Secret Recipe Club: Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows

So.
When the form came out asking if I wanted to participate in the Secret Recipe Club for July, I filled it out saying yes.  Why, I'm not quite sure.  I live in a great denial about the fact that June for me when I would need to make said recipe is a month filled with report card editing, graduation, and me eating out and grasping at the shreds of my sanity as we wind down to the end of school.  It's not that I don't like cooking, I just don't do it in June.  I need to remember this for next year so I freeze some meals and keep my debit card from smoking like this year.
But if I hadn't said yes, I wouldn't have been assigned the wonderful blog of LeAndra, who tends Love&Flour.  LeAndra and I have many things in common.  We both like to bake, we both love chocolate chips more than lettuce, and we both watch The Game at the end of November.
I find it interesting that LeAndra is a Buckeye turned Gator fan.  My experience of college football fans (and especially OSU fans) is that they have an almost visceral allegiance to their team for life.  Case in point, J lived in Gamecock country for a while but paid for the ESPN college football package so he could watch U of M on Saturdays.  He now does the same here in Canada, giving us the *big* sports package so he can watch the B1G 10 Network and College football when we're home.
In my married life, I have learned that college football is a religion, and Saturday is the day of holy obligation.  J has started counting down until we're back at the Big House in our new seats that will be more in the end zone and less facing the setting sun.  I am ignoring him because it means I will be back to school.  Ahem.  It's not time for football yet.  Right.  What I made.
I perused LeAndra's blog and had a hard time deciding between these cookies and chocolate cherry cookies.  I actually bought everything to make both, but the flavour combination of chocolate and peanut butter won the day!  The others come soon.  What else would I do with a bottle of cherry lambic?
I present to you now Love&Flour's Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows:

Bride of Magazine Challenge: Summer Edition

So.
It's halfway through year 2 of the Magazine Challenge.  I am so glad that this month is a double issue.  I need some time to catch up.  According to my stats, I've made 21 recipes so far from the 5 - 2006 issues of Everyday Food that I've perused so far this year.  What's good about this is that I've made more than 4 things per month of the magazine, especially when you consider how little I cooked in June.  But I do need the summer to rest, recuperate, and catch up.  There are some salads that I marked that I haven't made yet.  J and I will be eating those for lunch in the coming months.
The July/August issue of the magazine is perfect for summer:  it's the grilling issue.  I was interested in a couple of the burger recipes, and the shop once eat for a week has a menu that I actually want to make all of.  I'm thinking perhaps next week for 5 days.  You grill things and reserve parts for future nights.  I'd like to try and keep up.  As well, there are some really good looking desserts.  Being home all the time means that we're going to go through more dessert.
Here's what looks good from the 2006 issue of Everyday Food:

• Crunchy Ice Cream Loaf
• Salmon with Mustard Sauce and Asparagus
• Grilled Steak and Potato Salad
• Garlic Marinated Chicken with Grilled Potatoes
• Cobb Salad
• Grilled Vegetables Tostadas
• Cheddar Horseradish Burgers
• Tandoori Style Chicken Burgers
• Chocolate Ricotta Icebox Cake
• Rustic Plum Tart
• Raspberry Buckle

11 recipes.  That makes sense for a 2 month issue.  Let's see what happens.

Planning: July 4-10, 2014

So.
It's been a month.  Really.  Between report cards, the end of the year, and grad, I had few shreds of sanity remaining before leaving for a family wedding in Cincinnati and then gallivanting off to Toronto for Canada Day and a Blue Jays game where I got horribly burned shoulders.  With sunscreen.  Argh.
But now that the itching has subsided and we're home until going to Seattle at the end of the month, it's time to start cooking again!
Seeing as we haven't been to the grocery store in weeks, it's going to be an expensive experience at the grocery store today.  Plus, we're having friends over tomorrow, so there's a little more than usual to pick up.  But despite all that, and the fact that I'm going to be making lunches again, it should be a nice week.  The pool is open, there's propane in the tank for the grill, and I'm ready for summer!  Here's what we're eating on the mountain this week:

Lunches

• The end of the burritos from the freezer.  These have been great.  I have more beans in the freezer, so I'll whip up another batch before I go back to work.
• Sandwiches, chips and pickles.  Super easy, super quick.
• Pasta Salad with Broccoli and Peanuts.  There should be enough for 2 days here.
• Wonton Soup, and maybe fresh bread.  We'll see.

Dinners

I had a look through my Pinterest board, as well as the magazines for some inspirations.  I seem to be eating a lot from Budget Bytes this week.  That's really not a bad thing.

• Peanut-crusted Chicken, rice, and broccoli
• We're having people over, so burgers, hot dogs, chips, veggies and Potato Vinagrette.  Those coming are also bringing something.
• Buffalo Chicken Pizza
• Chicken, garlic and broccoli Skewers and Foil Potatoes
• Cheddar Horseradish Burgers
• Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Desserts

This gets its own category.  Just because.  There's a few things I'm planning:

• Crunchy Ice Cream Loaf
• Secret Recipe Club Stuff (coming Monday!)
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

When I lay it out like this, it's quite the week.  But it all sounds good.  And think of all the recipes I'll have to share!

Bride of Magazine Challenge: Steak Quesadillas

So.
J and I are always up for a quick, yummy meal.  I don't like to cook on week nights, and save big showy recipes for weekend hobby cooking when I have large amounts of time to dirty every piece of cookware in my kitchen.  But Monday to Friday I need something fast and simple or we go out.
These quesadillas are perfect.  It seems like there's a lot of steps, but I discovered that there really weren't that many dishes in the sink when I was done, and they went together relatively quickly.  I shredded the cheese and sliced the onions while the steak cooked, and then I cleaned up while the quesadillas baked.  We got 3 quesadillas out of the recipe, and that was a nice sized meal for the two of us:  one and a half each.  I often buy my steaks at Costco and divide them into servings for the 2 of us.  I used one of those strip steaks for these.  With a little steak rub, they were delicious.
It's June, and I've already made a recipe from the June 2006 issue.  That's an all good thing, seeing as June is crazy.  But when things are like this, it's not hard to make things for us to eat during the week.
I present to you now from the June 2006 issue of Everyday Food, Steak Quesadillas:

Bride of Magazine Challenge: Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

So.

When I was growing up, my favourite type of square was the Hello Dolly, also known as the Magic Bar.  I don't really know why.  My mother made dozens and dozens of squares every Christmas, and she never made Hello Dollies.  Perhaps it was just the novelty of those that my mother never made.  But chocolate chips, nuts, coconut and sweetened condensed milk on a cookie base?  Count me in.

As an adult where I could make Hello Dollies, I never do.  J and I like to have sweet treats in the house, but we seem to eat them very quickly.  So when I saw this recipe in the March 2006 Everyday Food, I was intrigued.  It used lots of pecans and chocolate chips, but that would make them yummy.  When they were finally done, I was just as happy that we had Home Church that night and I could take the squares with me so that J and I wouldn't eat them all.

They're not Hello Dollies, but J doesn't like coconut.  They're just as good...or even better.

I present to you now from the March 2006 issue of Everyday Food Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars:

Planning?? Whining?? You be the judge

So.
While I was well aware that XP was going away, I did nothing about it.  My laptop now is sloooooow, and I can't get the internet to open on it.
This wouldn't be a problem if the cat hadn't decided to be sick.  Last week, she saw her regular vet 3 times and spent 24 hours in emergency care for a tapeworm. (My cat has now had 3 enemas.  She hates us all when she's not being petted and snuggled.  But she's clean as a whistle, inside and out)
The laptop money went to the vet.  And then some.  Bleh.
So, the long and the short of this is I don't know when I'll be back up and running with pictures and everything.
But J and I have found a bunch of fun recipes to try in the meantime.  Southwestern Chicken Spaghetti, Steak Quesadillas, Chicken Taco Skillet.   It's Tex-Mex week around here, apparently.
I'll be back soon, once I've figured out how to make the cat pay for my laptop.  She must have some saleable skill...right?

Bride of Magazine Challenge: Coffee Cake Muffins

So.
In my quest to eat breakfast, I don't always think of muffins, but I think that perhaps I should.  It would be easy to make muffins more often than I do, and make a variety.  They freeze well, and can be changed up to suit what's in the cupboard.
Take these muffins as a case in point.  While there is a streusel topping on these muffins, there's very little else that makes me think "Coffee Cake".  No cinnamon, no nuts, but the original recipe called for raisins, which I guess you could put in coffee cake if that's how you roll.  That's not how I roll.
But I was pretty sure that these muffins would be wicked boring with nothing in them.  I still had some dried cherries leftover from making Hot Cross Buns, and I also had a small package of dried blueberries.  Both of those would be excellent in coffee cake!  And really, if I didn't have either of those, chocolate chips would be darn tasty in these little cakes too.
Plus, it's a recipe towards the Magazine Challenge.    That's not a bad thing.
I present to you now from the April 2006 issue of Everyday Food, Coffee Cake Muffins:

Secret Recipe Club: Dreamy Baked Ziti

(I have actually made 2 recipes for the Secret Recipe Club Reveal this month!  Make sure you scroll down and visit both recipes!!!  They were delicious!)

So.
Whenever J and I go to Olive Garden, I order the 5 Cheese Ziti.  When I order something else, I wish I ordered the 5 Cheese Ziti.  After doing this a couple of times, I learned and have a regular order.  While I have looked at copycat recipes for this amazing dish, I've never found anything that has made me sit up and want to try it.  The garlic, the cheese...how could I replicate the sauce?  Until now.  I finally found one to try.
This month for Group A's reveal for the Secret Recipe Club, I was given the blog, Cheese with Noodles.  Anna lives in Alaska with her husband, her bunnies and her cats.  Like me, she doesn't take the beautiful pictures that I aspire to...nor does she photo every recipe.  She does say, however, that the recipes need to be amazing to make it onto her blog.  Amazing food?  Count me in!
This ziti recipe looked easy, made a ton, and had lots of garlic.  Plus, with the cream in the sauce, perhaps it would be like that which I love from Olive Garden.  Information that could prove to be very dangerous in the wrong hands, which in this case would be mine.
I present to you now Cheese with Noodles' Dreamy Baked Ziti:

Secret Recipe Club: Margarita Donuts

So.
It's Reveal Day today for the Secret Recipe Club.  Once a month, I, along with the other people in my group, are assigned another blog of the group.  We stalk go through the assigned blog, choose a recipe, make it,  and all reveal at the same time.  Fun, right?
This month, I was assigned Searching for Dessert.  Shannon has a variety of desserts and meatless recipes to choose from.  I decided that ultimately this month I'd make a dessert to share.  I pinned a bunch of things for later, and made the Hot Fudge Cakes immediately (So.  Freaking.  Good.)  But when I saw this recipe, I was intrigued...and not just by the use of tequila.
Canada is the land of Tim Horton's - a donut shop and coffee temple that is every few blocks around these parts.  While my favourite donut is the Walnut Crunch, it's no longer available.  I've turned to the Canadian Maple for solace (although the last time I got anything but coffee at TImmy's is a little beyond me).  The Canadian Maple is much like a Boston Cream donut:  yeast donut with vanilla creme filling and maple icing.  I love filled donuts that don't leave a powdery remnant on my clothes, and the Canadian Maple is a winner.  I may have found a new favourite, though.  Margarita filling is darn tasty.
While I do enjoy a good margarita, my summer drink of choice is probably a G&T.  Gin would not make for a good tasting filling, even if you do boil the alcohol off as you make the lime curd.  But just a little tequila and a whole lot of lime?  In a word, YUM.  In a few words, even if you don't make the donuts, if you're looking for something amazing to drizzle over a cheesecake or eat off a spoon, might I recommend this margarita curd?  It is to.  Die.  For.
This recipe would have been awesome for last month...seeing as Reveal Day was May 5.  But you know, there's never a bad time for either donuts or margaritas!  So just a month late, I present to you now my Secret Recipe Club offering, Searching for Dessert's Margarita Donuts:

Bride of Magazine Challenge: June Planning

So.
We're now half way through another year of the Magazine Challenge.  It's amazing how much better I feel like I've done this year than last year.  I spend a lot of time planning and cooking from the Everyday Foods in a way I didn't before.  J and I have had a lot of yummy new recipes.
I've started thinking about the magazines themselves:  what am I planning to do with them at the end of the challenge?  Any recipes that I might want to make again I'll have in electronic form.  Do I get rid of the paper copies?  Anyone?  I'm not sure.  But seeing as I have a few more years of Everyday Food to explore, I don't need to decide any time soon.
When I started through the June 2006 edition, I wasn't sure that it was going to be a winner.  There were a lot of things that I wasn't interested in trying.  But when I got around to making my list, I had 9 recipes to try.  As I've said before, June's pretty dicey as far as interesting cooking.  It's the end of school, so I'm crazy busy, and it's the beginning of BBQ season, so we grill a lot.  But when I look at what I've come up with, I think 6 might be doable.  Currently, I make about 4 new things from Everyday Food every month.  6 would be impressive!
Here's what I'd like to try this month on the mountain:

• Sour cream Poundcake
• Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas
• Basil Butter
• Chicken and Basil Stirfry
• Steak Quesadillas
• Peanut Crusted Chicken Breasts
• Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato Pasta
• Potatoes Vinaigrette
• Lemon Cheesecake Squares

Very little dessert, and lots of yummy sounding entrees.  Here's to the end of school and a good month of cooking!