Revenge of the Magazine Challenge: Grilled Pizza with Asparagus and Sundried Tomatoes

So.
When we moved, one of the things we talked about was the fact that we might grill more, because the deck is off the open concept kitchen/dining room.  As opposed to our last house, where I had to walk around through the family room to the far end of the house to retrace my steps outside to get to the grill, this is just open the door and step out.
We've taken to grilling a lot.
Despite the fact that we don't often sit outside to eat because of the trains (We have 2 backyards between our deck and the tracks), we carry in things from the grill to eat at the dining room table.  And seeing as there's more to life than burgers, I'm always on the lookout for fun new things to try cooking over propane.
When we renovated the last kitchen, we discovered that you could make pizza directly on the grill.  When I saw this recipe in the June 2008 issue of Everyday Food, I knew I wanted to give it a try.  I was right.  It was worth it.  The was a fantastic change of pace on a Saturday night with a glass of cold white wine.
I present to you now from the June 2008 issue of Everyday Food, Grilled Pizza with Asparagus and Sundried Tomatoes:

SRC: Lemongrass Ginger Pancakes

So.
It's time again for the Secret Recipe Club!  What's that, you ask?  Well, it's a group of food bloggers who are all assigned another blog from the group (in secret, hence the name) and then we all reveal on the same day at the same time.  Fun, right?  I enjoy getting my assignment every month and finding something to make from a blog that I don't know a whole lot about.
This month is no exception.  I was assigned the blog Crazed Mom, written by Nicole.  Nicole is a mom of 5 teenagers, and I am exhausted just thinking about that.  She's a writer, and she makes some delicious looking and sounding food.
I have to admit, when I started looking at her blog, I didn't get past her Breakfast offerings.  As the owner of a new waffle iron, I'm all about waffle recipes right now.  I eyed these Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, because I have ricotta needing to be used in my fridge and blueberries right now; but Nicole made these for an SRC reveal.  I also really want to make these Pumpkin Spice Latte Doughnuts, but I would need a doughnut baking pan...and I'm still playing with my waffle iron.  Then I found something that totally caught my attention.
As some of my friends on Facebook know, I was literally giving away some of my Gourmet Garden stir in paste herb tubes from past blogging events.  I love their products (just ask, and I'll tell you!), but there are some that I've never known what to do with...like Lemongrass.  It's intimidating looking at the store, and I've never used it.  But I have 3 tubes of it in my freezer.  I saw the picture in the index with the Gourmet Garden tubes, and saw that this would use up (albeit a small amount) of my Lemongrass stash, and I was in!  Plus, the leftovers are freezable, as we start the grind towards school.  I'm starting my freezer cooking to make the fall easier.  J and I both enjoyed these for breakfast, and they'll be great out of the toaster with maple syrup this fall too,
I present to you now Crazed Mom's Lemongrass Ginger Pancakes:

Secret Recipe Club: Impossible Spinach Pie

So.
Yeah, it's been a while.  But that's okay, because I'm back, and with a scary good recipe.
Welcome to the first Monday of the month, also known as Secret Recipe Club Group A Reveal Day!  Remember the Secret Recipe Club?  It's a group of bloggers who get together, exchange blogs, make something in secret, and all reveal what we made from each other's blogs at the same time.  Very fun!  This month, I was thrilled with my assigned blog, Shockingly Delicious.
On the Facebook page for the Club, Dorothy and her nemesis Sally choose and brag about their assignments every month.  I'm awed by their speed and dedication to the feud.  It was so much fun to go through Dorothy's blog and see the kinds of things she makes and shares.
I considered lots of options - there are so many!  I looked through "Cheap and Easy" for inspiration, and considered more carbs with her breakfast options before finally settling on a retro favourite.
Impossible Pies were a revolution with Bisquick baking mix in the 1970s.  Both savoury and sweet, you put the filling in the pie plate, pour a batter of eggs and Bisquick over and bake; and amazingly, they turn into a quiche-like pie.
Dorothy had a ton of options.  I want to make them all:  Enchilada, Lasagna, and finally what I made for dinner: Spinach.  She even had a recipe to make a small batch of Bisquick-type mix so I wouldn't have to buy a box!  I was sold.
I present to you now from Shockingly Delicious, Impossible Spinach Pie:

#FreshTastyValentines: Tex-Mex Stuffed Butternut Squash

So.

One of the promises that I made to J with his new healthy eating outlook was that I would cook 1 meatless dinner a week.  This was probably one of my less popular promises, seeing as my husband is big on meat.  Big.  As in if I cooked it 3 times a day he'd be all good.
But I went looking for some dishes that contained more beans and less animal protein on my favourite source for such things - Pinterest.  I even created a new board so that I could find things more easily.  This is one of the first things I pinned, knowing full well how much my husband wouldn't be in favour.
While J likes way more vegetables than I do, he's not a fan of squash - except as pumpkin in baked good form.  I like it, but never cook it as a result.  However, I had high hopes for this as really the squash was a vehicle for the Tex-Mex flavours that J is a fan of.  I was wrong.  It's too bad, really; seeing as this is delicious.  I made the stuffing for 4 (I didn't want to use half a can of black beans and have half a can leftover) and took it to work for lunch for a few days afterwards.  It's filling, and so, so good.
I scraped my squash half clean.  J?  Well, he ate the filling and said it was good.  I personally would recommend both.  I present to you now from Life Tastes Good, Tex-Mex Stuffed Butternut Squash:

#FreshTastyValentines: Tomato Tart

So.

Welcome to #FreshTastyValentines, a week's worth of recipes that are healthier for tempting those you love!  I'm thrilled to have joined with the other bloggers and our sponsors for a fun event!

My first recipe is from Rachael's blog, Pizza Rossa, who happens to be my Secret Recipe Club partner this month.  I couldn't just feature one of the recipes from her lovely blog - I featured a second that was a perfect entree for in which we didn't miss the meat.
I have made a similar tart to this in my preblogging days, but it used sliced tomatoes and minced garlic.  I was intrigued by the idea of roasting the tomatoes and garlic first.  Plus with basil and lots of cheese, how could this possibly be bad?
I present to you now from Pizza Rossa, Roasted Tomato Tart:

Secret Recipe Tailgate Bonus: Chicago Style Pizza

So.
I've been busy this month with Secret Recipe Club.  My regular Group A post, I picked up an orphan, and now a bonus party for the fifth Monday of the month.  Then next week, September is in full swing, and I'm posting with Group A once again.  Whew.
The premise of Secret Recipe Club is simple:  a group of foodie bloggers, all choosing a recipe from each other's assigned blogs, posting simultaneously.  There are 4 groups, but what happens when there's a fifth Monday?  Up until now, nothing.  But Sarah, our fearless leader thought that we could have some fun with a club-wide party for those interested.  We'd pick a theme, be assigned a blog, and make something for the theme.  This one is perfect for heading into fall.
Tailgating is a proud tradition involving lots of food, lots of alcohol, and the occasional sporting event.  Often, they take place in a parking lot while waiting for said event to happen.  J and I tailgate 7 or 8 Saturdays every fall, usually in the front seat of our car in Ann Arbor with Zingerman's Grab and Go Tailgate bag lunches before heading into the Big House to join the faithful (in case you ever want to try these...I recommend Benno's Birdie as a sandwich.  It's delicious!)
Weekends that the Wolverines are away, we start watching Game Day in the morning and usually turn off the TV around midnight (yes, we are that family) while eating a large breakfast and then finger foods in the evening.  I'll make wings, like I am this coming weekend; or nachos.  Sometimes, I'll make a hot baked dip.  Or sometimes, I'll make pizza.
I was assigned Wendy's blog, A Day in the Life On the Farm.  She and I both participated in Camilla's #TenDaysofTailgate last year, so I knew there would be lots of fun recipes that I might be able to use.  Ultimately, I made something I would never make for a true tailgate, but I would make for a long day of football, lounging, and too much food.
Wendy spent a year posting pizzas.  I found one that sounded good, and when I went back to look at her source material I discovered that this pizza was to mimic the absolutely delicious Chicago pizza of Pizza Papali's in Detroit.  While my favourite will be from the Pizza House in Ann Arbor, Pizza Papali's is darn good.  I was sold.  It's even meatless to boot.  Don't tell J.
I present to you now from A Day in the Life On the Farm, Chicago Style Pizza:

Mile High Vegetable Pie

So.
My mom is here for a few days.  We've been doing the family thing the last few days:  my mom's brothers and spouses, my cousins and spouses and their kids here; and then my mom and her brothers and cousins out for lunch a couple of days later.  With big family groups, we do a lot of potluck.  But with my mom staying here, we try a lot of new things.
My mother and I are both believers in having company and trying new recipes.  If it works, you're a genius, and if you don't, well...you have a funny story later and people to help you hide the evidence in the present.  So it's not a surprise when my mom comes that we try new recipes that we probably wouldn't try with 2 of us at home.
I know I've said it before, but I'm a big fan of the Podleski sisters and their wildly successful series of cookbooks, Looneyspoons.  Their recipes are fun, made with pantry staples, and delicious.  While their original cookbook is now somewhat outdated in terms of nutrition trends, the recipes are solid.  They're low in fat, and often with a few tweaks are something that we enjoy.
I don't tweak a lot of recipes without trying them once.  One should, I believe, trust the process of the author.  But in this case, when I read 2 cups of mushrooms, there was no way they'd be going into my main course; and I don't keep reduced fat butter or margarine, nor do I use egg substitute.  Tweaking was necessary.
This is exactly what the title suggests:  lots of vegetables on a crust.  With a little egg and cheese to hold it together, how could that be bad?
I present to you now from the Looneyspoons gals, Mile High Vegetable Pie:

Breakfast: Baked Peanut Butter Apple Oatmeal

So.
I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest.  I love that I can organize the interesting things I find and use it to plan for vacations.  I hate that I forget how I've reorganized things when it seems to be getting out of control.  I also hate how much of a master Pinterest is at the art of time suckage.
I can lose myself in pretty food pictures for hours.  I can click and click on home renovations that I don't have the time or the abilities to recreate.  But sometimes, one of my friends pins something that looks delicious, and I don't need to look so hard to find something that I'd like and might be good for me.
Case in point, this recipe.  My friend Lauren pinned it and I thought it looked so good.  I am often on the hunt for new things to make for breakfast that can be made ahead, and that is warm and delicious.  One of my New Year's resolutions was to eat breakfast regularly, and I've become much better about it.  When desperate, I have toast and jam; but I have looked for options that are a little more hot and filling.  About once per week, I do some sort of egg wrap for J and I, and I've frozen pancakes to reheat in the toaster.  I finally decided to make a batch of the baked oatmeal that I'd seen all over but not tried, and when it contained peanut butter, so much the better!
This was perfect and simple.  It also made enough to eat for the whole week.  I portioned it out into reheatable containers and stacked them in a corner of the fridge.  J and I both enjoyed this the first morning and reheated in the microwave with milk as the week progressed.  I definitely need to make more baked oatmeals!
I present to you now Two Peas and Their Pod's Baked Peanut Butter Apple Oatmeal:

Souper Sunday: Southwestern Bean Chowder

So.

The good thing about February being hellacold is that that there was lots of opportunity to eat great soups.  Just as well that I got a new soup cookbook for Christmas!  I went looking for something interesting one Sunday afternoon as I discovered how many things I didn't have in my pantry.
Perhaps the good thing about a lack of things that I think I have/can get easily is that I'll try things outside of my comfort zone.  This soup is a case in point.  Normally, I wouldn't think of making a meatless soup, nor one with quite as many beans.  But the picture was pretty, and I had everything to make it.
So on a cold afternoon, I set out to make a soup that would warm us and keep us going in a never-ending winter.
I present to you now Juli Meyers of Hinesville, Georgia's Southwestern Bean Chowder:

So Delicious: Spinach Po' Boys

So.
Has it been cold where you are for the last few days?  It has been bone-chilling, so seeing as it's the weekend (and a long one at that), I have been running around the house wearing pajamas, not going out.  It's incredibly therapeutic, and I highly recommend it - especially if pajamas apparently make your kitten cuddle with you more.
J and I were looking for a soup to ward off the insane cold of the past little bit.  I pulled out the new soup cookbook that I got for Christmas, and didn't find a soup but did find a sandwich that caught my eye.  J even thought it sounded promising.  I decided that the sandwiches sounded delicious, and they needed a lighter, broth-based soup; so I made a quick chicken and vegetable noodle soup and these sandwiches.  Make these.  They're amazing.
From Taste of Home, I present to you now Spinach Po' Boys:

Mardi Gras: Carrot Cake Pancakes

So.
Today is Pancake Day.  It is now 6 weeks to Easter, and I don't think I'm giving up anything for Lent.  Seeing as this is the first that I've even thought about it, I don't think I am giving up anything; other than perhaps winning on Roll up the Rim.
I decided that this year for Pancake Day that I would make a new recipe, and I went looking through my pins to find something interesting.  I found these.  They were even labelled "healthy".
Carrot cake is one of my favourite cakes.  The pineapple, the nuts, the cream cheese icing...so good.  While it is so good, it's also not really a breakfast option, nor the healthiest thing to eat on a regular basis.  Frankly, pancakes aren't really something to eat on a regular basis either.  But seeing as Marketplace announced that Nutella was akin to spreading candy on toast, pancakes can't be that bad...especially when you don't have the stuff in the house to make the cream cheese glaze.
Besides...I didn't have ground flax either.
I present to you now my take on Amy's Cooking Adventure Carrot Cake Pancakes:

Souper Sunday: Creamy Tomato Tortellini

So.
Last week, I blogged a soup that contained 9 oz of cheese tortellini.  When I took my package out of the freezer, I discovered that 1/3 of the Costco tripack I was using was about 18 oz.  That meant I needed to make not one, but two tortellini soups to use up the package.  No matter.  We love soup around these parts.
Soup is an incredibly versatile meal.  When you make your own, it can be hearty enough to stand on its own as the entree, and can include all of your favourite food groups (and maybe a few of your not-so-favourite ones).  If you're me, you can also use it to sneak a meatless meal past your husband.
This soup isn't quite as hearty as last week's, but it's still tasty, and surprisingly quick to throw together.  Despite not having been to the grocery store, I managed to pull everything I needed out of my pantry, fridge and freezer.  Don't skimp on the higher fat dairy...this would be thin without it.  Or try replacing some with evaporated milk.  Mouth-feel is important.
I present to you now Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup:

Bride of Magazine Challenge: Glazed Shallots

So.
I'm still making posts for things I made last year.  Sigh.  My excuse on this one is that these little gems graced our Christmas Dinner table.  I didn't really blog much between then and the end of the year.
I've made these and another onion side in the past year.  In both cases, J wasn't convinced that they were going to be good.  In both cases, he was pleasantly surprised.  Frankly, in terms of this recipe, so was I.
I'm not much of a sweet and sour girl.  I really don't think sweet things belong in an entree course.  But I thought these sounded good and they helped to fulfill my quota for Year 2 of the Magazine Challenge.
The biggest challenge?  Peeling a whole pound of shallots.  They're small and fiddly.  Martha did, however, have a tip for peeling them that did make decidedly short work of them.  Soak the shallots in warm water until the skins are wrinkled and cracked.  Then slip them off with a paring knife.  It didn't take me long that way!
I present to you now from the December 2006 issue of Everyday Food, Glazed Shallots:

Bride of Magazine Challenge: Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

So.
When I told J today that dinner would be meatless, he got really quiet.  My husband is a meat eater, if nothing else. He asked me if we'd need something else to go with the pasta, and I told him no.  With garlic bread and a salad, this was a nice, quick dinner.
I didn't do exactly what the recipe said.  I couldn't find sundried tomatoes that weren't in oil, so I started improvising.  I also halved the recipe to serve 2.  I don't regret my decisions.  We both enjoyed dinner...and were satisfied.  Go figure.
I present to you now from the June 2006 issue of Everyday Food, Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato Pasta:

Bride of Magazine Challenge: Pasta Salad with Broccoli and Peanuts

So.
I love being home for the summer.  I'm not always as motivated as I should be, but that's beside the point.  The long and the short of it is that I enjoy spending time in the house, cooking and slowly getting done the large number of projects around here that there never seems to be time to complete.
One of the things about being home for the summer is that I need to make lunches as well as dinners. While J believes that there should be meat at every meal, I am always on the lookout for recipes that use less meat or are meatless because I know that our consumption is probably higher than it should be.
When looking back through the issues of Everyday Food, one of the things I found were dinner salads that I had earmarked for making that were meat free.  This salad here is a case in point.  The protein is from the peanut butter and chopped nuts that are sprinkled over the salad.  Serving it warm the first day also makes it seem more of a meal and less of a side dish.
While I can't make this during the school year and take it to work because of allergies, it was a nice lunch for a couple of days this month.
I present to you now from the May 2006 issue of Everyday Food, Pasta Salad with Broccoli and Peanuts:

Bride of Magazine Challenge: Breakfast Tacos

So.
One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to eat breakfast daily.  While it's a great resolution in theory, I am not good on the follow-through.  My mother was here last week, watched me drink a glass of juice, and asked if I was planning to eat anything else.  The quick answer was no.
Despite my lack of breakfast on weekdays, we do fare a little better around here on weekends.  After using 7 egg yolks to make the Pumpkin custards, I had a container of whites in the fridge to use up.  When I saw this in the May 2006 issue of Everyday Food, I knew that I could use the whites and a variety of other things that are staples in the kitchen here on the mountain.
J and I, as previously mentioned, love Mexican flavours.  We don't usually find breakfast type recipes with Mexican flair, but this is an easy one.  Make them as tacos for a weekend breakfast at home, or burritos for tailgating.  Either way works.
I present to you now from the May 2006 issue of Everyday Food, Breakfast Tacos:

Bride of Magazine Challenge: Classic Tomato Soup

So.
You know why I do so well with the March issue of Everyday Food for the Magazine Challenge?  Because I'm home and can plan for making things that might take a little longer than usual, and because the number of meals I'm making suddenly doubles.  Obviously, I need to work from home to make my hobby easier to complete.
I haven't been making as much soup recently.  I don't know why not, but I haven't.  I love soup for lunch - it's quick, it's easy, and there are so many varieties.  I was a little confused as to why there would be both oil and butter in the recipe, but the roux is what helps thicken this up and make it more like the tomato soup that we know from a can.
But it's better than the can - it's not as sweet.  And there's more texture.  And flavour.  Have I sold you on making it yourself?  I hope so.
I present to you now from the March 2006 issue of Everyday Food, Classic Tomato Soup:

Easy Freezer Lunch: Bean Burritos (Magazine Challenge)

So.
This is a recipe that is good on a whole lot of fronts:  it's meatless, easy to pull out of the freezer and reheat, and delicious.  What's not to love?  They're also very versatile, seeing as you can change things to suit your preferences in terms of vegetables and whatnot.  I also find them very filling.  I can put one in my lunch bag in the morning, and it's defrosted by the time I'm ready for lunch. 
The one thing that I'm not very good at is burrito rolling, but my technique is improving. This video from Martha Stewart will take you through the steps.  It's actually the same recipe (more or less) that you'll find here.  Please come back and see what I did too!
I present to you now from the November 2005 issue of Everyday Food Bean Burritos:

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:

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: