ovens for pizza, and it was the first place that I ate a dish like this one.  Il Fornello's has toasted pine nuts and chopped plum tomato.  They are a nice addition, but this was good too.
This recipe said in Everyday Food that it took 30 minutes.  I agree.  It doesn't take long.  Fast and yummy.  That's what we're about here on weeknights.
I present to you now from the September 2005 issue of Everyday Food, Chicken Fettuccine with Pesto Cream Sauce:

Cold Weather Meal: Chili Tortellini

So.
I seem to spend a lot of time on the computer.  Most nights, I sit on the couch, watching TV, with the laptop in my lap.  Mainly I play Candy Crush and browse Pinterest.
For the most part, I look at food on Pinterest.  I have about 250 pins of things that I think look delicious and makeable.  This is one of those pins.
I want to say that I got this from jesser, but I'm not really sure.  I mentioned it to J, and he thought I needed to make this sooner rather than later.  With packages of tortellini in the freezer, why not.
I present to you now Picky Palate's Chili Tortellini:

Magazine Challenge: December

So.
It's amazing in some ways that I've managed to make as many recipes as I have from Everyday Food.  It's going to be interesting during the Retrospective at the end of this month to see what I've made, what I've liked, and what I'll never make again.  I'm also interested to know exactly how many magazine recipes I've made.  I know it's not 6 per month, but I'd like to know.
I'm currently toying if I want to continue into 2006 next year.  There have been some winners in what I've made.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.
December is full of rich food, and things to freeze for later.  I've tried to strike a balance of the two, and not too many desserts.  There's also the challenge of puff pastry, something I've always wanted to try making.  Cream puffs give that chance.  Here's what I'd like to make from the 2005 issue of Everyday Food:

1. Chili-rubbed Steak and Salad
2. Salmon Cakes with Lemon Herb Sauce
3. Pastitsio
4. Cream Puffs with Ice Cream and Hot Fudge Sauce
5. Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots
6. Mini Cherry-Pecan Streusel Loaves
7. Black Bottom Coconut Bars
8. Mulled Wine

Quite the list.  We obviously need to have people in.  Let's see what happens.

Magazine Challenge: Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary

So.
J likes pork tenderloin, but few other cuts of pork.  I'm pretty sure it's because his mother cooked it to the point that it was dry, but for the most part I don't push. 
But sometimes I realize that I've bought too much pork tenderloin on sale and I need to use it up whether or J really likes it or not. 
Enter this recipe.  And the above scenario.  You know what I really liked about this recipe?  It took less than an hour, and we got a roast out of it.  So good.  especially with red onions.  Roasted red onions often taste to me like apples, and that just makes it all good.  Especially with pork. 
Easy?  Check.  Tasty?  Check.  All good.
I present to you now from September 2005 Everyday Food, Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary:

Magazine Challenge: Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Apple

So.
I post this today in honour of American Thanksgiving.  I made these for Canadian Thanksgiving in October, and they were well received.  I was serving enough things that J would be skeptical about that I decided to cook a vegetable that he likes and I'm not quite so sure about.  Brussel sprouts.
I have to admit, if I'm not sure about a vegetable, the best thing to do is roast it.  The only people who were skeptical about these were my friend's 2 girls.  But they're often skeptical about what I cook when their family comes for dinner.
While there's no time to make them for Thanksgiving this year, there's always Christmas.  Or Tuesday.
I present to you now from the November 2005 issue of Everyday Food Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Apple:

Magazine Challenge: Chicken, Rice, and Black Bean Salad

So.
I actually made this in the summer.  You know, when tomatoes were lovely looking, vine ripened, and a decent price.  I'm often looking for lunch-type things for J and I to eat.  While I could go with scrambled eggs or soup (even in summer), he's not quite that into the small lunch.  So I look for things that might work for a couple of days and don't involve my having to cook all the time.
Enter this salad.  It looked refreshing and simple, and would last for a couple of days.  I was right.  J and I both enjoyed it as something different for lunch.
From the June 2005 issue of Everyday Food, I present to you now Chicken, Rice and Black Bean Salad:

Got Milk? 3: Glazed Chocolate Donut Muffins

So.
I didn't make a cake for J's birthday this year.  Both his birthday and mine fell on Fridays that we were on the road for football.
I decided that it was easier to make some cupcakes than a whole cake that we'd then have to eat.  When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I wanted to give it a try.  Dense chocolate and chocolate glaze that had the potential to taste like a Tim Horton's Double Chocolate donut?
You bet I was in.
I present to you now Crunchy, Creamy, Sweet's Glazed Chocolate Donut Muffins:

Magazine Challenge: Sauteed Chicken and Spinach

So.
I'm always looking for quick dinners that are tasty and incorporate more vegetables.  I'm not good about eating vegetables.  J, on the other hand, is always ready to give them a go. 
One of the few vegetables that we agree upon is spinach.  The other is broccoli.  Go figure.  At least we both like something healthy.
I marked this recipe months ago as something I wanted to make.  I'm glad I finally got around to it.  I love warm salads.  I also like warm dressings.  This combined both of those things.  A quick, filling dinner for a week night.  Just what I want to find.  It was also a Cooking for One feature, so by doubling the recipe I got one night out of the recipe.  J and I like leftovers, but it's nice to have just one night's dinner sometimes too.
I present to you now from the March 2005 issue of Everyday Food, Sauteed Chicken and Spinach:

Magazine Challenge: Butter Pecan Pie

So.
My dad's favourite ice cream when we went to the local ice cream store was Butter Pecan.  Or maybe Maple Walnut.  But I would say that more often than not, he chose Butter Pecan.  My last memory of Dad and butter pecan is from his time in hospice, where he and my mother discovered Butter Pecan Ensure.  He was so happy to not be drinking chocolate, strawberry or vanilla Boost like he had been for the past year. 
When I saw this recipe in the July/August issue of Everyday Food, I found the crust interesting.  The filling was just for Dad.  I made this in the summer when my mom came to visit.  We all enjoyed it.  I think Dad would have too.
From the July/August 2005 issue of Everyday Food, I present to you now Butter Pecan Pie:

Takeout at Home: Sesame Chicken

So.
I wouldn't say that I love Chinese food, but I do enjoy it.  Based on the things that you can find in my pantry like sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar, we do eat a good deal of flavours from that part of the world.
One day, while roaming and drooling on Pinterest, I pinned yet another recipe from Budget Bytes.  As always, it was easy, quick and tasty.  It's also become a part of our regular rotation when I'm not making new things.  I present to you now Budget Bytes' Easy Sesame Chicken:

Planning: November 17-22, 2013

So.
I sat and wrote posts yesterday.  I'm queued up from now until the end of the month.  Pretty wild, and I'm not done.  I have this feeling that there will be a lot of posts between now and the end of the year.  But if nothing else, there's something Monday, Wednesday and Friday from now until December 1.  Plus an extra for American Thanksgiving.
Beyond that, I'm still making new things.  I've got a couple of things in the wings for this week.  All Magazine Challenge stuff:  I'm working at getting in as many as possible before the end of the year.  I'm noticing a lot of dessert that I haven't made.  I don't know how much of that will change.
But that's really beside the point.  Here's what's on the menu on the mountain this week:

• Meatloaf (2 nights)
• Chicken Tortilla Soup (1 night.  It's an EDF Cooking for 1 feature)
• Macaroni and Cheese and Sausage
• Flank Steak and Arugula Salad
• One freebie night.  No we'll probably go out

That sounds doable.  And my grocery list isn't too frightening.  We'll see what happens.

Magazine Challenge: November

So.
I actually went through the November 2005 Everyday Food in October. 
I wanted to see the Thanksgiving recipes and see what I might want to make for Canadian Thanksgiving. 
I used one of the side dishes, too.
Then I didn't blog it.  But I will.  Let's see if it makes it into November. 
I also haven't made a thing since.  Yet when I go back and look, there are some yummy things listed.  I need to start cooking more. 
We need to stay home.
One football game left.  I should have time.
Here's the list I came up with out of the November 2005 issue of Everyday Food:

1. Bean Burritos
2. Stuffed Onions
3. Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Apples
4. Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Icing
5. Lemon Cornmeal Cookies
6. Crispy Mustard Chicken with Carrots

The brussel sprouts are good.  Wait til you see.

Getting Back on the Wagon

So.
My mom sent me an email last week that asked me if I'd quit blogging. 
It's hard to say.  But I don't think so.
I've continued with the picture taking, and with the new recipes.  I've also continued with the Magazine Challenge. 
I have some summer recipes that I didn't share, some crockpot gems from the reno, 2 Pintertest Kitchens that I didn't post.  Thanksgiving.
We are home this weekend.  I'm not reading report cards.  I haven't started Christmas shopping, but I'm wearing footless tights, a sweatshirt, flip flops and no bra.  I think I'm in for the day.
I'm about to burn up the queue and schedule some posts.
Hold onto your hats.  The wagon is on track again.

Magazine Challenge: October Planning

So.
It's a new month, and I'm working on getting into the old groove of planning and cooking.  It's hard to return now that I have the kitchen back.  I'm thinking it's because I got out of the habit.  Easy to break, hard to establish.  But, keeping that in mind, I've found a bunch of things in the October issue that look good, easy, and yummy.
It's not that we're around more this month, but we are starting to eat at home more.  Here's what I think sounds good from the October 2005 issue of Everyday Food:

1. Pumpkin Maple Custards
2. Sausage and Bean Casserole
3. Applesauce Cake
4. Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce
5. Bolognese Pie with Biscuit Crust
6. Upside Down Pecan Cake
7. Chocolate Shortbread

Lots of desserts.  Lots of heavier comfort food.  Here's to fall!

Planning: Sept 29 - Oct 4, 2013

So.
We're hoping to eat at home this week.  An admirable goal, with everything that's going on.  I have a meeting on Monday, and we leave Friday for football again.  Here's what we're having between now and then:

• Chicken with Fettucine and Pesto Cream Sauce
• Chicken Fajita Salad
• Chocolate Donut Muffins
• Asparagus and Sausage Saute over Polenta
• Grilled Salmon, Rice and Broccoli

That sounds like enough.  Not a whole lot of new, but we'll figure it out.

Magazine Challenge: September Planning

Oh, I'm so late.
But better late than never.  J and I gave the final cheque to the kitchen design place on Thursday.  The kitchen now officially belongs to the bank.  In the spirit of my actually returning everything from the basement to the kitchen, I have decided to look through the September issue of Everyday Food from 2005 and choose 6 things.
I actually chose 8 things.  Only one is kind of odd.  With only 10 days left this month, I'm not going to get them all made in September.  But with a couple of weekends home, we'll get some of these made.  As soon as I get over my cold.
Excuses, excuses. 
Here's what's on the horizon from the September issue:

1. Chocolate Layer Cake
2. Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary
3. Chicken Tortilla Soup
4. Zucchini and Scallion Fritters
5. Zucchini-Parmesan Bread
6. Chicken Fettuccine with Pesto Cream Sauce
7. Orange Glazed Carrots
8. Caramelized Apple Tart

Heavier food as the nights get longer and the pool closes.  Here's to a busy October!

Pintertest Kitchen: Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pockets

So.
The kitchen is back up and running.  It's all good, seeing as I've gone back to work and the thought of having to grill or come up with new things for the crock pot is repulsive.
We love everything in this recipe.  Broccoli, chicken, cheese...pizza dough.  I've made similar recipes to this in terms of the pocket, and what I learned before was the importance of the seal.  We'll come back to this.
I present to you now The Baker Upstairs' Cheesy Chicken Pockets.  Here's the pin:

Swap Reveal! (Or, Where I Reveal Myself as a Bad Swap Partner)

So.
I signed up to do CuppaKim's mug swap.  I haven't done a swap in years, the last time being when I was still a regular contributor to the Cooking Light Bulletin Boards.  Frankly, the last swap I did there ended poorly when the bottles broke on the way to their recipient.  But that was a while ago, and perhaps I'm older, wiser, and a better packer than then.
I am older.
I considered...I planned...and planned so long that I realized after the deadline to mail that I was still in posession of the mugs and candle I had purchased to send.  Do you know how much it costs to send priority mail?  I call it a user fee for procrastination.  Sigh.  I checked the tracking, and I'm still not sure it will be there in time.  Oh, and I found the note that I wrote sitting on the table in my office the next day when I went into my office.  Rachel, I'm sorry.  I hope everything arrives in one piece.  This is why I shouldn't swap.  Good intentions are not all they're cracked up to be.
HOWEVER.
I did arrive home to a lovely box all the way from Christine M in Alberta one super rainy day this past week.

Here is the snazzy packaging, including the card that was with it.  (Thankfully, Christine saw my tweet...I had no way to tell her that it arrived)  I love polka dots.  So, so much.

Inside was a snazzy mug that will be joining me at work, some hot chocolate, coffee, and a couple of hand made dishcloths.  So tightly packed that nothing would break.

So thanks Christine!  And thanks CuppaKim for a fun swap!

Potlucking

So.
This isn't really a post about food in a regular sense.  I'm not posting about what I've cooked, but what's been going on on the mountain the past couple of days.  We had family here yesterday and friends today for a couple of pool parties to get together and hang out with people we don't see often enough.
J and I provided burgers and hot dogs, ice cream cones and juice.  Our guests brought the rest.
What did we learn?

1. Chocolate milk is the most popular drink for the under 10 set.
2. Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff whipped together is probably the best fruit dip ever.  
3. Quinoa is good, no matter how you spell it.
4. Hot tub lids make great buffet tables
5. One person's over-bounty from the garden is another person's veggie tray on day 2.
6. Having a working sink in your kitchen 2 minutes before your guests arrive can make you want to sing.  So can doing dishes in said sink instead of schlepping everything to your laundry sink in the basement.
7. Telling my mother about how my cousin and I broke my aunt and uncle's TV by dropping it 30 years ago was probably a story that was best saved for now.  
8. It pays to know a Purdy.
9. Spending time with extended family is something that needs to happen.
10. Spending time with friends is priceless.  

Yep.  It's been a great couple of days, and the kitchen is functional!  You hear that?  We're back in business, as soon as we move the kitchen back upstairs.  Planning posts to come, and new recipes.  But for now, we're just going to be happy to have had time to connect with family and friends for a while.

Grilled Steak and Potato Salad

So.
I love making dinner salads.  You know, the ones where you sit down and you can pretend that you're being healthy as the plate has a base of greens.  Actually, there are a couple of salads in Looneyspoons that are that healthy, I just haven't made them yet; other than the fajita salad, which is excellent.
On my way home from Quebec, I wanted a couple of magazines to zone out with on the bus.  While most people would buy People, or US, or something like that, I opted for Canadian Living and Chatelaine.  Frankly, Chatelaine was a bust.  I didn't find the articles appealing nor the recipes worth it.  The Canadian Living, however, was another story.
My mother has had a subscription to Canadian Living for a long time.  I haven't made a lot of their recipes, but those I have made are usually pretty good.  When I saw this salad, I thought it sounded delicious too.
I was right.  And it was perfect for a warm summer night.  Frankly, it would be good on a cool summer night too.  I present to you now from the June 2013 issue of Canadian Living the Grilled Steak and Potato Salad:

Brunch: Ham and Potato Frittata

So.
Being home for the summer, I need to make lunch everyday.  Who thought that was going to happen?  I'd like to be going more meatless, but we do what we can.
While browsing, I read Beth over at Budget Bytes and she'd made a frittata.  Now we all know how well I do with baking eggs, but this looked easy, filling, and simple.  I used her ingredients, but tweaked things slightly to make less.  J and I got 2 meals out of this.  With a salad, it was a perfect lunch.
I present to you now, as inspired by Beth and her yummy things, the Ham and Potato Frittata:

Totally Unrelated Aside (Except it Involves ME!)

So.
I blog each month in the Pintertest kitchen.  While I make a lot of things from Pinterest, this ensures that once a month, whether I need to or not, I pick something off my ever expanding board of Recipes to Try and make it for ill or for good.
Case in point - the Nutella Swirl Loaf.  It's yummy, but greasy.  I think I may have greased the pan too liberally.  Or it's the 2 sticks of butter.  I'm not planning to say anything about Europe's favourite chocolate hazelnut spread.  So, Nutella good, greasy cake ill for my waistline.  It's not stopping J and I from consuming said loaf.  But I digress.
When going through this month's Linky Party, I came across A Cuppa Kim's Mug Swap.  So naturally, I signed up.  Today, I got my address for sending.  YAY!  I went snooping to learn about my swapper...and she's not a blogger and has her Twitter and Instagram privacy'ed up.  Grrrr. 
No matter.  I'm plotting what to do, and I need to get things ready to go on the 24th. 
So....beyond that if you're reading this, and you have my address for the mug swap, WELCOME!  And I'm looking forward to the reveal in September on the 3rd!

Grilling the Odd: Margherita Pizza

So.
I spent time before the reno pinning recipes I thought would be makeable during the reno - crockpot ideas and lots of grilling ideas.  Somehow, despite my planning we still spent most of the first week eating out because it's easy.
The second week, I made a plan to hopefully stem the tide of money going out of my bank account into restaurant coffers.  Sunday night, I made dinner at home.  That's night one.
I have discovered that my deep freeze is a good height to use as a prep table.  I have also discovered that my basement is a lousy place in which to take pictures.  We're looking forward to having counters again.  But all that aside, this went together quickly and there were minimal trips up and down the stairs before dinner.
J liked this enough that he'll let me make it again with some different toppings.  We'll see what happens in the next few weeks.  I present to you now About a Mom's Grilled Margherita Pizza:

Planning: August 4 - 9, 2013

So.
We spent most of this past week eating out.  There are a few problems with this.  One, it's wicked expensive.  Two, everything's fried.  I don't want to see fries again for a good long time.  Three, there are few vegetables.  See point Two.  And Four, it's wicked expensive.
As a result, and due to the fact that I have a stove currently and no workmen here until Tuesday, I've come up with a plan that hopefully will incorporate a few more vegetables, a few more meals at home, and a whole lot less fries.  I've pinned a bunch of things recently that I'm hoping to make using the crock pot and the grill.  Here's a round up of what's on the menu on the mountain this week:

Lunches
We're finding it hard to make it to the basement to put something together when the fridge is in the middle of the activity for the reno.  Broccoli Pesto Pasta, Baked Beans, and leftovers are on the menu.

Dinner
We will be grilling this week, with a side of grilled zucchini and a warm potato salad, I'm also hoping to make Chicken Taco bowls, and Crockpot Beef Gyros.  I also have decided that I want to try making pizza on the grill!  Wish me luck.

as for dessert, we're working on the Nutella loaf, and I have discovered something at Costco: Laura Secord Chocolate Mousse.  If nothing else, the chocolate will see us through.

Right.  Chocolate.

Pintertest Kitchen: Nutella Swirl Pound Cake

So.
I have no kitchen right now.  The cabinets are gone.  The cat is living in our bedroom with a relocated litter box, food dishes and cat tree so she can be Queen of the neighbourhood.  The floor has been ripped out, and my fridge is in my dining room.  The floor in the dining room will come out later when the living room carpet is ripped out.  Our kitchen designers say the whole process will take about 3 weeks, barring any crazy things.  So far, nothing has been crazy (fingers crossed).  Just a whole lot of inconvenient and miffed feline who is only let out to explore when all the workers who might leave the door open have gone.
I'm BBQing a lot, and washing dishes in my laundry sink.  But I also spent some time baking before this process started so we'd still have sweet treats during the renovations.  One of the things I made was this loaf, which I'd pinned:

Nutella and pound cake in one simple package.  How could this possibly be bad?
I present to you now Sally's Baking Addiction's Nutella Swirl Poundcake:

The Last Meal in My Old Kitchen: Moroccan Chicken

So.
A very petite woman arrived with my Kitchen Designer today.  He introduced her as Missy and told me that she was there to dismantle the kitchen.  That was 8:30 this morning.  The only thing in my kitchen right now is a stove, which is still fuctional.  Obviously, what we need to say to this is GIRL POWER!
Missy took it all apart, stacked everything on the front porch for Habitat for Humanity, dragged the boxes of laminate out of the basement, and was on her way at 12:30.  Yep, that was Day 1 of the reno.
But, seeing as I still had some fresh veggies in my fridge which is now located in my empty dining room, and it was under 20C today and I didn't want to stand in front of the BBQ, I made the recipe I'd planned and not had a chance to make for the Magazine Challenge.
I present to you now from the July/August 2005 issue of Everyday Food Moroccan Chicken:

I'm still here!

So.
J and I went to New York City, and come home to an email announcing that we would be starting kitchen renovations in a week and a weekend.  While I've done some cooking, I've been spending more time perseverating about the packing for the reno.
I think I have some recipes stored up on the camera for the time during the reno, and I looked at September's Everday Food while I ate lunch today, and it looks amazing! 
Pictures of the before kitchen are coming soon, and then we'll be back into some recipes.
Hooray!

Ridiculously Simple: Ranch Chicken Foil Packets

So.
I made these a while ago.  I found the pictures on my camera today, and I can't figure out why I didn't post this.  I don't remember how long ago I made these, and the pictures are just in front of the stuffed potato pictures.  I don't know.  I know my mom was here...perhaps it doesn't really matter.  But the important thing is I made these, they were easy, and J says I can make them again.
I pinned these one night while poking about on Pinterest.  The concept is simple and well familiar to all of us who have been camping.  I liked not adding the freeze-dried gravy.  Ranch is tasty.  I also decided to skip the bacon, despite the fact that these would be really good with the addition of a chopped slice of bacon per package.  We divided the Stove Top three ways, but you could split it four.  I'm pretty sure J would be wondering where the rest of his was.
So what have we learned here?  I have no clue when I made these, but I know they're good.  Bacon makes everything better.  Right.
I present to you now Best Life 4 Moms Ranch Chicken Foil Packets:

Got Milk 2: Flourless Peanutbutter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

So.
There's no question I like to bake.  I was updating the index today and discovered how much cake I seem to make.  I also make a lot of cupcakes.  But cookies, not so much anymore.  My mother always had a full cookie jar.  I'm not exactly sure why I don't.  But whatever the reason, I don't often make cookies all that often.
When I saw these in the March 2005 issue of Everyday Food, I thought they sounded a lot like the recipe on the peanut butter jar.  I have made those cookies without success in the past, so I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting.  But, I had lots of peanuts and a package of good chocolate chunks, so they were worth a shot.
J would tell you that these are great with a glass of milk while watching the news.  I would tell you the texture is such that you don't miss the flour.  I don't know if these qualify as gluten free, but with quality ingredients comes a quality product.
From the March 2005 issue of Everyday Food, I present to you now Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies:

Magazine Challenge: Vietnamese Steak Sandwiches

So.
You know what I've learned?  If I plan to make stuff for the Magazine Challenge, it goes better if I get to it fast and right after I've gone through the magazine to make my list.  I'm still excited at that point about what I've found.  I'm also more likely to remember that I was excited about it.  That's not because I'm going to be 40 this year, I just get excited about other recipes.  Really.
I think one of the things about the Magazine Challenge this year has been that we've tried things that we wouldn't otherwise try.  Often, I'd look at a recipe like this and wonder if we'd really like it.  Now, I've decided to go for it.  I'm glad I did.  This was lovely.
This is actually 2 recipes in one.  The July/Aug 2005 issue of Everyday Food is the grilling issue, which included steak recipes.  There are rubs and marinades for a variety of cuts of beef.  Then to go with the flank steak marinade, was a recipe for these sandwiches.  I would eat the carrot slaw alone for lunch.  True story.  It makes these sandwiches, which are filling.
I present to you now from the July/Aug 2005 EDF, Flank Steak with Lime Marinade in Vietnamese Steak Sandwiches:

Planning: July 6 - 11, 2013

So.
J and I are leaving for New York City soon.  For a whole week.  I'm so excited.  I was browsing Groupon today, and there's a dessert walking tour in Hell's Kitchen I want to take.  6 stops of dessert.  6 of them.  So exciting.  And it's on our anniversary too.  How could there possibly be a better thing to do for our anniversary, seeing as the roller disco in Central Park that I so desperately wanted to see is cancelled for the New York Triathlon.
But - from now until then, J and I still need to eat.  I should have a nice queue of recipes lined up for while we're gone.  As well, stay tuned for the 11th, when I will have another Pintester Movement post.  This month's challenge is to make one of Sonia's pins.  Oy.  I've been looking, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do.
And then, when we get back, we should be close to the start of the kitchen reno.  Hopefully I'll have a chance to do a little cooking before it starts so there are some things lurking in the freezer for the time that I won't be able to use the kitchen.  That's what I'm most not looking forward to.
Anyway, we still have a few days until we go.  And we need to eat during that time.  So here are the plans from Saturday until Tuesday or Wednesday lunch:

Saturday:  Leftovers for lunch, Grilled Steak and Potato Salad with Blue Cheese.
Sunday:  Ham and Potato Frittata for lunch with salad, and Grilled Pork Tenderloin for dinner. 
Monday: Leftover frittata for lunch, Pork Fried Rice for dinner.
Tuesday:  Pork Fried Rice for lunch, dinner out - we're taking the cat to the "spa" with my friend while we're away.  She's going to cry all the way there in the car.  Sigh.
Wednesday:  If we're here for lunch, probably Bake Thing.  If not, something on the road.

Beyond that, I've got everything for Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Strawberry-Orange Sorbet, and Nutella Poundcake.  I'll make some, if not all of those as well. 
Sounds like a good week, and then we're off for some fun!  Let's see what happens!

Pintertest Kitchen: Pecan Pie Muffins

So.
I'm a day late on Pintertest Kitchen.  I decided it didn't matter.  Summer and all.  I'm running behind.
But whatever.  I spent a day cooking this week.  It was awesome.  I haven't spent a day like that in a while, and it was totally worth it.  One thing I made was this pin:

I am still using the pecans my father bought me before he died.  Dad would stop at Adcock's in Georgia and stock up for mom and me.  I keep them in the freezer and use them often.  I still have halves, meal, and pieces in my freezer.  These are a perfect way to use them.
I present to you now Southern Living's Pecan Pie Muffins:

Yummy Side: Twice Baked Potatoes

So.
J has been asking for a few weeks if we could have Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches and Twice Baked Potatoes.  I've been putting him off.  It's not that either of these things are difficult or things I don't like, I've just been putting him off.  That finally changed when I realized how much we've been spending eating out while work was crazy.  I finally got around to making these for dinner.
A few years ago, I was part of a cookbook exchange where I received a couple of books that I use quite a bit:  Tom LaCalamita's Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook and Rachel Ray's 30-Minute Meals 2.  This recipe is a riff on Rachel's recipe.
I have a love/hate relationship with Rachel Ray.  Her stupid little cutesy words bug me, and her smoker's voice gets to me.  I do, however, use some of her recipes regularly.  We love her Italian Wedding Soup, and her suggestions around mise en place are fantastic.  We love these potatoes too.  I need to get that cookbook out.  There are some fun menus.
This is a take out at home menu of twice baked potatoes (Super Stuffed Potatoes), buffalo chicken sandwiches and orange sherbet freezes.  I've never made the drinks, and I have followed the recipe for the sandwiches (which are great), but I make them faster and easier:  Cook a small chicken breast for each person in a frying pan, cutting in half to make more like cutlets.  When mostly cooked, pour Frank's Red Hot Sauce over the chicken, coating well.  Continue to cook, allowing the sauce to thicken.  Turn several times.  Slice fresh crusty rolls and place 1 breast per bun.  Drizzle with ranch or bleu cheese salad dressing.
But the side.  Yum.  I present to you now my adaptation Rachel Ray's Super Stuffed Potatoes:

Magazine Challenge: July/August Planning

So.
It's just as well that I have 2 months to do some catching up on the magazine challenge.  We've put down the deposit on our kitchen reno, and are planning that to start in late July or early August.  Now that I have some time to cook, I'm hoping to make a few things from previous months as well. 
The July/August 2005 issue of EDF is a good one.  It's the first one from this year that I've made anything from as well.  I've made the Double Blueberry Muffins from the In Season feature.  They're good, but I like Bonnie's Blueberry Muffins better.  However, they were made with cornmeal and have a nice crunch to them.  So I chose 6 other things that looked interesting.
I didn't pick 12 things.  I'm not sure I could have come up with 12.  6 will do.  Here's this issue's standouts that I want to make:

1. Moroccan Chicken
2. Red, White and Blueberry Trifle
3. Barbeque Sauce
4. Flank Steak with Lime Marinade
5. Vietnamese Steak Sandwiches
6. Butter Pecan Pie

With those 2 desserts, we obviously need to have people in this summer.  Now that the pool is open and the patio furniture is set up, we need to do exactly that.

Planning: June 30 - July 5, 2013

So June sucked.
I have been in the throes of many things, including a decision to move me to a new school, and the wrap up of the current school year.  I have been at work late, eating poorly, and packing.  I hate packing.
But good news!  School's out!  I have a little time again!  Monday is Canada Day and we're going to Toronto for the day to watch the Bluejays play and probably go to the fireworks.  So many possibilities!
Here's a rundown of some of the things we're eating around the mountain this week, now that I'm cooking again:

• Southwestern Breakfast Scramble for a couple of lunches
• Grilled Steak and Potato Salad
• Moroccan Chicken with Couscous
• Flank Steak with Lime Marinade
• Vietnamese Steak Sandwiches

Plus, I have lots of things on Pinterest that I'm interested in trying of the ice cream and muffin variety.

Here's to a new month, a different pace, and good eating!

Breakfast Treat: Bonnie's Blueberry Muffins

So.
The last time I was home for a holiday, we decided to have brunch.  I made the Southwest Scramble that I used for the Pintertest Kitchen last week.  J decided it wasn't enough.  He felt that just the scramble wouldn't be enough to be a meal.  He decided this about an hour before I was going to make the scramble.  On a holiday.  So we were stuck with what I could find in the house.
When you're looking for something that you probably have all the ingredients to make, Taste of Home is a pretty safe place to look.  The recipes are easy, accessible, and yummy.  I went there to search for blueberry muffins when I decided that they would be the easiest thing to make fast on a holiday morning.
I like blueberry muffins, other than they always seem to turn grey because I use frozen fruit.  These are no exception.  But they baked up golden brown and delicious.  They were wonderful warm.
I present to you now from Taste of Home, Bonnie's Blueberry Muffins:

New and Different Side: Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Sticks

So.
I haven't been cooking.  The past couple of weeks have had me losing my mind, and I'm pretty sure the roller coaster is going to continue until school is over.  My back yard is all torn up as we have stairs installed in our pool, along with a new liner.  My cat is shedding like there's no tomorrow, and it's cold.  Bah.
But the last nice weekend that we had, we used our new grilling toys and I needed a side.  I chose this off of Pinterest as something different to go with the kebabs.
J and I both like asparagus.  Usually, I roast it in the oven in a little olive oil, or grill it with a little olive oil.  I'm not super creative when it comes to side or vegetables.  Sometimes, I make the asparagus saute with sausage.  Then asparagus season ends, and we wait until the price is reasonable again.  I will need to add this to the rotation.  Next year.  When the asparagus sprouts again.
I present to you now How Sweet Eats' Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Sticks:

A Bowlful of Deliciousness: Southwestern Breakfast Scramble (The Pintertest Kitchen)

So.
There is no question that J and I love Mexican food.  I've never really strayed out of the dinner realm before, but ohhhhhhhhh.  I read this on Budget Bytes, pinned it immediately, and thought, "how could this possibly be bad?  But...TORTILLA CHIPS??"
I don't know why I question Beth's recipes.  They work, they're easy, and they're freaking tasty.  Once again, I pinned a winner from one of my favourite places to draw inspiration from on the web.
Here's the pin:

From Budget Bytes, I present to you the Southwest Breakfast Scramble:

The Pintester Movement: Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

So.
I don't read a ton of blogs regularly, but I do read the Pintester and follow her on Facebook. Reading her foibles while crafting and cooking make me giggle.  A lot.  Regularly.  I also enjoy her Cocknails videos where we're treated to a cocktail and manicure.  That always makes J ask, "What are you watching?  She swears a lot."  But it's a whole package.
So, when she announced the Pintester Movement, I jumped on board.  I mean, who doesn't enjoy looking through all the things pinned to your boards wondering what I should make and possibly fail at to be a part of the movement?  Essentially, the movement is to make something from Pinterest and post to Pintester on May 30.  To see what others are doing, click here.
Honestly, the food I pin usually isn't things like "Buy a chocolate bar and Pillsbury grands and make chocolate croissants!" (I bet those would be good).  I click through and look at the recipes to decide whether or not J and I would actually eat what is being offered.  So I combed through and found something for a busy week that I'd wanted to try that was a take-off on an old classic.  It's also in a slow cooker, one of the many backbones of Pinterest culinary prowess.  Here's the pin:

How can you be wrong with that much cheese?
I present to you now Hot Mama Network's Buffalo Chicken Lasagna:

Sweet Treat: Fudgy Brownies

So.
I love sweet things.  I get it from my mother, who does not believe that a meal is truly ended until you've had dessert.  While I have no problem not eating dessert at lunch, I enjoy something after dinner in the evening. 
J and I often have a treat around 9 while watching TV.  Sometimes it's ice cream, sometimes it's cookies, and sometimes I find something in an issue of Everday Food that I decide I need to make to fulfill 6 recipes in a month.
This is a recipe that satisfies both of these requirements.  J and I each ate one for dessert, and this is recipe 3 from EDF May 2005.  3 down!  I may actually make 6 before the end of the month!!
I present to you now from May 2005's Everyday Food Fudgy Brownies:

Grillmistress: New Toy!

So.
J and I got invited to a Customer Appreciation sale at one of the local appliance stores.  Really, We spent a pile of money with them last year on a new washer and dryer for the new house, so they invited us to come and spend more money. 
We obliged, and bought BBQ accessories.  Now we have a reason to grill.  Not that we needed a reason before, but still.  I have yet to take the grill wok for vegetables out of the box, but I opened this bad boy up today:

It's a 3 in 1 rack for grilling roasts, ribs and kebabs.  I think we discovered the problem with it today being a little large for the grill, but the double metal skewers are awesome.
I present to you now in honour of the 2-4 weekend how we christened the skewers:

Planning: May 19 - 25, 2013

So.
I know, it's been quiet around here.  I've been in Quebec City with 40 Grade 8 students for the past week.  J ate things I don't like (canned spinach, anyone?), and I ate out.  I'm looking forward to this week, where I'm cooking at home.
This is also the long weekend here, so I have an extra day to play in the kitchen this week.  As a result, I'm planning a rather ambitious week with lots of Pinterest and a little Magazine Challenge.  So here goes:

Baking:  Snickerdoodle Muffins and Fudgy Brownies
Sunday: Steak Skewers and Parmesan Asparagus Sticks
Monday: Southwest Breakfast Scramble and Buffalo Chicken Lasagne
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Ranch Chicken Foil Packs
Thursday: Sausage and Asparagus Saute over Polenta
Friday: Grilled Sausages on Buns

Looks like a good week, along with something special that we tasted and picked up:

Hello, long weekend!

Teatime Treat: Glazed Lemon Pound Cake

So.
One of the good things about going to Home Church is that I sign up to make snack.  About every 6 weeks, I need to bring something for about 15 people as a snack.  I usually bring dessert.  It's easy and gives me a chance to try new things.
That being said, I love all things lemon.  I learned today that J doesn't like it quite so much.  But he will tolerate whatever I make.  So he's informed me that while it's not his favourite, he will help me eat any cake that is left.  Having tasted this cake, I'm not sure that I really want to share.
When I was growing up, my mother would make a lemon cake in a bundt pan with a snow white icing that was fresh juice and icing sugar.  I always loved the cake and peeling the icing off, bit by bit to eat.  It was sweet, but had a good deal of pucker to it.  The cake was moist and lemony.  I've never asked my mom for the recipe, but I've often thought about making it with that icing.
With the Magazine Challenge, I found a cake that looked like my mom's cake with the glaze made of icing sugar and juice.  Plus, I needed something for home Church!  It was a win all the way around.  Plus, the first 5 days of May are done, and I've already made 2 recipes.  It may happen that I make 6 recipes in one month!
To that end, I present to you now from the May 2005 Everyday Food Glazed Lemon Pound Cake:

Magazine Challenge: Creamy Fettuccine with Asparagus

So.
I love goat cheese.  It always tastes to me like Spring.  Asparagus also makes me think of Spring.  I so want the nice weather right now.  Despite the fact that I'm still coughing from a cold, it's finally getting nice enough to start thinking about eating outside and grilling.
In fact, grilling was what made me decide that I needed to make this recipe.  J and I dusted off the BBQ for the first time of the season the other night to grill salmon.  I thought of this as a perfect foil with the grilled fish.  I was right.  It was lovely.  It made a fantastic lunch the next day too.
I present to you now from the April 2005 edition of Everyday Food Creamy Fettuccine with Asparagus:

Pintertest Kitchen: Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

So.
It's finally Spring here.  I commented to J on the way back from a weekend away that it didn't feel like Spring because there were no buds on the trees.  I was driving home tonight and the trees have popped.  It was sunny and warm.  Our pool has been drained in preparation for a set of stairs to be installed along with a new liner.
Soon, it will be poolside dining time, people.  Things are exciting.
When I saw this pin, I knew I wanted to make it.  J loves blueberries, and I like ice cream.  It was also reason enough to crack out the ice cream maker and celebrate the budding trees.  Poolside dining.  If you can't do that, you might as well eat ice cream.
I present to you now La Famille Noire's Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream:

Magazine Challenge: May Planning

Ugh. 
April kicked my butt.
While I made a list and checked it twice, I have yet to make anything from April's issue.  Sigh.  The best laid plans and all that.  But I will persevere and  get back to April, I'm sure.  There are lots of yummy things to make. 
Frankly, I had a Pinterest kind of month and made lots of new things from there.  So many recipes, so little time!  Tomorrow is the first Thursday of the month, and I have a new thing to share for Pintertest Kitchen, but then I'm hoping to dive a little further into the magazines and get some things MADE!
To this end, I have chosen the 6 recipes out of the May 2005 issue, and in even more exciting news, I have already made one of them!  I also have everything to make another one this weekend for Home Church.  The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, and I'm excited about cooking!  It's all good.
Here are the recipes that I hope to share soon:

1. Spinach Pie
2. Beef and Scallion Stirfry
3. Creamy Fettuccine with Asparagus
4. Fudgy Brownies
5. Glazed Lemon Pound Cake
6. Pork Chops with Rhubarb-Cherry Sauce (If I make this, it will be when J's away and my mom's here at the end of the month)
7. Rhubarb Muffins
8. Spicy Cheese Crisps

Looks good, right?  It's not all dessert, but a nice cross section.  June has its own issue, but then there's July/August combined.  I need to get some things made.  We'll see how it goes.

So Delicious: Chicken Parmesan Meatball Sandwiches

So.
I think I need a new hashtag to add to a bunch of my recipes.  That would be #alljessersfault.
I follow her on Pinterest, and I seem to pin a whole lot of yum that she finds.  This would be yet another one of those recipes.  I'm not asking her to stop, because those pins are so good.  I'm just thinking that maybe I need to back away from the computer more often.  I'm never going to catch up with all the pins that I have.
This also continues the meatball theme that I seem to be building upon.  J and I seem to be eating a whole lot of them right now, and they're always good.  I have difficulty finding ground chicken at the store, so once again I ground my own with the handy Spong meat grinder. And, I used a zucchini.  it was quite the afternoon.
Meat grinders, sneaky vegetables, and peer pressure.  And you thought you were just showing up to see my dinner.  I present to you now Iowa Girl Eats' Chicken Parmesan Meatball Sandwiches:

A Teatime Treat: Glazed Buttermilk Orange Donut Muffins

So.
When I was little and we went to the donut shop, I would pick the biggest donut I could find to order.  Often I would have an apple fritter, or (my still personal favourite) a walnut crunch, but sometimes it would be an orange or cherry blossom stick.  Frankly, it was pure greed; but I developed a love of cake donuts as a result.
Fast forward to today:  I don't have donuts often anymore.  J's buying me a Keurig for Christmas means that I don't need a Timmy's fix on a regular basis.  Perhaps it's a good thing that I don't have donuts often, but I still like them. 
While cruising Pinterest, I found this recipe for muffins that used buttermilk.  I'm working on using up a liter of buttermilk, so I thought that this would work.  I also saw it as a way to relive my childhood.  I present to you now Our Best Bites' Buttermilk orange Donut Muffins:

So Good: Chicken Black Bean Enchilada Pie

So.
It's a well-established fact that we love Mexican here on the Mountain.  It's also a well-established fact that I love Pinterest.  This is one of the happy stories of Pinterest and my Mexican food love coming together in a weeknight dinner that J tells me I can make whenever I want.
Once again, I was looking at jesser's pins and this caught my eye.  The sauce was easy, the ingredients are things I keep in the house, and it took me about 15 minutes to throw this together and get it in the oven.  Dinner in an hour?  Don't mind if I do!
When I have made Mexican lasagna in the past, I've had issues with the tortillas on the bottom drying out and being uncuttable.  That didn't happen in this case.  Then again, the lowest tortilla wasn't right on the bottom.  I might let it sit a little longer before cutting, but it was all good.
I present to you now Make and Take's Chicken Black Bean Enchilada Pie:

Classics: Sweet Rolls

So.
At my house growing up, there were many Christmas morning traditions.  Most of them made my 8 year old self a little crazy.  They make my almost 40 year old self happy, but things change.  One of the traditions that I liked both then and now was breakfast.  After we got up at 7:30 (not before) and opened our stockings, we had to get ready for the day and have a big breakfast.  That breakfast always included sweet rolls.  The pan would be half raisin, half plain because my Dad didn't like raisins.
Fast forward to my mother finding a new recipe for sweet rolls that include a whole lot of pecans, something my father would bring home from Adcock's in Georgia.  This recipe is easier, faster, and should include a whole lot of nuts.
Work has been crazy this week.  Crazy to the point that I have been wondering if I brought the crazy with me this year, or if it always existed and I just don't know how to contain it properly.  I'm thinking it's a little from column A, and a little from column B.  But at the end of a very hard week, I decided to make a treat for those of us still standing and laughing (because the other option was to cry from exhaustion).  Here is the treat - my mother's sweet rolls, but with raisins instead of pecans because we're nut free.
I present to you now my mother's go-to sweet roll recipe:

Magazine Challenge: Buttermilk-Garlic Biscuits

So.
This officially marks 6 recipes from the Jan/Feb issue of Everyday Food 2005.  I'm going to say that I've done what I need to with this issue.  While I do want to make the other 6 things from there that I found, I've officially made 6 things.  This would even be a high note to go out on.
When we made chili at our house, we use a kit.  I KNOW!  But it's just the spices, and it's really good.  It's also one of the few culinary things that J brought to our relationship.  So, for those of you looking for a wicked easy way to make chili, and who are going to the US, might I suggest dropping by a Kroger for your own box or 12 (don't judge) of WIck Fowler 2 Alarm Chili?  It's got a good burn to it, and it's easy.
I often make cornbread from my Holly Hobby Cookbook to go with the chili.  Sometimes, I made rolls, or pull them out of my freezer.  But this time, with a partial quart of buttermilk in the fridge, I turned to Martha and a recipe that I'd seen a while ago.
I present to you now from EDF 2005 Jan/Feb, Buttermilk-Garlic Biscuits:

Namaste

So.
I love trying new foods, to a point.  I haven't always been like that (frankly, I'm sure my mother is sitting in front of her computer laughing hysterically).  Growing up, I was a picky eater.  I preferred if no foods were touching each other on my plate (still do), and was skeptical of many things my mother made.
While I would say that I'm a lot more adventurous now, I still won't eat mushrooms and am skeptical of sandwiches that I didn't watch being made.
But world foods:  I'll give lots of them a shot.  I love Mexican.  I'm a fan of Chinese food (but not too often).  I adore French food - both cooking and eating.  Greek is yummy, but not something that I've spent much time replicating at home.  I also enjoy Indian.
Indian, in fact, is the one way that I like cauliflower: curried.  And daal.  And tandoori chicken.  And curry chicken.  And naan.  But my favourite is Butter Chicken.  I love the spices in the sauce, but I've never tried to recreate any of those flavours in my own kitchen.  Until now.
I'm lucky in that J is game for anything.  He doesn't like turkey and is trying to learn to like fruit, but he'll give whatever I cook a try.  When I announced that I was making this, he wasn't too sure until I started cooking.  Just the onions and spices made him interested enough to come into the kitchen to find out what I was up to.  He also enjoyed the results.
I present to you now The Looneyspoons Collection's Better Butter Chicken:

Pintertest Kitchen: BHG Chocolate Sour Cream Cake and Milk Chocolate Buttercream

So.
My mom's birthday was Easter weekend this year.  I offered to make her cake and bring it with us when we went to visit for the holiday.  She told me I could make whatever cake I wanted.  Well, that was a challenge!  Knowing that I had a bunch of things pinned (and striking out with something that took my fancy in my TOH cakes magazine), I started looking for something to make.  I eventually chose these 2 pins:

How could they not be a good combination?  I present to you now Better Homes and Garden's Chocolate Sour Cream Cake and Comfortably Domestic's Milk Chocolate Buttercream:

Magazine Challenge: April Planning

So.
I realized something while perusing the April EDF issue.  In the 3 issues so far this year, until I started the Magazine Challenge, I had never made a single recipe from any of these magazines.  I got EDF for 6 years.  I have all of them.  WHAT WAS I DOING WITH THIS MAGAZINE IF I WASN'T MAKING ANYTHING?
I don't get it.  I mean, I do.  I love magazines.  I love to look at them.  But the amount of money I've sunk into them and I haven't made anything.  That's a little crazy.  So in that sense, this is just as well.  I'm also starting to get excited at the end of the month to look through the next issue and pick out things to make.  April is a winner.
I have selected 8+ recipes for April that look yummy.  Once again, I like the looks of the Freeze It! recipe and the ways to use it.  There were also lots of things that I suggested to J that he liked the sound of.  Here's a run-down on what's up in my kitchen this coming month, plus the other assorted things I make in the course of a month:

1.  Garlic Pepper Sauce, along with the ways to use it in a variety of Tex-Mex dishes.
2.  Salmon with Asparagus and Potatoes
3.  Chicken with Paprika Sauce
4.  Chicken with Olives and Sundried Tomatoes
5.  Southwestern Meatloaf Burgers
6.  Blueberry-Peach Crumbles
7.  Warm German Potato Salad
8.  Chocolate Ricotta Pudding

That looks good.  J's excited.  I'm ready for a great month.

Magazine Challenge: Frosted Chocolate-Buttermilk Cupcakes

So.
January/February  of the magazine challenge didn't go very well.  I was busy, work was mental, and we lost J's dad.  Plus, I was trying to come up with 12 recipes from the issue to make.  I've come to the conclusion that it might not have been meant to be, but that doesn't mean I'm beat.  I've just been making recipes from Jan/Feb on an ongoing basis.  This recipe is a case in point.
Our home church does a sign up for snacks.  Every so often, I need to come up with something to take for an undetermined number of people (more than 5, hopefully less than 20) I saw this recipe and that it made 12, but figured it would be easy to double.  Thankfully it was.
The feature in the article was buttermilk, so I now have some.  Obviously, I'll need to make more recipes from the article.  I'm up to 5 from that issue.
I present to you now from the Jan/Feb 2005 issue of Everyday Food, Frosted Chocolate-Buttermilk Cupcakes:

Meatball Week: Meatball Hero Sandwiches

So.
With a container of meatballs in the freezer, we had to try some of the other recipes that were in the March 2005 issue of Everyday Food.  The beauty of things like this is that after you make the batch of meatballs, things cook up pretty quick.  I probably should have made a double batch of meatballs so that I don't run out anytime soon.
I actually thought that these would be even better than the pizzas.  I think it may be a toss-up.  While both involve meatballs, onions and carbs, the similarities end there.  Both are delicious.  There is no cheese in the sandwich.  We didn't want it and we didn't miss it.
I present to you now from the March 2005 issue of Everyday Food, Mini Meatball Heros:

Meatball Week: Mini Meatball Pizza

So.
I made mini meatballs and then had to do something with them.  Luckily, Martha came through and gave options!  Here is option number 1:  Pizza.
I've eaten an awful lot of pizza over the years.  One of my original purchases from Pampered Chef was a pizza stone.  With my bread machine, crispy, thick-crusted pizza is only an hour and a bit away.  I've played with ingredients over the years including cheeses, sauces and toppings.  Unfortunately, I'd never mastered thin crust pizza.
There's a restaurant here in town with wood-fired ovens that is wickedly reminiscent of Europe.  The food is delicious.  The tablecloths are plastic.  The flowers are silk and crazy.  But the pizza....ohhhhhhhh.  This reminds me a little of that.
Great.  Now I want wine and fresh pasta.  Perhaps later.
Now, I present to you from Everyday Food March 2005 Meatball Pizzas:

Magazine Challenge: Mini Meatballs

So.
I'm always on the lookout for new recipes that are tasty and easy.  Things I can pull out of the freezer are even better.  When I saw the addition of bacon to what is an already a food J and I enjoy, how could you go wrong?
Beyond that, Everyday Food offered suggestions for how to use these meatballs beyond the usual pasta and tomato sauce.  Sunday afternoon, I whipped up a batch of these meatballs and froze them, raw, in baking tins in my freezer.  I then dropped the meatballs into a Ziploc container and left them in the kitchen freezer.  There's less than half a container left.
Today, we feature the making of the meatballs.  Over the next few days, I'll show you how I used the meatballs for things that aren't spaghetti and meatballs.
I present to you now Everyday Food's March 2005 Mini Meatballs:

Magazine Challenge: Ham and Potato Bake

So.
I don't know why I'm trying again with something that is described in the notes as a "crustless quiche".  I think I proved in December/January that I'm not really a good judge of all things baked with egg as a filling.  Yet when I decided to have people in for dinner and served ham, I saw this in the March 2005 EDF and knew it would be a good way to use up the leftovers. 
J and I eat a lot of broccoli.  It's one of the few vegetables we agree on.  We've taken to buying large bags of it frozen at Costco.  The fact that this contains simple ingredients that I had on hand made it even easier to make.  Easy and pantry staples.  It was worth a shot, even if I can't judge how long it takes to get eggs to set in the oven. 
I present to you now The Ham and Potato Bake from Everyday Food March, 2005:

Quick Lunch: Black Bean Quesadillas

So.
When I look at my Pinterest board of recipes to try, I seem to have inordinate amounts of Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes.  Well, that and dessert.  I commented to my mother today that I probably need to rearrange my boards into dessert and savoury or some such.  Right now when I go looking for things, I often have a hard time trying to find what I want.  And I know that it's *right there* somewhere.  A project for another day, perhaps.
Right.  But when I pinned this from Budget Bytes, I knew that they'd be good - everything I've made from Budget Bytes has been good.  I wasn't wrong.  I just wish I'd had enough tortillas in the freezer to make all of these up and freeze so they'd be ready to go.  After J, my mom and I ate lunch, I put the leftover filling into a container and popped it in the freezer for another day.  Seeing as you can freeze them made, I don't see why you couldn't freeze them as I did.
We're going to enjoy these during football season.  Frankly, we'll enjoy these the rest of the year too.  I'm not sure I can recommend them highly enough.  Plus, they're meatless.  That doesn't happen often around here.
I present to you now Budget Bytes Black Bean Quesadillas:

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Guinness Chocolate Cake

So.
J and I don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day with all things green and such.  Stew is not a real favourite with either of us, and we're not big on going out.  We'd both rather curl up with the cat in our own family room in front of the fire.  But when I saw this cake on Pinterest, I thought that I'd rather like to try it.
With my mother here, I'm making lots of fun things, and we had my uncle and his wife Friday night for dinner.  It was an excuse to make a cake.  Right before March 17th, why not make a cake with Irish ingredients?  And a Pinterest recipe to boot?
I present to you now Care's Kitchen' Chocolate Guinness Cake:

Magazine Challenge: Pistachio Raspberry Cakes

So.
March 2005 has proven to be a challenging issue.  I was nixed on the lentils, and I didn't even ask about the pineapple recipes.  But I did find this little gem that I thought might be nice when my mom came to visit for a few days. 
I like pistachios, other than you have to shell them.  I also am incapable of estimating how many I would need and bought waaaaaay more than what I needed.  I also love fresh raspberries.  In March they're a wonderful treat.
I also enjoyed that this was just enough of a dessert.  Ramekins.  They're a good thing.
I present to you now the Pistachio Raspberry Cakes from March Everyday Food 2005:

Cadbury Mini Egg Blondies

So.
I went to the dentist today.  I was told that I have healthy teeth, but I have an old filling that needs to be replaced as the decay begins to form around the edges of it.  The only reason I mention this is because my dentist wouldn't be thrilled with this dessert.
I was cruising Pinterest and saw this picture and fell in love.  I love Cadbury chocolate.  Especially in mini egg form.  The crunchy shell, the smooth chocolate...it's all swoon worthy.  I bought the family size bag to make these this weekend at the grocery store, and J was disappointed when I used the whole thing in the blondies.  He was only disappointed until I sliced these and served them warm with a glass of milk.
Then we both swooned.
I present to you now Chef in Training's Cadbury Mini Egg Blondies:

So Good: Orient Express Stirfry

So.
I haven't made anything from the Looneyspoons Collection in a while.  Between Pinterest and Everyday Food, when I've been cooking I've been busy.  But I was looking for something for this past week that was different, and I turned to my faithful flavourful cookbook.
The scary thing in this recipe is the sheer number of things that are in it.  I pulled everything out for a modified mise en place:  with everything on the counter so I didn't forget to put anything in.  J was shocked with all of the things piled on the counter.  He was afraid about how long it would take to put this together.
J was wrong.  This went together fast.  And it was really good.  I won't make this all the time because it is a lot of ingredients.  But I will make it again, because we really enjoyed it.
I present to you now the Looneyspoons Collection's Orient Express:

Planning: March 10-17, 2013

So.
I'm on vacation.  It's an exhilarating thing, seeing as work is crazy and I'm spent.  The idea of a week stretching before me with nothing but time is exciting.  It will go so quickly.  I want to enjoy.
As a result, I've planned an ambitious week of cooking.  I have so many things I'd like to try between the Magazine Challenge, Pinterest and the general recipe reading that I do.
My mom is coming for a bit, so we'll have her to help make and eat the experiments.  We need lunches for the week too.  That's not something I normally plan.  Friday night, my uncle and his wife are coming so that's excuse enough to make a cake.  My mother also expects dessert with meals, so it's the chance to try some stuff that I wouldn't normally make for J and myself.
Here's what I have planned:

Sunday:  Shepherd's Pie
Monday:  Lunch - Pork Fried Rice
                 Dinner - Shake N Bake Chicken, Potatoes, Broccoli
Tuesday:  Lunch - Shepherd's Pie
                 Dinner - Meatball Heros, Chips, Pickles
Wednesday:  Lunch - Pork Fried Rice
                      Dinner - We're having dinner at my mom's
Thursday:  Lunch - Not sure yet
                  Dinner - Macaroni and Cheese, Sausage and Carrot Sticks
                                Pistachio Raspberry Cakes
Friday:  Lunch - Black Bean Quesadillas
             Dinner - Baked Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli, Salad
                          Guiness Chocolate Cake
Saturday:  Lunch - Individual Meatball Pizzas and Salad
                  Dinner - Better Butter Chicken and Basmati Rice
Sunday:  Lunch - Ham and Potato Bake, fruit
               Dinner - Eata Fajita Salad and Garlic Bread

Sounds good.  Lots of variety.  I also will probably make a batch of muffins, and I have a King Arthur Scone mix that I'll make.  Add in lots of tea and conversation, it's shaping up to be a great week.

Pintertest Kitchen: Candy Cane Ice Cream

So.
You know what I still have left from Christmas?
Snack food and candy.  I put these things away in a drawer, and out of sight, out of mind.  I believe there are still a couple of bags of peanuts, a bag of chip nuts, and a container of chocolate covered pretzels.  There's probably some gum and other stuff that was in stockings in the drawer too.  Out of sight, out of mind.
I also am not known for eating the candy canes that come attached to stuff.  I don't buy them to put on the tree, and I don't really eat them.  But I do get a few and they collect for a couple of years until I finally decide to try one and discover that humidity has leached in and the candy is soft and unappealing.  That didn't happen to this year's batch of canes, though.  I found this on Pinterest and pinned it immediately:

Here in Canada, Candy Cane Ice Cream is a way of life over the Christmas season.  We wait for President's Choice to issue their Insider's Report of seasonal goods to try and stock their stores with their ice cream version of crack, Candy Cane Fudge Crackle.  I think J and I ate our way through 2 tubs this year.  And then, as quickly as it arrived it's gone and we wait for next year.
There is no fudge crackle in this recipe, but my friends, we may have found a way to wait patiently for the next time that Galen Weston makes a seasonal rite available.  I present to you now The Way To His Heart's Candy Cane Ice Cream:

Magazine Challenge: Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

So.
I'm still at work with Jan/Feb.  Here's one of the recipes that I thought looked good and I just didn't get that far.
I follow Jesser on Pinterest because she and I seem to share similar tastes in food.  She pinned a recipe with chicken meatballs from Iowa Girl Eats that I pinned as well.  In the preamble, there was talk from Ree Drummond of Pioneer Woman of how meatballs are one of the trends in food for 2013.  I can see how this is true.
I love making things with meatballs.  They're versatile and can be made from any combination of ground meat.  I already make lots of things that include them like the Teriyaki Meatball Rice Bowls,  Volcano Sandwiches and Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs.  I also have plans for a couple more recipes that feature them this month.  So, perhaps we'll say meatballs are a trend in March on the mountain.
I present to you now from the Jan/Feb 2005 issue of Everyday Food Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce:

Brunch: Hot Chee'sandwich

So.
The first cookbook I ever received was Holly Hobbie's Cookbook.  The inscription inside the front cover is "To Sarah from Mom and Dad.  Happy Cooking!  Christmas 1980".  There are still recipes I make from this book regularly like cornbread and a small batch of brownies.  This is also the book I used when I learned the difference between teaspoon and tablespoon when adding baking powder to a batch of pancakes.
This recipe is also from the book, as almost a hot grilled ham and cheese sandwich.  Every week for lunch, we buy J salad, mushrooms, sliced ham, sliced cheddar and cottage cheese.  He rounds out his lunches with leftovers and so on.  This week, we had lots of leftovers and he didn't get to the ham and cheese.  In a bid to use them up and make brunch for us, I made these sandwiches.
J can eat 2.  I can't.  The extra reheats pretty well.  In fact, it gives the crispy top slice of bread a chance to soften a bit.  So, on a Saturday morning, here's what we ate for breakfast.  I present to you now the Hot Chee'sandwich from Holly Hobbie:

Planning: March 3 - 9, 2013

So.
It's one week until March Break.  One week until I have a chance to recharge and clean my house.  One week until I have some of my sanity back time.  I can hardly wait.  That means this coming week will probably be a bear and I will be ready for a bottle of wine on Friday.  You think I joke.
That aside, I don't have a whole lot at night this week, so in theory I should be able to cook at home.  We'll see how that goes.  I am planning to make soup so I have a shot at lunch, and we'll see how we do.  I already have this coming week's posts locked and loaded, so that should help. 
Here's what we're having on the mountain this week:

Sunday:  Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, Spaghetti and Garlic Bread.  I made the meatballs and sauce on Saturday, so they'll be good to go Sunday night.
Soup, and I'm not sure what kind.  I still want to make the Chicken Won Ton soup from Looneyspoons, but that's a lot of ground chicken at once.  I'll find something I'm sure.
Monday: Lemon Parsley Pork, Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli.  This was on the menu for last week, and I got sick.  Everything got pushed off.
Tuesday: There may be pork left.  If we ate the chicken meatballs Sunday night (and it makes enough for 2 nights), we may be having the left overs Monday and Pork Tuesday.
Wednesday:  Something quick.  Grilled steak?  Frozen Pizza Kit that was a fundraiser for school?  I'm not quite sure.
Thursday:  Orient Express from Looneyspoons.  It's been a while since I've made anything from here.
Friday:  Celebrate the beginning of the vacation.  Probably go out.

Sounds like a good week.  We'll see how we do.

Magazine Challenge: March Planning

So.
I'm still working on my 12 recipes from the January/February issue of Everyday Food, but it's a new month, and in March 2005 there was an issue.  As a result, I will continue to make the rest of my Jan/Feb finds, but I have another 6 recipes to complete. 
6 seems so much more doable than 12 were.  The problem with this month:  things I wanted to make that I don't already make and like.  J's not crazy about fruit, so the warm fruit desserts and the pineapple recipes were out.  He also doesn't like coconut, so I couldn't make the coconut layer cake.  There's a coffee cake that looks suspiciously like the one I already make that is a recipe from my mom, and I already make Martha's soft polenta...it's good enough that I don't really want anything on it; I could just eat a bowl of it for dinner.
But enough with the whining.  Here's what I finally came up with for this month.  Some of it is pretty avant garde for my kitchen.  Some of it will probably be right up J's alley.  But whatever happens, I'm hoping to complete this month in a month.  With a week of vacation, it should happen!
Here's what will be on the menu this month (along with a lot more):

1.  Mini meatballs (There is a recipe to make them, and then 3 ways to serve.  J likes the sound of all 3)
2.  Salmon with Couscous Pilaf (There are raisins in the pilaf.  J's not sold, but I told him tough)
3.  Ham and Potato Bake (This is called a crustless quiche by the writers.  I hope so.)
4.  Cherry Tomato Crisp (J's not sold on this one either.  Baked tomatoes.  Should be good)
5.  Lentil Walnut Burgers (Don't tell him it's on the list.  We're going to try different meatless)
6.  Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (J wants to know when we're going to have just plain chocolate chip cookies.  It won't be March)

So, it should be an interesting month.  Here's seeing how it goes.

Magazine Challenge: Fish Tacos

So.
In my quest for new ways to eat fish, I'm always on the lookout for new recipes.  While flipping through the Jan/Feb issue of Everyday Food for 2005, I came across this recipe for fish tacos.
I like tacos, and I don't mind tilapia, so this seemed like a decent candidate for something that would make both J and I happy.
Despite Martha's assertion that this would take about 45 minutes to make, I didn't find it that long to put together.  In fact, I started cooking at about 7:05 and we were eating just after 7:30.  We're late eaters.  But, it went together quickly on a work night and had lots of flavour.
I present to you now Everyday Food's Fish Tacos:

Souper Sunday: Black Bean Soup

So.
I ruined the magic of my blog for my mother this evening.  I told her that as I watch the potential storm brew out my patio doors and collect on the the top of the hot tub I was going to write 2 blog posts.  I blog in fits, really, based on when I make things.  I have a habit of new food weeks or weekends.  Fodder for days!  As a result, if I'm cooking a lot, we may have eaten what's showing up well before it's here.
Now I've ruined the magic for you too.  Ironically, this will post tomorrow.
But this past Sunday, I went looking for a new soup recipe to take for lunch this week.  I hauled out the same Taste of Home Soup magazine that I've used in the past with predictable results.
J and I are fans of Mexican flavours.  When I saw this recipe for Black Bean Soup, it was different from anything I'd ever made in the past that would need an immersion blender.  But that doesn't make it bad.  In fact, it's a really nice soup.
I present to you now Taste of Home's Black Bean Soup recipe from Mary Buhl of Duluth, Georgia:

Got Milk?

So.
I grew up in a house where there were always cookies in the cookie jar.  A smiling Friar Tuck stood on our counter with "Thou Shalt Not Steal" emblazoned into the hem of his ceramic cowl.  My mother has a big sweet tooth, and one of the first things that I got to make all on my own was chocolate chip cookies.
I have a cookie jar, but it has snowmen on it, and it spends most of the year (if not all of it) in a box on a shelf in the basement.  I don't often bake things like cookies simply because then they're around the house begging to be eaten.  But in the name of recipes for the Magazine Challenge, and the fact that I had a full bag of chocolate chips in the cupboard, I decided to make these cookies.  We'll even call them healthy with the addition of raisins.
I present to you now Chocolate-raisin Oatmeal Cookies from the January/February 2005 issue of Everyday Food:

Planning: February 22 - March 1, 2013

So.
To say I've been lax this month in the cooking department would be a gross understatement.  Things have been busy here on the mountain and we haven't been making it to the grocery store.  It's hard to cook when there's no food.  Today, however, we tried to rectify this by going to the grocery store and spending gobs of money to replace all of the things I've run out of.
To go with this, I've fallen horribly, horribly behind in my magazine challenge.  This is something that I'm also trying to rectify this week.  I've decided that if I don't get all the recipes made this month, I'll hold onto them to use in the future.  Vegetable burritos will be good, no matter what month it is.  I'd like to complete the minimum numbers from each magazine this year.
On that note, I have lots of EDF recipes on the menu this week, and have started perusing the March issue for 6 recipes that I want to make.  I suggested a couple to J and he nixed them.  We'll see.
But for now, here's what's on the agenda this week.  I planned Sunday to Friday, with 5 meals so that there's a little leeway for a night when I don't want to cook.  Here's the plan:

Sunday:  Black Bean Soup.  The TOH recipe doesn't look like a typical black bean soup.  But it sounds yummy.  Maybe I'll get wild and make cornbread too.  This will be the basis for lunches this week.
Monday:  Fish Tacos.  This gets J's fish for the week in, and is a recipe from EDF.
Tuesday:  Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti.  The original used spaghetti squash.  J didn't think that sounded good either.  It's an EDF recipe, and a reason to break out the Spong again.
Wednesday:  Burgers.  I have guitar and get home late.
Thursday:  Lemon Parsley Pork Chops.  J doesn't like pork.  That's why I'm not fighting him on the squash.  He says it's always too dry.  I'm out to prove him wrong.  And cross another EDF off my list.
Friday:  Not sure.  Perhaps we'll go out to celebrate eating at home all week.

To go along with this, I'm making oatmeal chocolate chip raisin cookies from EDF, and Candy Cane ice cream from Pinterest.  We'll even get dessert.  Yum.

Dinner with Friends: Chicken Parmesan Bake

So.
I've actually started making new things again.  It's very exciting.  Pinterest has been a fount of new ideas that for the most part have worked out well. 
I find that if I'm having people in for a meal, I'm more than likely to make new things.  If they don't work, I have people to help eat the disaster, and if they do work, it's a good meal.  I don't make a lot of disasters, but there are some things that work out better than others.
This is the story of something that could have worked out slightly better.  I need to learn how to tell time.  But despite being a little overcooked, this is something I'd make again. 
I present to you now Food Wishes' Chicken Parmesan Bake:

Dinner with Friends: Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

So.
Since moving, J and I haven't had people in for dinner.  The mountain has been in a constant state of partially packed, and the dining room table has been covered with papers.  But we're always trying to change our ways and invite people in more often.  We finally made up for it this weekend by having people in Friday and Saturday night.  The good things about that?  I made a layer cake and it's all gone.  I made new recipes.  The bad thing?  I did so many dishes over the weekend.
But dishes or no, we like to entertain.  And the food was fantastic.  I may not be getting anywhere with my magazine challenge, but I made 2 more Pinterest wins.  One of them is the recipe for today. 
I present to you now What's Cookin Chicago's Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells.

Yummy: Marla's Maple Pork

So.
A while ago, pork tenderloin was a really good price at the store and I stocked up.  Like, I bought 6 packages stocked up.  Not that I had any clue what the plan was, but I was ready.  Enter a weekend where I didn't want to go out, and no plan.  I knew there was pork tenderloin, if I could just find something to do with it. 
I grabbed my Looneyspoons Collection, and it didn't take long to find something to do with it.  I present to you now Marla's Maple Pork:

Pintertest Kitchen: Loaded Baked Potato Soup

So.
As I look back over my past few Pintertest Kitchen posts, I've made some okay but not great things.  I want to make something great from Pinterest again.  Great like the Mexican Shells.  Great like discovering the easy way to shred chicken.  I had high hopes this month with this gem of a pin:

I love potato soup.  I'm always looking for a great recipe because the California Dreaming one I have is amazing...and scary when you look at the heavy cream.  This recipe came from Cooking Light, so it should be better, right?
I present to you now Loaded Baked Potato Soup from Handle the Heat:

Magazine Challenge: Sole with Lemon Butter Sauce

So.
I haven't been cooking much recently.  I think about it a lot.  Mostly while feeling guilty that I don't have time, that I'm not meeting the challenge I've set for myself, that I'm eating a whole lotta fries and drinking a whole lotta pop.  I have, however, made a few things recently and seem to be getting my groove back.  I hope so.  There are too many good things to make to spend all my time in restaurants.
Here is a case in point.  It's February, and I'm finally making the first recipe in my magazine challenge.  I am still looking for new ways to cook fish that are easy, and that J and I both like.  The beginning of the year EDFs are always the healthy magazines.  There are a couple of fish recipes that I want to try.  This one went together fast, and I would be willing to eat it again.  I also had never tried poaching before.  It was easy.
I present to you now EDF's Sole with Lemon Butter Sauce:

Planning: January 13 - 21, 2013

So.
There's been another death.  J's dad died this past weekend, and we're off next weekend to help clean out the apartment and have a celebratory dinner.  Yup, it's a dinner only.  I'm somewhat conflicted about what's happened in J's family about this.  Having settled things with my dad so recently, this has been odd.
We're fine, our friends have been wonderful, and I have Roots of Empathy this week before.  I get to hang out with a baby and talk about feelings and development.  Yup, that always makes it a good week.
As a result of all this, J and I are off again for a longer period of time than we'd really like to be, and I'm not making as many things as I'd like to.  Bleh.
To go with this, I've come up with 12 things from the Jan/Feb issue of Everyday Food.  At some point, I need to start making these recipes.  I'm not sure it will be this week.  Ah well.  There are a lot of recipes using buttermilk and lemons.  Hopefully, we'll get to those soon.
As well, I've been a pinning fiend on Pinterest.  I have so many things that I  want to make.  I just need the time to do so.  As a result, I really have no plans for this week.  I do need to go to the store because we are running out of the makings of food:  things like orange juice, eggs, and milk.  There is also very little in terms of lunch-type items.  I'm making chili tonight (which will be lunch for the next couple of days for us) and candy cane ice cream.  Tomorrow, off to the store and 4 nights worth of dinner!
This is a long way of saying that I have no idea what we're eating this week.  But here's a list of what I will be making in the next little while from EDF:
1.  Chocolate Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
2.  French Onion Soup
3.  Baked Sole with Lemon Butter
4.  Lemon Curd Tart
5.  Cornflake-Crusted Chicken
6.  Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
7.  Vegetable Burritos
8.  Frosted Buttermilk Cupcakes
9.  Spinach Dip with Pita Chips
10.  Buttermilk Thyme Biscuits (wish I had everything for these to eat them with the chili)
11.  Fish Tacos
12.  Lemon Parsley Pork
So, no plans, but lots of food.  Let's see what happens.

Addictive: Buffalo Chicken Cupcakes

So.
Sunday of the weekend where we made things with what was in the house, I made these.  In the process, I finished the yeast, the Frank's Buffalo Sauce, and the shredded cheese in my fridge.  Perhaps I should have these kinds of weekends more often, where J and I spend time together, eat our meals at home and leave the car in the garage.  Living intentionally is HARD.
But getting back to this recipe, I pinned this not that long ago.  J and I both love Buffalo chicken, and these looked intriguing.  They reminded me when I made them of pinwheel rolls I make with bacon, green onions and cheese.  Those are good too...and I haven't made them in a while.  How can you go wrong with bacon?  or Buffalo chicken?  Knowing that this is a recipe that uses pantry staples (for this house), it wasn't too hard to make these for dinner with carrot and celery sticks and ranch dip.
I present to you now Doughmesstic's Buffalo Chicken Cupcakes:

Asian Inspired: Teriyaki Meatball Bowls

So.
This is from the same weekend as the cake - my quest to make things while waiting for my paycheque and quickly running out of ingredients.  Yep, get ready to see what kinds of substitutions I can make!
I love to read the blog Budget Bytes.  I think I found her originally through Pinterest and a pin for black bean quesadillas that I have yet to make.  I used her refried beans in the crockpot recipe when I make them and discovered how easy it is to make beans in the crockpot.  I spend lots of time reading, but I don't always get around to cooking.
I did, however, read her Top 20 for 2012 with interest, and saw the quesadillas that I need to get around to making.  This recipe was also in the list, and looked intriguing and simple.  Everything in them is a pantry staple.  It also gave me a reason to use my food grinder.
I grew up in a house with a Spong food grinder.  I remember helping my mother make quiche by grinding leftover ham to use in the filling.  I never really saw the point of having one.  I didn't make quiche.  What would I want to grind?  While the name brand is fun to say, you don't need to own one to do so.  Then my uncle went into a retirement home, my parents cleaned out his apartment, and my mother presented me with his food grinder that appeared to never have been used.  It then sat on my shelf for 2 years.
Seeing as I wasn't buying anything this weekend, I suddenly needed a way to produce ground chicken.  I found one.
I present to you now Budget Bytes' Teriyaki Meatball Bowls:

Pintertest Kitchen: Cinnamon Roll Cake

So.
I have a confession to make:  I'm not particularly good with money.
Sure, one of the duties of my job is to oversee the spending for a building and make sure that I don't go in the hole, but the way that I do that is by telling my staff that there's no money.  Okay, that's not totally true.  We still have a photocopy budget, and we do some special things.  But at home, well...let's just say that Dave Ramsey wouldn't be thrilled.
J and I have taken steps to get ourselves on the right track; and I'm much better than I used to be.  But by the same token sometimes the money just runs out.  Like this past weekend.  Through a glitch in payroll, my pay isn't coming through until Monday.  This left J and I with about $25 to our name that wasn't spoken for.
Unlike many, the biggest change in our plans was that we wouldn't be going out for a meal this weekend and the cat tree we'd planned to buy got waylaid until next week.  As a result, I was left to figure out what we were eating with no trip to the grocery store.
Our church has been doing a series about letting go of our stuff and how we allocate our resources.  One thing that has rung very true with me recently is that we as North Americans feel poor:  like there's no money, we can't afford things and what a misnomer this truly is.  We are encouraged to live simply and share our resources, demonstrating God's love for those around us.  Heavy stuff, but an important reminder.  This weekend really made me think about this - we can't afford to go out to eat.  So what?  We go out for the entertainment of it.  I started combing my cupboards for what to make while we stay home.  The next few days will be posts from that weekend.  We ate really well while having no money.  I need to remember that.
It's a little embarrassing what lurks in my cupboards.  We spent the weekend eating recipes that I wanted to try from Pinterest that I just hadn't gotten around to.  I pinned two very similar cakes that I combined into this one with a couple of substitutions based on things I'd run out of.  Here are the pins:
I present to you now a hybrid of Cookin' Up North and Six Sisters Cinnamon Roll Cakes: