Tiramisu

I made this  before and it was really tasty and easy to make.  The only downside of this dessert is the cost of Mascarpone cheese!  It cost me $16 for a 400 gram container!  On the up side, it freezes really well which was another bonus.  And the fact it's simple, no eggs meaning less work...One thing I've learned is to not soak the lady fingers too long or too short of a time.  I find you should dip, feel the liquid starting to penetrate, flip, then quickly remove.  If you get the timing right there will be zero liquid left over.  I've had it where there was waaaay too much left and not enough.  You have to find the groove of it...

Baked Feta & Tomato Spaghetti Squash

This seemed like an easy and possibly tasty recipe so I thought I'd give it a try.  I didn't have fresh oregano and only had fresh Thai basil but I used it anyway as I think it has more punch. 👊  Here's what I used today:

Chicken Wing Tom Yum Soup

This was something new to try for me.  I never order Tom Yum soup when at Thai restaurants but I was intrigued by this recipe because of the use of chicken wings.  We're in the middle of a snow storm here so I ordered in groceries.  I was so sad when the lemongrass didn't show up 😞.  I bought this new soup infuser so wanted to try it out.  This was perfect for it.  What I used today and by no means am I calling it "authentic", it was just my take on Tom Yum soup:

Three Cup Chicken

Happy New Year!  I recently saw this recipe on food t.v. and then on a menu I was perusing at a Taiwanese restaurant.  It is basically a cup of each:  rice wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil = Three Cup Chicken.  The idea stayed in my mind so I decided to make it though I went with a recipe that wasn't one cup of each... What I used: 

Crunchwrap Supreme

I've never had the pleasure of eating one of these at Taco Bell, but I wanted to make them once I saw it on the interweb somewhere.  The crunch comes from a tostada in the middle then a soft tortilla is wrapped around to seal everything in.  It's then griddled.  I didn't have any nacho cheese sauce so just used "Cheez Whiz" instead:

Smokies wrapped in "Everything Bagel" Puff Pastry

I saw this on food t.v. this morning and was inspired by it.  I used smokies instead of hot dogs.  Mine came from a local butcher and are antibiotic, hormone and chemical feed additives free.  I was making Caprese salad with fresh tomatoes from the farmer's market and thought this would be a great accompaniment with it.  

Homemade Dumplings (for Chicken Soup)

I made my stock a couple of weeks ago so took it out of the freezer and made chicken soup.  I saw these dumplings on food t.v. so decided to give them a try.  For the soup I used rotisserie chicken, fresh herbs from my garden (thyme, dill, parsley & sage), carrots, celery and sweet onions.  For the dumplings:

Chorizo, Chickpea, Potato Soup

This is my own creation, so I'm writing it down in case it comes out okay.  Unfortunately the truth is that whenever I blog creations, they're usually a disaster.  It's always when I don't that I make something divine that never gets remembered.  Murphy's Law I suppose...

Grilled Romaine with Bagna Cauda & Spicy Shrimp

I saw this and knew I had to make it.  Chef Petroni said this bagna cauda recipe was Argentinian.  I just cleaned my grill/smoker and got it ready for the season.  My friend was coming to pressure wash my deck and she adores anchovies so I decided this would be perfect for lunch.  She has some allergies so I made quinoa breadcrumbs instead of the recipe below though I added the sesame seeds and Italian seasoning.  A note about the quinoa breadcrumb recipe, it sure didn't take 20 minutes at 200°F to get crispy.  After 40 minutes and nothing, I turned it up to 275°F for another HOUR.  The last 15 minutes I cranked the oven to 400°F.  What I used today:

Slow Roasted Crispy Pork Belly

I got a good deal on pork belly at the grocery store ($13!) so searched for a suitable recipe and came up with this one.  I've tinkered with tiny pieces of pork belly with no recipes; and had mixed results.  I needed to follow a guideline so I didn't waste my time or the meat.  I had to adjust the cooking time as my pork was double the size as the recipe and I just guessed at it.  What I used: