Chocolate Banoffee Pie

I made this for Christmas Day dessert.  It didn't seem complicated and that is my kind of dessert, if I have to make them.  I bought the Dulce de Leche pre-made in the can which made it even easier.

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

We love tater tots and I like using them in casseroles once in a while.  🎄🎅 Christmas day is a good one for this. The ingredients I used were:

Dill Pickle Soup

My friend loves everything pickles.  I always chuckle to hear her banter with my son who despises everything pickles.  They are at complete odds on the subject.  As I was having her over for Christmas time cheer and appetizers at my house, I decided to make this for her.  The recipe was very appealing actually...I added an onion as I just can't make a soup without one.  It is against all my principles not to as far as soup is concerned 😉.  I also added some dill and changed her preparation a bit to suit my needs.  The edits are below.

Egg in a Frame with Fried Salami

Appy night left me with lots of leftover salami!  So, I remembered seeing Chef Symon prepare this on "The Chew" and decided to do it for my son this morning.  My dad used to make this for me when I was a little girl too, though he called it "egg in a frame" rather than "egg in a hole".

Christmas Season Appetizer Night

I made many dishes tonight for guests. It was a bit of work planning (a child too so I had to consider that for spice, etc) and trying to fit what I could in my small (kitchen) home.  It all worked out in the end, and was a wonderful, fun evening.  Here's a list and links to recipes of what I made.  Some are from my blog, others direct to the recipe I used:

Tortellini Skewers

I made these with an array of other dishes for guests.  It seemed like a nice appetizer to do.  I didn't follow her recipe quantities as I didn't need to make that much and frankly, they seemed a little off.  I used:

Mission Fig Jam

I am having guests over for Christmas appies, and am doing a cheese plate.  I wanted to have some kind of jam for it.  I had bought some dried apricots and Mission figs and discovered a recipe for a quick and easy jam!  I was excited and decided to try it and made my own edits to it.  I added in a good dash of balsamic vinegar as well.

Spicy & Sweet Pretzel Nut Mixture

I thought these would make nice token gifts for friends over the Christmas season.  I have never made any kind of "Nuts n Bolts" or nut snacks so I wanted to give it a try.  I looked at lots of recipes but liked this one  and tried it first.  I'm glad I did as it wasn't sweet enough and was also very spicy.  I didn't mind that, but I wasn't sure friends/guests would be so enthused.  What I didn't like was the smoked paprika (my own personal dislike).  My son ate some and I crushed the rest using them in a grain pilaf with dates, which was good.

PB&J Cereal French Toast

I saw this on "The Chew" and thought I'd try it out for my son.  I was only making one sandwich so obviously had to cut my ingredients down from the recipe.  I was going to put a banana in it too but alas, I forgot to buy it when I was at the grocery store.  I used:

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Breadcrumbs and Brussels Sprouts

The nice thing about "Google" is you can put in the ingredients you have and Voila, up pops a recipe.  This was it for tonight.  I spent the whole day cleaning and Christmastizing the house so I wanted to make something easy and simple.

Baked Ziti with Bacon & Goat Cheese

I came up with this in my head tonight after debating whether to order in or not.  I've been bad with ordering in this past week so decided to see what I could put together from what was in the house.  The ingredients I came up with:

Chicken & Ham Pot Pie in a Cast Iron Pan

I saw chef Michael Symon on "The Chew" making a turkey pot pie and I stole the idea of the cast iron pan and puff pastry.  If you know me, you know I love my cast iron pan more than anything.  I made a pot pie and used these ingredients:

Beef & Beet Borscht

I was telling my friend about these great precooked organic beets that I buy at Costco.  She says she likes to make Borscht with beets.  I can't remember ever having Borscht before, though I know I've seen it.  Well, since I have never made it before and I had the vacuum sealed packs of beets in the fridge crisper, I decided to give it a try.  I looked at a lot of different recipes and then came up with this one for me.  Obviously, the nice thing was that I wouldn't have to peel the beets. The hard thing would be getting my son to like this dish.  He doesn't like beets, dill or cabbage... I used:

Turkey Pesto Calzone

I had some frozen pizza dough in the freezer.  I still haven't gone grocery shopping since coming home from vacation so this is what I came up with for dinner, for my son tonight.  I needed a little help to get started so found this post helpful.

Slow-Cooker BBQ Ribs

First day back from vacation so I wanted to make something super easy.  I had some ribs in the freezer that I wanted to use up.  I decided to do a dry rub and then put them in the crock pot.  I get my Canadian made BBQ sauce that I really like by Cattleboyz (I like "Original") so I used that instead of making my own.

Chicken, Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups with Alfredo Sauce

When I go away on vacation, I always leave my son a casserole to get him started.  This was the one, this time.  I've seen many recipes for this in different variations, but created my own and it was pretty easy.  I didn't make it all from scratch and took some shortcuts.  I used:

Southern-Style Smothered Chicken

The PBS show "Cook's Country" where I made the "Apple Pandowdy" from, also made this dish in that episode.  That episode was called "Smothered & Dowdied".  I found the recipe online so I didn't have to write it out myself, which was nice.  This looked fantastic and I wanted to make it too.  It made me drool watching them put this together.  I did all my mise en place first today and it felt good - all I had to do was dump, stir and cook once I started...

Fesenjan (Chicken Stew with Walnut & Pomegranate Sauce)

I saw this Fesenjan (pronounced fesenjoon) dish while watching "Food Network" and thought it would be an interesting fall dinner (and I have lots of walnuts in the house).  I found a recipe I liked here and went for it.  I found a Middle Eastern grocer and was able to pick up the pomegranate "sauce", no problem, though I think I bought molasses - it was bitter.

Lentejas (Mexican Lentil Stew)

I realized how much I liked lentils when I made lentil meatballs on the weekend, that I wanted to try something like a soup next.  I found this recipe, and I made a few edits.  I liked that it had plantain in it and I've always wanted to cook with them.  I only know of one place in town where I can buy them and its an Asian market, though it has a wide variety of items...

Apple Pandowdy

What's in a name, right???  I saw this on a PBS show called Cook's Country.  I couldn't find the recipe online, but I had the show recorded so just went from that (play, pause and write down the ingredients/cooking steps).  I made this for my son and it seemed like a nice autumn dish.

Turkey Chili Stuffed Acorn Squash

I saw this recipe float by on social media and thought it would be great for a Monday, especially because I took homemade turkey chili out of the freezer last night.  Mine was really close to hers in the recipe except I used ground dried chilis to make my chili powder.  I had kidney beans in mine too.  I usually make squash a lot in the autumn but haven't made any this year so far.  I washed the acorn gourds good and preheated the oven to 400°F.  I cut the squash in half and cleaned out the seeds with a spoon.  I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper, sprayed with cooking oil.  I brushed olive oil inside the squash and seasoned with kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper.

Lentil Meatballs

This recipe just looked delicious and extremely intriguing so I had to try it.  I think the only reason I hadn't yet was because of the Lebanese 7-spice.  Yes, I could have made it myself, I was just lazy because the recipe had so many steps to it.  I remembered there was this little store by work that sold mainly Mexican products but also had some Middle Eastern supplies.  And lucky me, I found it there.

Thanksgiving: Spicy Soy Chorizo Green Bean Casserole

I make different versions of this dish on special occasions.  This was my own personal spin on it this Thanksgiving.  I always use fresh green beans.  I think I used frozen one year and I hated it.  I wouldn't even consider using canned, ever.  However,  I usually do use Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, because frankly, I like it in this dish and it's easy.  I always use bacon too, but decided soy chorizo would make it a bit healthier though unfortunately still high in sodium.  I made this the day before so all I would have to do is bake it off when the bird came out.  The ingredients I used:

Thanksgiving: Southern Cornbread Dressing With Oysters and Soy Chorizo

Every Thanksgiving, I try to make a new stuffing.  Last year I did this one.  I have always wanted to make an oyster dressing, and this would be the year!  I LOVE raw oysters, but cooked, I generally only like when deep fried or covered up like in "Oysters Rockefeller"... I wasn't sure what to expect, so this was an experiment...

Disneyland's Blue Bayou Monte Cristo Sandwich

This sandwich is about wonderful memories my son and I share.  I took him here on our first visit to Disneyland when he was six.  We went to the Blue Bayou restaurant and enjoyed this luxurious treat.  We repeated this every year after, on every visit.  This is the definition of decadent and if you ever visit Disneyland, I highly recommend the experience by savoring it over the bayou of the Pirates of the Caribbean.  Truly a magical experience... He was so excited when I told him I was going to make this for him tonight.

Crock-Pot: Brown Sugar & Roasted Garlic Pulled Pot Roast

I'm not a big fan of the crockpot.  I think it makes food taste funny and mutes spices and flavor.  However, sometimes you just don't want to cook and that's me on Friday nights.  I saw this and thought I'd give it a try. If it turned out, I could make my son beef dips with it, which he loves.

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

We went to the movies after work today, so when we got home, I was looking for something easy to make.  The night before I looked around at the ingredients I had in the fridge/cupboard and decided I could do enchiladas.  I made the filling and I used:

Chicken, Chorizo, Corn, Chard & Gnocchi Soup

I saw a copycat recipe for "chicken gnocchi soup" which apparently is at "Olive Garden".  I have never eaten there (probably a good thing for my figure), so have never had the soup.  Anyway, it inspired me to make my own version of it as it looked comforting and tasty.  I had made another pot of homemade chicken stock, so was ready to go.  I kept extra stock as I was sure those gnocchi were going to steal the broth when left sitting and having leftovers the next day.

Grilled Peach, Onion and Bacon Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I wanted to make it.  Local peaches are everywhere now and are my favorite seasonal fruit.  I hadn't seen any really great peaches so far though, but I finally found some that would work and they tasted amazing.

Blushing New England Fish Chowder

It's been a tough week.  I wanted something comforting but healthy.  I saw this soup and wanted to make it.  The "heat wave" was looking to end or at least cool down a little and soup to me is always comfort food.  I did a couple of changes/edits which are detailed below in my choice of ingredients.  It looks like a lot of stuff but I thought this recipe was not taxing on my time at all.

Mini Seedless Cucumber Salad

The "heat wave" continues.  My grocery store by work has a lot of farm fresh produce items at this time, so I chose some mini cukes and they looked really good.  They were from Chilliwack.

Hong Kong Style Baked Tomato Pork Chop Rice

This is probably what I order every time I go to a "Hong Kong Cafe" in town here.  I've pretty much stopped eating pork, but was really craving it, so decided to make it worthy and this recipe looked damn fine!  I bought some plain white rice from an express Asian takeout place and it cost me $5 but I guess it was worth it, since it wan't gummy.  (I don't have good luck with long grain white rice - I make it mushy more times than not).  I also bought pork sirloin chops, they looked relatively lean compared to the center cut chops I looked at.

Kale Caesar Salad

I had a meeting up where I used to work today and had a few minutes to spare prior.  It gave me a chance to go to a really good veggie store.  I was able to pick up a bunch of local kale for 79 cents and thought a crisp salad was in store for dinner.  I have my go-to Caesar dressing that I've been making for over 20 years now, but I was looking at recipes and decided to give this one a try for a change of pace.  I really liked that it was made with Greek yogurt!!  I always do mine with oil and raw egg, like a mayo.  I bought a nice Artisan baguette, but changed my mind and decided not to make the croutons so used these:

Instant Pot: Stewed Chicken with Corn (Pollo Guisado con Maiz)

I saw this and thought I'd make it with the local corn that is on sale now.  I used bone-in, skinless chicken thighs instead of legs.  It's been a long while since I used my Instant Pot and I've only used it once, so it was time to try again.

Italian Wedding Soup

My freezer was getting full of chicken carcasses so I had to make some broth.  And oh my, the broth I made was sooooo good, I had to make sure I made something that enhanced the flavor and showed it off.  I decided on this soup - one of my all time favorites when dining out and I see it on a menu.  I've only made a mock one before and I wasn't very impressed with it.  I'm always looking for escarole or curly endive but never find it.  I looked again this time but had to settle on local curly kale.  Here's what I used:

Bocconcini Salad

This doesn't get much easier.  We bought some "mini mini" bocconcini so didn't even need to cube it.  There's nothing amazing or even inspiring about this dish, except that it took me 5 minutes to put together.  It was fresh and perfect in its simplicity for this summer day.

Southern Tea Room Chutney Chicken Salad

This really was a "Waldorf salad" with chutney, and pecans instead of walnuts.  It seemed like a good dinner for this hot weather we've been having and I liked the idea of the chutney.  I bought my rotisserie chicken from Costco and used the whole thing.  Below are the recipe ingredients with my own amounts & spin on them - I added the lime.

Vivian Howard's Blueberry Cobbler with a Cornmeal Sugar-Cookie Crust

So, blueberries are in season and I always try to cook that way -  using those ingredients.  Like every year, I usually try to make some in season fruit dessert for my son - one per year as I do not like to bake.  This year, because I was reading my Vivian Howard cookbook, which I love to pieces, I decided to make him this.  Plus, he said cobblers are one of his favorite desserts.  (I only remember making ONE good cobbler for him,  this one, it was a beauty!)  I love that she (Vivian) worked at elevating something as simple as a cobbler.  Her words are below between the lines and this makes a 9 × 13-inch dish.  I HIGHLY recommend buying this cookbook!!!  I can't say enough good things about it...absolutely enthralling.

Slow Cooker Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe

A couple of weeks ago, I bought some bottled "Jerk" stuff and marinated some wings.  The outcome and taste was horrible and didn't taste anything like I had in the Caribbean.  I decided to try making the seasoning myself and found this recipe which looked like it had potential.  I actually wanted to use thighs this time but none were at my grocery store which I have never seen before, so I went with drumsticks like the recipe called for.

Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce

It was cool out today, rained and it's been a rough week.  I thought some comforting lasagna would be a good thing to make.  I love it but rarely make it since it's not good health wise.  The only thing "light" I bought was the mozzarella cheese.  I hoped it melted okay since it was half the fat... The lasagna noodles had eggs in them too, so this was going to be a nightmare for my cholesterol.   And go figure, by the time  I was going home from work, the sun was back out and it was boiling hot again.  I used:

Falafel Pitas with Homemade Hummus

I didn't make the falafels (vegan), another time, perhaps.  I didn't make the Tzatziki either.  I picked up both of these items at Costco.  I bought whole wheat pitas as well.  I mixed up some thinly sliced red onion, halved grape tomatoes and finely chopped parsley.  I mixed it with some extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and S&P.  I let this sit in the fridge.  For the hummus, I just used a really basic recipe.

Eggs Benedict with Homemade Hollandaise sauce

I made brunch today.  Eggs Benny & Tater Tots.  Sounded perfect.  I haven't made this dish for years now.  I used to make it quite often, like 20 years ago.  I started by doing as much as I could so I could be organized.  I preheated the oven then put the tater tots in.  I chopped a little curly parsley, fine.

Tomahawk Bone-In Rib-Eye Steak

I have eaten very, very little beef or pork in the last 6 months.  Nothing more than a burger here and there for beef.  I've eaten less beef than pork (bacon I still have to do once in a while, even if it's just 2 slices instead of 10).  Being half way through the year, I deemed this cheat weekend.  This was my take on a steakhouse dinner.

Summer Minestrone Soup

I have never made minestrone soup before, ever.  I never eat minestrone either.  The reason I am calling this "summer" soup is because it's summer.  😜  I threw a zucchini in, so there, that makes it summery.  I had a bunch of veggies in the fridge and I had to use them.  I had planned other dishes, like for my eggplant, but never ended up making it and it was starting to get soft so I had to use it up.  This would be a mishmash of veggies that needed to go out of my fridge.  Here's what I rounded up:

Watermelon-Thai Chili Gazpacho

Every summer I make gazpacho for a friend at work.  The favorite one I have made so far is here.  I've been trying to do different ones each time, so I picked this one for this years go at it.  4 birds eye chilies seemed like it would be HOT, but I followed his recipe.  I actually probably doubled all the ingredients except for the chili peppers.  I could add more if needed but could not take out, so I was leery...I also added a teaspoon of Red Boat fish sauce.  I was trying to get the Thai Balance:  Sweet, Sour, Spicy, Salty and Bitter.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I didn't make the crust but there are many recipes out there.  I even have one bookmarked, though I haven't tried it yet.  I know my friend tried a recipe once, but it wasn't the most successful outcome.  Lucky for me, Trader Joe's sells them!  $3.99 USD.

Turkey, Pinto/Cannellini Bean Chili

Today found me "under the weather" and at home.  Looking around at what I could make for dinner, I found some frozen turkey in the freezer and pinto beans in the cupboard so decided on chili.  I thawed the meat.  I discovered a bunch of good ingredients I could utilize for it.  I used:

Vivian Howard's Fried Okra Hash

I found fresh okra at the market yesterday and was so excited.  I thought about Vivian Howard's recipe and decided I should try it as I always make "gumbo" with okra when I have it.  Time for a change!  She does a whole wonderful chapter about okra in her book, and yes, you should buy her cookbook.  😊 This was very simple and I made it as a side for dinner this evening, which was leftovers from last night (chicken & corn).

Vivian Howard's Fresh Corn Roasted in Chicken Drippings

I am waiting for our local Chilliwack corn to come in season, but it's still too early yet.  I love this stuff.  Sweetest and bestest corn ever.  So, I bought "other" fresh corn today (not local) as I was inspired to make this recipe.

Vivian Howard's "Fancy Sandwiches" or to me: "High Tea" Cucumber Sandwiches

I will be doing a few of Vivian Howard's recipes this summer and every time I do I will mention how good her cookbook is and suggest you buy it.  It is more than recipes, it is her life stories about the South, and they are captivating.  In fact they moved me...550 pages too! It's been a long time since someones words touched me, and who would have thunk it would be a cookbook that did it?  Not me...

Fisherman's Stew

I had these frozen cod fillets in my freezer from Costco and I thought maybe a good way to use them would be to make a fish soup or stew.  I was going to add some prawns but ultimately decided I'd leave them out tonight, but I'm sure they'd be great too - any seafood would be good.  I also was going to zest some lemon or lime but got lazy, so didn't end up adding that.  I kept the liquids to a minimum as it is my experience that any thawed frozen fish exudes tons of water.

Turkey Patty Melts

I saw this on "The Chew" and thought I'd try a Daphne Oz recipe as I don't think I've done one of hers yet.  It looked really good and I love that she used fresh herbs for the flavor, which is my favorite thing to do in food.

Red Beans & Rice (Cauliflower Rice)

This is such a comforting dish.  I am familiar with it from New Orleans and have made it at home before with the legendary Camellia beans.  It is a Creole meal, traditionally served on Mondays there.  This would be our Sunday dinner tonight.  I have made it before and it is very carb heavy which is why it is comfort food, I guess.  To make this less carby, I was going to use cauliflower for the rice.

Swiss Chard and Ricotta Portobello Caps

I saw this on "The Chew" and thought it looked really good.  But wow, portobello mushrooms are so expensive here, or at least "downtown" where I bought them!  4 caps cost me $12!  I was going to do these on my cast iron grill.  While I love my Lodge cast iron frying pan more than anything, this grill hasn't been kind to me and is not "seasoned" yet even though it was supposed to be "pre-seasoned".  Food sticks to it and it's not pretty, so I've barely used it.  It's almost impossible to clean it as well, a real PITA (pain in the ass).  It cost me $100 too, so I'm determined to get it to where I can enjoy it.

Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers

I bought 4 beautiful red peppers to make this recipe.

Curried Carrot Soup

I asked my son to pick up my favorite carrots with tops from Costco.  They're in a 1.5 lb bag.  I was going to roast them, like I've done before in the picture below...aren't they beauties?

German Potato Salad

I have never made this before and I'm not even sure if I've tasted it either.  I'm sure I probably have at some point in my life, but I can't recall.  Anyway, since I saw it pop up somewhere on social media, I've been obsessing over it.  Today was the day I decided to make it.  I looked at a lot of different supposedly "authentic" recipes and in the end, I liked this one best.  I pretty much followed the recipe exactly.  I used chives and parsley because my son detests dill.  If it were just for me, I would have used dill.  I even had German mustard at home!

Meatless “Meat” Sauce with Chickpeas and Mushrooms

I got this recipe from Cook's Illustrated.  It looked worth a try.  I was going to use my Trader Joe's brown rice quinoa fusilli pasta for this.  I started dinner really late this evening as I was watching the "Survivor" finale on t.v., and my son worked late so wasn't home anyway...The finale was 3 hours long, so I did my mise en place during commercials.  It worked well actually.  I had everything ready to go when I was ready to cook.

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs

This is an easy way to get that "fried chicken" fix without all the work or fat.  I marinated some bone-in, skin on chicken thighs in some buttermilk, hot sauce and seasonings for 6 hours in a Ziploc bag, in the fridge.

Homemade French Onion Soup

I saw Vidalia onions from Georgia while out shopping and bought a bag of them.  They are my favorite of all onions.  I thought about making French Onion soup.  I decided to try caramelizing them in my crockpot overnight so I wasn't stuck stirring at the stove for hours.  I've done that many times but have never tried the crockpot method. I used 3 really large ones, probably about a pound each.  I peeled them, halved them and then cut them in thin slices.  I added 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt.  I stirred until all the onions were coated and then put the crockpot on low for 12 hours.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce & Kraft Dinner Casserole

Whenever I go away on vacation, I leave my son a casserole to start his meals off.  A co-worker told me this recipe when he was young.  I was always looking for quick, easy, tasty, kid friendly ideas.  This was one and we both loved it.  I don't make it now, because I don't used processed foods much any longer, but today this really suited the purpose, and it was nostalgic to me in the sense of his childhood.  It's nice to enjoy food memories from the past at times.  It's very simple:

Chicken Stew

So, I used what ingredients I had in my fridge and made a stew with them.  I had 4 chicken thighs with legs, so cut them up to make 8 pieces.  I seasoned with Trader Joe's "Garlic salt, sea salt, roasted garlic, onion and parsley" and fresh cracked pepper.  I browned them in some olive oil and then took them out and set them aside.  The rest of the ingredients I used are:

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts were on sale this week, so I picked some up.  I was debating at trying the "Chicken Kiev" dish again, but then saw this recipe and decided it would be dinner.  It looked easy and not fussy, which was what sold me.  Plus my son and I agreed that with that chicken kiev, it would have been better with cheese.  I had some nitrate free deli ham from Trader Joe's and some Emmentaler Swiss cheese in the fridge so it was all good.  I decided not to make the sauce though it looked great - I love sauces - I could be the mother of all mother sauces, but I thought that the cheese was enough for excess calories tonight.  For sides, I had sauteed mushrooms and leftover baby potatoes from brunch yesterday.  I gave my son some mac & cheese, mushrooms and corn for his.

Smoked Turkey, Chicken Andouille & Pinto Bean Enchiladas

I had lots of leftovers from this last night, so I decided to make enchiladas with it.  I also had some low-carb tortillas in the fridge too, so thought this would be a good use for them.

Scrapple

Two co-workers and myself got together and purchased some Scrapple.  We can't get it Canada so my co-worker kindly picked it up at her address in Washington State for us.  They ship it on ice packs.  We'd all heard of it but never tried it.  So, the ingredients are not very appetizing, if you get it as it was originally made, with awful offal... Ours didn't have that.  We ordered from "West Coast Scrapple".  Ours was made with "high-quality lean ground pork".

Crock-Pot: Smoked Turkey Legs with Pinto Beans & Bacon Corn Bread

This is my re-do of a soul dish I once knew.  My dad's last wife (R.I.P.) was a great cook.  She was black and taught me soul food before I knew what that was.  Her fried chicken and sweet potato pie will be forever etched in my memory.  I never have had either since that compare to hers...She taught me how to make the chicken but I have never come close to recreating it.

Philly Cheesesteak Sliders

I had a pack of King's Hawaiian rolls in my freezer and I had to take them out, and now I had to use them.  I thought Philly cheesesteaks sounded good.  I bought 2 New York Strip loins and cooked them in my cast iron pan like here.

Easter Dinner: Honey Baked Pork Roast

I was going to make turkey and then ham (too much sodium!) and then I couldn't decide.  I came across this recipe and got a pork picnic roast on sale - $10 for 5 lbs, so went with it .  It's been a long time since I've had roast pork so this felt like quite the nice splurge.  My side dishes were going to be roasted baby carrots with tops, mashed baby creamer potatoes with roasted garlic and lastly, gravy.  Very simple.  The recipe also supplied directions for a honey mustard sauce to serve along side the roast so I opted to do both - that, and the gravy.

Perfect Instant Ramen

I thought this was a good thing to make my son for lunch when he got up today.  It's Easter Sunday and he rarely gets a Sunday off from work so I expected I wouldn't see him until around noon time.  This is from chef Roy Choi.  Below is the blurb and recipe from the NY Times cooking site:

Mushroom Green Bean Chow Mein

I don't make chow mein, I think it's much easier to order it in.  Also, my son doesn't like it, so there's really no sense in making it, as I'll just eat it all.  However, last weekend, I was at an Asian grocery store and the fresh noodles compelled me to buy them.  Unfortunately I didn't read the ingredients then and saw there was eggs in them, therefore:  cholesterol.  I am doing well with not eating real eggs often, so decided it was fine tonight.  My co-worker just brought some "Mandarin Orange Chicken" back from Trader Joe's for me, so I decided to do this for dinner tonight.  This particular TJ's chicken is rated really highly on the Interweb so I wanted to try it.

Chicken Kiev

I stumbled across this recipe on the weekend and decided to give it a whirl, though I did my own thing with it.  It looked relatively easy for the weeknight.  I would serve with some salad and a baguette to sop up that sauce.  Normally my grocery store always has boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale but not this week.  They did have bone in breasts on sale so I bought 4 of those and decided I'd make them boneless and skinless myself.  I cut down along the bone, removed the tendons and the skin.

Mushroom & Eggplant Sloppy Joes

My grocery store had my favorite potato buns in stock and on sale, so I thought I would try this recipe.  I usually make sliders but thought this would be healthier.  I saw it on "The Chew" over the weekend and it looked really yummy.

Roasted Spatchcock Chicken, Carrots & Tomatoes

The rain kept me from my lunch time walk again 😢.  I did do a short walk though and went to Costco.  I bought tonight's dinner and it was pretty easy to make.

Fish Tacos

I bought some Pacific Snapper today and decided to make fish tacos with corn tortillas.  I bought pre-packaged slaw and dressed it lightly with Hidden Valley Ranch dressing.  I added in a diced jalapeno pepper with seeds and cracked fresh pepper over it.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

I really only planned one meal for the weekend and decided I would make that tomorrow, so I looked in the freezer to see what was available.  There was a pork tenderloin so I took that out.  The nice thing is it doesn't take long to thaw.  I was thinking about roasting it as I didn't feel like making anything too bothersome for dinner.  I had some bacon left so decided to wrap it in it to help with the leanness of the pork.  I searched the cupboard and saw that I had some Weber BBQ rub so thought that would be a good idea too.

Country Captain Chicken

Got a good deal on a whole chicken and then didn't want to cook it, wasn't feeling it.  Went through a bunch of recipes and had to decide on something tonight as the chicken has been sitting in the fridge for 2 days now.  I went for a "Low Country" Southern recipe.  I saw this recipe on a cooking show once and I remember it looked really good.  The other good thing was that I got my delivery from Anson Mills today, so thought the rice below would be ideal for this dish!

Arugula, Mozzarella, Prosciutto & Egg Flatbread Pizza

I made this for my son tonight.  Another rainy day found me walking to Costco again at lunch and I saw flatbreads so thought I would check them out.  I have never bought them before.

Tuna Casserole

I've been rolling this idea around in my head for a few weeks now.  As I'm a big fan of "comfort food", that would include casseroles.   Monday's are made for comfort food, aren't they? I think the last time I made a tuna casserole was like when my son was little so maybe 20 years ago or more and, GASP, I probably used "Tuna Helper" out of a box too.  Anyway, I know he didn't like it, lol.

Toasted Sardine Sandwich

Sundays I get up really early and drive my son to work for 7am because I'm a nice mom.  I usually come home to watch early morning cooking shows and go back to bed for a nap after.  I was starving this morning, so decided to make one of my favorite sandwiches.  My dad used to make these when we were kids and I grew fond of them.  That being said, I don't like the "Brunswick Sardines" in the grocery store that he used now.  It's quite easy to find European ones and even wild ones now at some of the grocery stores I frequent, and I always buy them in olive oil.  Sardines have lots of good health benefits, like Omega 3's and more.  I always keep a stash on hand in my cupboard.

Totally Unauthentic Mee Goreng (Malaysian Stir-Fried Noodles)

This was my version of a dish that I like very much, with ingredients I had at home.  I was craving noodles tonight and I was looking for a way to use up the leftover cod (in marinara sauce) from last night.  For my sauce I was going to use:

Poached Cod in Tomato Sauce

I saw this and thought "how easy is that?"  It was a rainy day, so I took a wander walk to Costco at lunch.  The fresh cod at Costco is amazing, but pricey in a large pack, so I consider it a splurge.  I never want to freeze it so have to cook it in one go.  Speaking of splurges, I bought a jar of Rao's sauce as well.

Creamy White Chicken Chili

This just looked yummy when I saw it, so I decided I had to make it.  Perfect for a week night, meaning easy and quick, besides the chopping, but I'm used to doing it on auto-pilot now.  I also still had some tostadas to use up, so this would be perfect for that.  I also had one of my favorite Trader Joe products which is the Hatch Valley Salsa, so a jar of that was going in too.  In the recipe, hers looked kinda like soup, so I decided I would puree some of the beans to make it more thicker and maybe lessen some of the broth if I had to.  I had the exact same canned chilies as she did too, and would see if I needed one or two after I put the salsa in.  I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they were on sale.  I had a yellow/orange pepper in the fridge so diced that up.  And, cilantro was not in the recipe, but I added that in and for garnish as well.  I sliced some green onions and lime wedges for garnish as well.  I also bought some zero fat sour cream and I used "Better than Bouillon" 50% reduced sodium chicken base for the broth.  I made 2 cups.

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

I thought I'd try a new "meatloaf" recipe for one of my favorite comfort foods.  I saw this on Cook's Country on PBS so will post the recipe here since you have to register to see it online.  I didn't use Bulls-Eye as it is my least favorite.  I just used some Paul Newman stuff that was on sale.  I also used a natural smoked bacon with no preservatives.  I used the full 375 gram pack.

Soy Chorizo, Yam and Fake Eggs Hash

I miss eggs at the best of times watching my cholesterol.  Eggs and cheese most.  I still have cheese (limited) but eggs I avoid unless I'm tempted by something irresistible and I don't make a habit of them.  Giving them up in Ramen was a hard one.  I've used this yummy soy chorizo here.

Anson Mills Rustic Polenta Integrale With Mushrooms and Soy Sauce

I've been planning to make Mushroom Risotto in my "Instant Pot", but haven't got to it yet.  When I saw this recipe, I knew I would make it first before the risotto.  I have Anson Mills polenta in the freezer and have been deciding on a worthy recipe for it.  This was it.  I actually have a bunch of recipes I'm planning to make, waiting for me to get to, but when I saw this, it became #1 on my  list.  I followed the website directions on my polenta for this meal.  I already knew that the *star* of this dish was going to be the polenta.

BBQ Chicken Pineapple Pull-Apart Sliders

We can't get "King's Hawaiian Buns" here, not anywhere, at least not to my knowledge.  When I saw this recipe on "The Chew", I decided I had to ask my co-worker who shops in the States for me, if she could find them.  And she did...

Chicken/Shrimp, Asparagus, Bell Pepper, Cabbage, Mushrooms & Onions Stir-Fry

I made two different stir-fry pans today since my son has such pure disdain for asparagus.  I just used a frozen pack of Green Giant Asian veggies for his and I added some shrimp (1 lb) to his as well.  I also served his over rice where I just had mine without, though I stole a few of his shrimp for my pan so he probably had 3/4 of a lb.

Pozole Rojo

I made this Mexican soup a long time ago for a friend and she loved it!  Still talks about it to this day so I decided I would make it again for her and her "beau", and blog the recipe.  I hoped it would be as good as she remembered!  I used a different recipe this time.  I also made it two nights before so I could get all the fat off easily, if needed, by leaving it in the fridge so it would harden.  And it would probably taste better too after sitting.

Coconut Tres Leches Cake

Yes, me who does not make desserts, decided to make this for my son.  It is one of his favorite dishes and it didn't look too hard by this recipe.  I was also having company for dinner the next day, so decided it would be good for them too since it is Mexican and that was the theme of our meal.  I followed all the directions exactly.  I changed the whip cream a little as described below, but even that was just a minor thing.  I don't know how to bake so don't want to mess with being "creative" and I know you're not supposed to be in baking anyway.

Vegan Mexican "Black Bean Rotini" Salad

I got this pasta from Trader Joe's.  Then I wondered what the heck I was going do with it?!  So, immediately, my new love with "tofu ricotta cheese" sprang into my head.  I would make the one I did in my recipe here and this time I had Mexican oregano too!  Then I thought I'd make it all into a salad with Mexican flavors.  I thought it would be good for lunch and as side dish for quick weeknight dinners.  I made it Sunday evening.  I used:

Roast Chicken Dinner in Cast Iron Pan

So, for once - in a long while now, I was going to roast a chicken without using Ina Garten's recipe which has become a regular Sunday meal in our home.  It was Saturday anyway today, lol.

Vegetarian Soy Chorizo, Navy Bean, Kale Soup

After the pasta I had the other night, it was time to get back to healthy eating for the weekend.  Leave out the Parmesan cheese and this dish would be vegan.  I've posted a version of this soup before, but I'm doing it again so I can remember what Trader Joe's "Soy Chorizo" tastes like.  It was cheap too!

Cacio e Pepe

I've had this recipe on my brain for weeks now.  It's one of those "simple is better" dishes.  My son and I were just talking about how  when he was little and very picky, I would make spaghetti and I would just mix it with some garlic fried in olive oil and top with Parmesan cheese.  It was one of his favorites.  I told him about this one and he was excited.  He even asked when I was making it after I pushed it off the meal plan last week.

Pork Tenderloin with Cremini Mushroom, Yogurt Dijon Mustard Sauce

My son always works late on Monday nights so it's a good for making dinner at my own leisure and not being in a hurry.  I hate Mondays, so cooking can be a real stress reliever for me as well. Imagine my surprise when my son said he was working early shift and would be home the same time as me, lol...so, maybe not that leisurely tonight...

Green Goddess Dip

I am kind of obsessed with Green Goddess dressing.  I'm still looking for the perfect recipe for me.  I've tried a bunch but none have grabbed me to make it as my "go to".  I was going to do a dip this time, for lunches to go with raw veggies.  I love tarragon and when I saw it was an ingredient, I had to try this.  It really doesn't take much time or effort to make a dip and it is so much better for you than what you buy in a grocery store.

Coq Au Vin

I had company coming for dinner.  My co-worker had just brought me back frozen, peeled, pearl onions from Trader Joe's, which I can't find here anywhere, so I decided to make some Coq Au Vin.

Chicken Enchilada Lasagna

I was really craving something Mexican inspired.  This wasn't going to be authentic in any sense of the word and this recipe is out of my own head, so it was an experiment.  I was also trying to think of making it healthy or healthier.  I was still thinking of the vegan stuffed shells filling I recently made and wondered if I could do a layer of tofu "requesón" in the casserole?  😉 (requesón is like a Mexican ricotta).  I really went goo goo gaa gaa over that filling!  I was about to find out.  I decided that would save on the "cheese" calories and cholesterol by making it and then I would just put cheese on the top.

Ahi Tuna Salad with Wasabi Dressing

Friday night after a long work week and I was tired!  Didn't feel like cooking.  Wished I had brought a salad home instead....however, I bought Ahi and had to assemble my own salad.  I blanched some green beans first in boiling water, for about 10 minutes and then soaked them in ice cold water.

Vegan Stuffed Shells

Cheese is the one thing I have a hard time not eating.  When cutting back on cholesterol laden foods, cheese is a hard one to steer away from for me.  I saw this vegan recipe and it intrigued me into trying it.  I mean, "Nutritional Yeast" tastes like cheese???

Baked Apples

I saw these being done on a cooking show on t.v. over the weekend.  It reminded me of my dad and I remembered how he'd make these for my sister and I.  It was so easy, he just hollowed them out with a paring knife, leaving the bottom intact.  Then he'd put in a pat of butter, some brown sugar and cinnamon and bake them in the oven for an hour.  I can remember my sister and I asking him why they took so long to cook as once we could smell the cinnamon wafting through the oven, we became impatient...

Tuscan Pappa al Pomodoro (Tomato and Bread Soup)

This recipe just looked so warm, comforting and SIMPLE!  I've said before that simple recipes are my favorite.  I had some organic country bread or "Pain de Campagne" in the house as I was going to make my favorite roast chicken for Sunday dinner.  This is probably my favorite bread of all and I love that it comes from a local artisan bakery.  This was a really simple dish so the ingredients had to shine.  I bought an organic veggie broth which was $6!

Tangy, Spicy, Apricot Baked Chicken

I had a craving for a dish I used to make when I first started cooking in my early twenties.  I glanced at recipe that was similar and it immediately came back to my mind.  I would use Kraft Russian salad dressing, apricot jam,  onion & garlic powder.  I would heat it all up and pour it over chicken and bake it.  It was really good and I haven't made that for years and years now.  I decided it was time to make it again, if only for nostalgic reasons - and that it's an easy dish for a weeknight... My side would be "No Yolks" egg noodles, avoiding extra cholesterol, fat and sodium - though there's still plenty of carbs in 'em.  I needed some carbs today...

Buttermilk Cornmeal Crusted Basa Fillets

I didn't get out to shop today so tonight was "make a meal with what you can find in the house".  I like catfish, so don't have a problem with basa being its cousin.  However, I do know the controversy on this farmed fish.

Kung Pao Chicken

My son really likes this stuff and he really doesn't like that much in the way of Chinese food.  I've never made it before, so I thought it was time I did.  I found this recipe and thought it looked good so that is what I went with.  I had most of the ingredients at home so didn't have to shop for much.  I decided to serve it with Tri-color quinoa instead of rice.

Easy Cheeseburger Sliders

When I see "potato buns" at my grocery store, I HAVE to buy them and I have to make sliders.  Thank goodness they don't have them often.  I haven't seen them there for a long, long while actually but I saw them today and had to make sliders for dinner.  It was a package of 6 and they were so fresh, I could smell them through the bag.  I picked up some extra-lean ground beef too.  I like this recipe as it really is easy.  I am very particular with my sliders.  I have to have Kraft processed cheese slices, hamburger pickles, French's yellow mustard and Heinz ketchup.  That's it for a perfect slider, for me.  My son thinks that is disgusting and only ketchup for him.

Shrimp, Andouille Sausage and Chicken Gumbo

I have made gumbo a few times.  I had to go to five grocery stores to find okra and had no luck, but finally found it at my Korean market - frozen.

Ground Turkey/Beef and Root Vegetable Skillet Gratin

I saw this recipe and it instantly appealed to me.  I am a huge fan of "Shepherd's Pie" dishes.  I had to make it a little healthier though.  I love any chance I can get to use my cast iron pan.  I decided to use white turnips and yam for the "scalloped potatoes" part of the dish on top.  I also used extra lean ground turkey and a half pound of extra lean ground beef.  I am starting to get a little tired of turkey so this would help that out.  I substituted non-fat cream in place of the heavy cream.  Changing the cream to that was like blasphemy!  However, this was like comfort food without it being too naughty health wise - well except for the cheese but I was not substituting the Gruyere, no way...

Cod Cakes

I had so much cod leftover from last night, I decided to make cod cakes.  That was my original plan for the cod I bought in the first place.  I was going to use this recipe, but I ended up just poaching the cod last night and serving it that way with my tofu dish.  I decided instead of frying these cakes,  I was going to bake them on parchment on a baking sheet.  I sprayed the parchment with "Pam" first.

French Omelette by Chef Ludo Lefebvre

I have been fascinated by this omelette ever since I saw Chef Lefebvre make it on television.  It is on my list of travel things to do - to go to his restaurant and experience it.  This was not my first time attempting it.  I have tried it about three times previously but have never been able to perfect it.  I've come close but unfortunately end up with a bit of "brown(ing)" color on it.  😞

Vegan Basil "Chicken"

I came across this recipe and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to try it.  I used real fish sauce so mine wasn't truly vegan.  They give what you should buy for vegan (white soy) in the recipe.  I bought some organic, non GMO firm tofu and put it in the freezer before I made this.  I took it out and let it thaw overnight in the fridge and when I went to work.  It was thawed when I got home.

Poached Wild Pacific Cod

I saw this beautiful fresh wild cod at Costco and had to buy it.  I decided to poach it because I was sure it would be delicious and obviously "healthy" that way.  For my poaching liquid, I used:

Homemade Curry Chicken Soup

I was finally ready to use the chicken broth I made in my slow cooker.  I thought just to change it up a little, I would add some curry and apple.  Tonight I used:

Chicken Pot Pie

As I stripped the meat off the rotisserie chickens my son bought me yesterday so I could make soup, I decided to make pot pie for dinner tonight.  My soup stock was going to go overnight in my crockpot.  This was a very easy version of pot pie as I was just going to use Pillsbury biscuit dough as the topping for it.  The other ingredients that went in were what I had on hand in the fridge.  I had a half bowl of homemade mushroom soup left, so I threw that in the mix below too.  I used:

Turkey Meatloaf with Sun-Dried Tomato & Feta Cheese

Today finds me at home, for my second day in a row from work, completely under the weather.  It seems the whole office has been decimated with a "bug" that has taken everyone out.  Out of eight people in my group, only three are working and two of them left are affected by this virus too.

Non-Dairy Cream of Mushroom Soup

It felt like a soup day, and I wanted to try and make a creamy soup without dairy, which I have never done.  I was reading this post and based my soup on hers.  Tonight I used:

Veggie Chili

I'm not accustomed to vegetarian dishes, but am turning over a new leaf in this new year.  I saw this on "The Chew" and it looked good, so I decided to make it for Sunday dinner (I used the recipe as a guideline).  I have never used cocoa in my chili so this looked interesting.  Unfortunately,  I didn't have any veggie stock.  I will remedy that in the near future by buying this.  I decided to just use no salt strained tomatoes and see how it worked out.  Tonight, I used:

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

This was my cheat day for all the healthy eating we've been doing lately, and I decided to splurge on some crab stuffed mushrooms.  I planned to make this at Christmas, but we had too much other food and I never got to it.  I don't need a recipe for this, I just did what I've always done pretty much.  I used:

Dutch Baby Pancake

I have never eaten one of these, but have always wanted to because I like the way they look.  If I ever find a restaurant that makes them, I will try it.  I found one in Palm Springs when we were on vacation but we never ended up going.  So, I decided to try making this for my son for New Year's day brunch.  I used this recipe.