Chicken Wild Rice Casserole

I based mine on the recipe here though I really made it my own and only used it as an initial guideline.  I was having company tonight and wanted to put together something easy but worthy of serving.  What I used:

Mandarin Orange Chocolate Lava Cakes for Two

For Christmas day, I wanted to make dessert for the two others that were here.  I wanted something easy and I found it here.  I halved the recipe and substituted a mandarin orange for the clementine.

Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters with Sea Salt

I forgot to buy my son dark chocolates for Christmas and I always do that for him.  However, I do know that the nut ones are always his favorite.  I came across this and based what I did from her recipe.  It was pretty easy, just almonds, pecans and walnuts.  I happened to have all three (from Costco) in my fridge too!  Dip them in melted dark chocolate, stack and when almost cool, sprinkle with Maldon sea salt.

Eggplant Curry

My co-worker brought me some of this to try at work.  It was delicious!!  He said his mom made this for him growing up and his wife requests it all the time from him.  He asked me if I would like some as I'm always after his tips for cooking Indian food.  I decided the next time I saw good looking eggplants at the market I was going to try it.  (Below, the picture is from another dish I made, but I used it as I forgot to take one of the eggplants, but they looked like this).

Candy Cane Christmas Sleighs

One year on "facebook", I saw a friend make these with Moritz Icy Squares.  I was fascinated by them.  I thought they were adorable.  Tis the season, and I saw them at Costco so picked them up.  I googled and it said there should be 90 squares in the container, so that gave me 7 to use per sleigh, though I only used 6.

Refrigerated Pickled Granny Smith Apples

I have guests coming for dinner and am serving a heavy meal of BBQ ribs and twice-stuffed potatoes.  I wanted something on the plate to cut the richness.  I know my friend loves Granny Smith apples so decided on this.  I made them two days in advance.

Southern Chicken and Dumplings

You want to talk simplicity, this is 4 ingredients.  I remember seeing it on "Mind of a Chef" and I've wanted to make it ever since.  I forgot though until I saw a recipe pop up on social media.  Chef Sean Brock made it with his mother who learned it from her mother who learned it from her mother, and so on and so on...  Video of that is here.  Both videos in both links are totally worth watching for tips and method.

Skor Chocolate Chip Brown Sugar Cookies

I was shopping today and saw "Skor" chips on sale so decided to try and make something with them.

Steamed Cod with Hot Garlic Ginger Oil and Seasoned Soy Sauce

My co-worker told me you can buy special soy sauce for steamed fish in Asian supermarkets.  I googled it, and it looked easy enough for me to make at home since I had all the ingredients.  There were a bunch of different ones, and I made my own.  For my sauce, I used:

Butter Chicken?

I put the question mark since I doubt it's true butter chicken.  This was a "whip up something with that chicken in your fridge" tonight kind of a dish...so I did this on the fly.  What I had was boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  I was going to make Chicken Paprikash at first thought, but I didn't have the noodles.  I had basmati rice, so decided on this.  What I used:

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

I saw this on Social Media and it was appealing to me, so I made it.  The pumpkin was what I liked about it and it seemed different.  Plus, I was in the mood for chili.  What I used (tailored to my liking):

Beef and Potato Curry

I only made this once a long, long time ago and I wasn't really impressed with it and I haven't thought about making again until now...  I'm not sure what it is, but I've been on a curry hunger lately.  Saw this and thought I'd check it out, making some edits to my liking.  I bookmarked the recipe for the whole wheat chapatis that was a serving suggestion with this dish.  However, I just cheated today and my son picked up some store-bought garlic naan.

Chinese Hotdish

On Food Network Canada television, I recently found her (Molly Yeh) show, and I adore her.  I don't usually like the women on that channel, so that's saying something. 😏 .  I started following her on Social Media and made this recipe, sort of...and I laughed out loud while reading it when she said "Chinese Hotdish" was her stripper name.  I don't really like to cook Friday nights, but this was super easy though I did add some extra prep time, but hey, I did it!  It was in the oven in about a half hour.

Savoy Cabbage Rolls with Ground Turkey and Wild Rice Blend

I had such a disaster making cabbage rolls the last time I did it, I swore I would never do them again, or only make "unstuffed cabbage rolls".   It's not what you'd consider a swift weeknight dinner either.  I thought I'd give Savoy cabbage a try this time and see what happened...this recipe inspired me tonight though I did my own thing.  What I used:

Tomato, Bell Pepper and Squash Gratin

A few Saturday's ago when I walked home from the Farmer's Market, I encountered my neighbor who was on her way there.  We talked about the tomato season ending soon and I remarked about not wanting to go to back to eating "hot house" tomatoes.  She told me she bought 60 lbs of tomatoes and froze them.  She said it doesn't help with fresh eating, but helps through winter meals.  She said she only eats locally grown tomatoes when in season.  Then she mentioned this dish.  I don't know if it's with fresh or frozen or if she uses summer or winter squash, but this went on my "to-do" list.  I asked her for her recipe, and I did my own spin on it.  Of course, tomato season is over for me at this time now.   😢

Thanksgiving Turducken & Sides

I've always wanted to make one and this was a total splurge this year ($215 for the turducken).  I bought it from a local butcher, pre-ordered.  Their description: "Our Free Range Package consists of a free range, hormone free turkey from Skye Hi Farms in the Fraser Valley, a free range duck and a Maple Hills hormone free chicken. The combined weight is around 13 to 15 lbs".  I also bought the three add-ons for $5 each.

Chef Jet Tila's Classic Lo Mein Noodles

I buy my cookbooks electronically now.  They're cheaper and as I get older I am slowly getting into my own version of minimalism and trying not to grow in possessions.  I have a bookcase of cook books and I love them all - they stay.  But now it's the e-reader where my books are stored.  So, this is his book and this is my first venture into one of his recipes. In reading thus far, his recipes are straight forward, and not difficult or complicated.  Therefore; not intimidating.  He noted that this is a quick recipe and including prep time, it can be done in under a half hour.  Perfect for me on weeknights.  I added a half onion, sliced thinly and some crushed red pepper to this recipe.

Shrimp Tacos

This is what was in our freezer and what I used to make dinner tonight.

Pav Bhaji (Indian) Lasagna

This is one of those dishes I probably won't ever make again, but the idea came to me and this was dinner tonight.  I used my leftover Pav Bhaji to make lasagna tonight.

Vegetarian Pav Bhaji (Mumbai Street Food)

I tried this on a cruise I was just on and learned it was Mumbai street food.  Well, I fell in love with it and haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  Quite honestly, probably the best dish I tried on the cruise ship and it was at the buffet!  I'm only sorry I didn't ask if I could get the recipe.  I didn't have it on buns, just ate it plain.  My son had it on the buns though and loved it as well.  They used brioche buns and toasted them on a flat top grill with butter.

Farmer's Market Tomato, Watermelon, Corn Salad with Whipped Lemon Ricotta

I had the pleasure of dining at chef Tyler Florence's restaurant Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco a week or so ago.  This idea was inspired from the salad I had there.

Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry over Quinoa

I had some chicken tenders in the fridge so thought a stir fry would be a good idea and made this on the fly after picking up some broccoli and ginger at the grocery store by work.

Homemade "Hamburger Helper" Extra Extra Cheesy or (American Chop Suey? WTF?)

On the internet, "American Chop Suey" popped up in my food surfing.  I remembered seeing it on a cooking show once and thought it was a ridiculous name.  To me as a kid chop suey was Chinese vegetables stir-fried with oyster sauce and you could order it with beef or chicken.  It was the yucky vegetable dish we were forced to eat when my parents ordered in Chinese food.

Fresh Peach Tarts

Peaches are in season.  I found a deal on really ripe peaches today for $1.28 a lb and they were local (from the Okanagan).  I wanted to make something easy so came across this recipe which I doubled (except the sugar).  I baked the tarts first according to package directions.

Farmer's Market Tomato Salad, with Corn, Avocado, Cucumber, Red Onions, Swiss Chard and Lemony Arugula

Everything I used was fresh and local except for the avocado.  They always come from Mexico but was fresh, lol.  The star of this salad would of course be the tomatoes.  Finally got the summer dream bounty of tomatoes that put me in food heaven.  There is nothing like tomatoes in season.  Soooo much better than anything from a hot house.  Sweet, flavorful and just outstanding.  I've already made my tarte tatin, and tomato sandwiches.  Tonight was salad to go with some ground turkey burgers I did on the grill.  But, to make it a meal, I would just add large prawns done on the grill and some homemade Ciabatta croutons - not tonight...

Sautéed Japanese Turnips With Turnip Greens

Serious Eats gave me this recipe, which really just confirmed what I was going to do except I wasn't sure about the stems and leaves, so this helped.  I found these turnips at my local farmer's market yesterday and had to try them. They were grown by Fresh Roots at a local high school (VanTech).  In one sentence and from their website:  "Fresh Roots is a non-profit organization working with school communities towards Good Food For All".

Cold Chickpea Pasta Salad

The heat wave is returning, so salad sounded like a good plan.  I buy this rotini pasta (below) from Costco which is made out of chickpeas and I quite like it.

Baked Crusted Cod

I really had planned to cedar-plank my cod, but alas, there were no planks at Costco when I went shopping.  😞  So, after looking through multiple recipe ideas, I came up with this for dinner tonight.  It was a cool day outside (finally!) so I was able to use the oven.

Barbecue Mushroom Quesadillas

I based my dinner on this recipe,  making adaptions to suit me.   I made different quesadillas (with boneless Maui ribs & avocado) for my son tonight.  He was not digging the mushroom idea thingy...

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

Out with the healthy eating today.  It is a stat holiday here (B.C. Day).  I am celebrating by making BBQ ribs, corn on the cob (first peaches & cream that is local that I've found), baked beans (I bought these and added green chilies) and finally homemade biscuits.  I always feel safe using an Ina Garten recipe.  I followed all her ingredients and her instructions exactly.

Greek Moussaka 2.0

I have the recipe that I've used for years and years AND years.  I changed it up a  little today.  Eggplant were on sale and I soon as I saw that, I knew I had to make Moussaka this weekend.

Grilled Romaine Hearts Bacon Shrimp Salad with Blue Cheese dressing.

Another scorcher day (hottest one yet?), so salad was the game time call.  I made my go-to dressing.  I thought I'd be smart and grill the bacon, and I did it on a grilling tray, but OMG, no, don't do it!  Or if you do, make sure there's no sugar and that its really thick cut.  That shit was on fire in seconds and my spritz water bottle did nothing.  Thank goodness I still had half a pack left, so had to switch indoors to the broiler.  I'm sure it was 40°C in my house after that!

Country Bread French Toast with Caramelized Apples

I used to love to make my son breakfast every weekend, but for the last year or so, he's worked early on weekends and I don't get the chance.  However, he was home today as he's sick.  When he woke up he said he was hungry, so I whipped him up this after looking at what I could do for brunch.

Steamed Cod & Veggies in Foil Packet

Ouch, it is a scorcher outside today 🔥 and the heatwave is expected to continue for a week I heard.  No oven, no stove today.  I decided to make a foil package for the BBQ grill.  I bought what looked appealing to me in the grocery store this afternoon and finished off some fridge items from home.  The cod looked really nice and fresh.  I got the butcher to wrap me up piece from the ice display.  What I made tonight is how I like to eat when trying stay healthy, the Mediterranean diet.

Chickpea Salad Pitas

I was watching this on Food Network before I went to bed last night and decided it would be good to make for lunches.  It looked like egg salad but without the cholesterol.  Frankly, this is the first and only Trisha Yearwood recipe that I've considered making.  She's not my fave on the network.  I went out and bought the ingredients I needed today.

Zucchini Vichyssoise Soup

I haven't cooked much while feeling unwell lately and I've missed it.  I've never made this before and am still craving soup from being under the weather.  It seemed a good time to try it and this can be eaten hot, warm or cold.  I followed Ina Garten's recipe for it except I added my last Vidalia onion.  I was sad to see the Vidalias are gone now from markets but at least I will have Walla Walla for a while...

Mediterranean-style Grilled Zucchini Salad

It's hotter than Hades, and I'm under the weather. literally and figuratively - a truly awful combination.  😢 Appetite has been pretty low but I still have to eat.  I really wanted homemade chicken soup but I didn't have the time or energy and didn't want to use the stove today at all.  I saw this recipe and thought I'd make it.  I halved it though as I only had 2 zucchini in my fridge.  However, I had the fresh tarragon, parsley and all the remaining ingredients, so it was like it was meant to be...

Blueberry Bundt Cake

It's weird, and I don't know why, but lately I keep making desserts and I don't eat them.

Apple Dumplings

I got up on this weekend morning and was watching the "Pioneer Woman" on Food Network.  I saw her make this.  In general, a lot of her recipes are not very healthy, however, they are easy.  I figured my son would love this so I made it for him tonight.  Half a pound of butter and almost 2 cups of sugar!  I scaled back a little on her bad ingredients though and used:

Banana Pudding Icebox Cake

This is the kind of dessert I like to make.  No baking and minimal ingredients.  What I used:

Caprese Stuffed Portobellos

This looked so good.  If you want the recipe, click this link.  I'll show you how I did mine which was a little different than the recipe.   I was worried about the liquid that would ooze out from the shrooms .  I also worried that the filling would be ready way before the mushrooms were even cooked.  So, I decided I'd roast them first in the oven.  I cleaned them, took the stems out and then brushed with olive oil and seasoned with S&P (kosher and fresh cracked) and garlic powder.

Chunky San Marzano Tomato Gazpacho Soup

It was time for my annual gazpacho making which I bring to my co-worker every summer.  This time, I was going to use some of it to poach some cod in too.  I love the taste of San Marzano tomatoes and it struck me to use them as the liquid part of the gazpacho this time.  I bought a signature medley of gourmet cherry tomatoes I would use for the texture.  Different from all the other times I've made it, I was going to blend most of it and then add some small diced veggies in for the texture.  I nibbled all the veggies below and everything was great quality and fresh in taste.

Grilled Cedar Plank Steelhead Trout

I have never used cedar planks and was so excited when I saw them at Costco.  I quickly scooped them up.  The packaging said they could be recycled with yard trimmings too.  It said to soak them for a half hour, but I did it for two hours in cold water, just to be sure.  A co-worker was telling a funny story of how they didn't know to soak them and were surprised when a massive fire broke out on the BBQ.  😲

Chili Cheese Dog Sliders

I will admit, one of my guilty pleasures is hot dogs.  I'm glad to see I can buy nitrate free wieners without antibiotics and preservatives now.  I feel slightly better about eating them.  This was a quick easy Friday night dinner made with my favorite potato buns. (I don't like to cook on Fridays very often).

New Potato Salad with Shallots, Parsley and Vinaigrette

I got this one from chef Jamie Oliver.  I love it when the little nugget potatoes come in season.  I always pick them up at the grocery store, once or twice or ten times until they disappear...

Pork Medallions with Marsala Pan Sauce

As my favorite daytime t.v. show (the only one I DVR'd) "The Chew" came to an end, I made one last recipe of Michael Symon's.  I loved the show and took it for granted after 7 years.  I never thought about it being cancelled.  It was my favorite thing to watch on a Saturday marathon and I was inspired by so many of their dishes.  I still have lots of recipes bookmarked, so I hope they don't come down from the web...

Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

It's funny how recipes jump out and speak to me at times.  I saw this and for its simplicity, it was dinner tonight.  It was love at first sight and it was a handful of ingredients.  In the end though, I doctored it to my liking.  I added some garlic, chili flakes and fresh basil.  I used:

Frijoles Charros (Mexican Cowboy Beans)

I saw this and I immediately wanted to make it, so it became dinner tonight.  I've been craving "pork and beans" but wanted to make it homemade.

Grilled Jerk Chicken

I was inspired to make some Jerk chicken on the grill when I came across this recipe.  I've never been to Jamaica, but remember it fondly when visiting Turks And Caicos Island.  It's pictured below.

Kentucky Hot Brown

I LOVE 💗this sandwich.  I've even had it in Kentucky but not where it originated at the Brown hotel in 1926.  I also had it at one of Chef Bobby Flay's restaurants in NYC, which is now closed.  It was soooo good.  Comfort hangover food is how I'd describe it.  I don't have a picture of Bobby Flay's but I do have two.  The first one below is at a winery in Ohio.  We sat overlooking the Ohio river which is in Kentucky.

French Canadian Split Pea Soup

For some reason, this soup reminds me of being a very young child.  I must have ate it back then but I don't remember any details.  I don't even remember it in a favorable way.  I don't think it was at home.  Maybe church or something?  Maybe someone fed me Habitant soup from a can?  I always make green split pea soup but today, this popped into my head and  I went out to buy the yellow peas.

Bagna Càuda (Hot Garlic and Anchovy Sauce) with Crudités

In the last couple of times I've dined out, I've been served Bagna Càuda.  And, both times I fell in love with it (different renditions), and decided I had to make it.  It became my weekend plan.  I based mine on this recipe.  It turns out that this dish originated in Piedmont, Italy and dates back to the 16th century.  As Piedmont is a place I plan to visit, I was happy to know that I'm already enjoying food from there, here locally.

Birthday Dinner: Homemade Buffalo Wings & Twice Baked Potatoes

This meal was my son's request for his birthday dinner.  His favorite dish that I used to make for him all the time is Buffalo wings.  He loves the stuffed potatoes as well but the wings are king to him.  I made my favorite blue cheese dressing (bomb.com) to serve with them.  In the 80's, I lived in Ontario for a while.  I even had a boy in Buffalo that I was seeing who took me to where the infamous "Buffalo Wing" originated.  Those weren't my favorite though...I had a chef friend who worked at a pub in Ft. Erie (directly across from Buffalo but in Canada).  She taught me how to make wings and hers were my favorite.  It's the way I've done them since I've learned.  I never change, I do it the same every time as to me, it's perfect.  I don't use the deep fryer any longer though.  It's a simple recipe.

Seaweed & Sweet Pea Shoots Salad

This is easy to make.  I really like this salad as a side when having Japanese food.  When I look at the pre-made store bought brands, like at Costco, the ingredient list looks full of chemicals.  I decided to make my own creation tonight.  The only ingredient in the package below is dried seaweed, nothing else.  I would have used cucumber too, but my son doesn't like it.  I served this with some Pacific cod which I poached in unsweetened almond milk and cilantro.  My son also got a bonus green onion pancake with his as I went to the Asian market today for my lunch walk:

Chicken Paprikash

I was sure I had posted this recipe here already as it's one of my favorite dishes, but I haven't.  I was sure I got it from a co-worker, years ago but when I asked her, she told me her recipe was a Paprikash soup.  So now, I'm sure that I don't really know when I'm "sure"... Anyway, I don't know where I got the "how to" for this, but below is what I do.  There are a tonne of different recipes and comments about what is authentic Hungarian is and what is not.  The last time I made it and brought it to someone at work, he told me it tasted like "butter chicken".  I think I used boneless, skinless thighs that time.  😏  So, whatever I do is most likely not authentic, but all I care is that it tastes good.  It's comfort food and this was Sunday dinner.

Fried Brown Rice with Pork

I had some leftover pork roast to use up and thought I'd whip this dish up for dinner tonight.  I made enough to have leftovers.  I wanted to buy some good healthy rice, so chose organic Lundberg brown jasmine.  For sure this is my favorite brand that I have tried so far, that I can find locally in any grocery store.  I would have normally cooked it last night so it was ready to use today, but didn't have any in the house.

Zucchini Almond Butter Blondies

I saw this on "The Chew" t.v. show today on my DVR.  I decided I'd make them since they seemed somewhat healthy and a good thing to pack for the sweet "treat" in lunches.  Also, it was very easy and with few ingredients.

Molly Stevens’ Best Braised Cabbage with Chicken Apple Sausages

I love a good braise!  A co-worker picked up these below for me and I was wondering what I should do with them???

Sriracha-Butter Cod with Garlicky Kale

I don't like to cook on Friday nights when starting the weekend.  However,  this was simple, so I gave it a go, tweaking it my way.

New York Steak Cauliflower Fried Rice

I know, sounds weird, right?...  One of these throw together dinners I probably won't do again.  I bought this below, from Costco.

Vegan Lasagna with "Ricotta" and Mushroom "Meat" Sauce

This became my Sunday dinner project.  If it was good, I'd have lunch for the work week to come.  Well, even if it was bad, I'd have it for days to come, so fingers crossed... I'm a sucker for béchamel sauce in lasagna, so this recipe really appealed to me.  Also I've tried some store bought vegan "mozzarella" cheese (Daiya brand) and it did not taste good in the slightest to me.  I did a couple of minor edits, which I changed below.  It made me laugh when I told my son about it, he simply said very hesitantly, "...interesting".  😏

Vegan Sichuan Shirataki Sesame Noodle Salad

Yup, those shirataki noodles are a godsend when watching carbs and zero calories too, what more could you ask for?  They are the perfect noodle substitute, especially in a dish like this.

Vegetarian Eggplant Bolognese

I saw this and decided to make it with chickpea rotini  (half the carbs as regular pasta).

Spicy Caribbean Mahi Mahi

I picked up the mahi mahi at Costco in the frozen section.  It wasn't cheap at $37 for about ten 4 ounce portions.

Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie with Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash

I was at Costco and bought a bag of cauliflower florets.  I decided to make a pseudo Shepherd's pie which is one of my favorite comfort foods.  I remember reading somewhere that nutritional yeast helps the texture and flavor of cauliflower mash, so I added some of that.

Winter Salad with Bulgur, Radicchio, and Toasted Almonds

Well I've made plenty of summer salads, but don't recall ever doing a winter one.  It's certainly wintery outside...Brr...... I saw this and it became dinner tonight with my little tweaks.

Japchae (Korean Sweet Potato Noodles Stirfry)

This is my favorite Korean dish that I've tried so far, and when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it.  That was this morning, and today was the day!  Lucky for me, I have a Korean market across the street from my office so I found the noodles quite easily.

I added some black vinegar, because I like it.  I also added some jumbo prawns  tossed in a bit of soy and pepper.

I threw them in the last few minutes of cooking. I added some zucchini as I had one.  I made my own edits to her recipe as below.  I prepared all my Mise en Place first as a stir-fry really requires that you do, since once you start, everything goes quickly.

STIR-FRY INGREDIENTS:

• 400 grams dangmyeon ( mine were Nongshim Miga Glass Noodle)
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil 
• 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
• 8 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced, stems removed 
• 1 red bell pepper, insides removed,  thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot,  julienned
• 1 zucchini, julienned
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 ounce container organic container baby spinach
• 1 lb jumbo prawns (U12)
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
• Sliced green onions, for garnish
• Sriracha sauce, for garnish, to taste

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar

STEAK INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 lb top sirloin. sliced thinly, against the grain
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

To Make The Noodles:  In a large bowl, add hot tap water. Add noodles in for 20 mins to soak.  Drain.  After 20 mins, when the noodles are soft, cut them in half and sprinkle some sesame oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.

To Make The Sauce: Whisk until mixed well.

To Prep The Steak: Toss the steak with soy sauce, and pepper.  Let marinate for 5 minutes.

To Make The Stir-Fry: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan on high heat.  Add the steak and sauté  until cooked through.  Move steak to plate and  set aside.

Because I didn't cook my noodles, I sauteed them next for 5 minutes with a bit of the sauce, just to make sure they would be cooked at the end.  I took them out and put aside.

Lower heat in pan to medium-high.  Add the remaining oil and the onion, and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.  Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, carrot and garlic cloves, and season with S&P.  Continue sautéing until the veggies are tender crisp.

Stir in the spinach, prawns and noodles.  Continue cooking until the spinach has wilted.

Remove pan from heat.  Add the steak and sauce and combine everything.  Taste.  I added a bit more soy, vinegar and then some Sriracha, as I wanted some heat.

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions.  I have to say, for a first time try at it, this was delicious!  We both dug right in and devoured it.  My mishap was overcooking the prawns and beef a little, but other than that it was a home run.  The noodles were the star of the show as they should have been.

Baby Kale & Goat Cheese Chicken Lasagna

I created this recipe from food I had in the house.  It sort of ended up like a quasi-Mexican lasagna.  I just took my time and prepared/assembled it over a lazy, chilly Sunday afternoon.

Curried Coconut Mussels

I got these mussels at Costco.  I only have bought them once before, a few years ago as it is 2 packs of 3 lbs each.  I had to cook/eat them all and it was just too much as my son doesn't like them.

Roasted Carrot,Tomato & Onion Soup

I saw this recipe pop up on social media and it looked good.  I was still thinking about it at lunch so decided to make it for dinner tonight.  I made some adjustments to suit myself and what I did is below.

Salted Dark Chocolate Tart

This tart looked easy to make, and my son is really into "salted chocolate",  especially dark chocolate.  So I thought I could surprise him with a rare after dinner dessert.  It's "Family Day" here in British Columbia, so this is a stat holiday and I made this in celebration of my family - which is my son.  💕 I also took him out for "dim sum" for brunch, as it is a splurge that rarely happens anymore with our work schedules.  I liked that this had no dairy and used almonds for the crust - healthier and gluten-free.  My pictures will never be close to the ones in the recipe.  Hers are always amazing.  Her recipes are great in the ones I've tried so far too.  Anyway, my "point and click" cheapo camera will never be in the same league as those shots!  I don't do this for a living though either...

Baked Sockeye Salmon with Pistachios and Garlic Cilantro Sauce

I had a wild sockeye salmon filet in the freezer that I took out.  I was looking for ideas and found this recipe and it looked great.  It's tricky with my son, because I would use fresh dill on the salmon every time but he dislikes it so much that I had to find an alternative.  I put my own spin on it and make a couple tweaks...I was very jealous of her cast iron baking dish though, I must say...

Baked Tortellini with Pork Tenderloin

This wasn't what I planned for dinner, at all.  It turned out I forgot a few ingredients for the dish I was hoping to make but because it was Superbowl Sunday (Fly-Eagles-Fly!), I didn't want to send my son to the grocery store.  When I went shopping on Friday it was crazy everywhere, line ups down the aisles.  Junk food galore was on sale at each store and people were buying it up like crazy.  I could only imagine how horrible shopping today would be.  So, I found ingredients I had to use up and an idea was born.  This is another one where I'll never make it again but it was a good way to rid the fridge of expiring food.

Sweet & Sour Pineapple Pork Spareribs

I barely see "sweet n sour" cut ribs anymore, but I saw them today.

Instant Pot: Turkey-Stuffed Peppers

Time to try out the old "Instant Pot" again.  I've rarely used it since purchasing.  I think mostly because it doesn't fit on my counter, so taking it down and setting it up is a turn off to me, like the crock pot.  If it could sit in a spacious space - available and ready to use anytime I wanted it, I know I would use it more.  Stuffed peppers seemed good to try since they are hard to do in the oven - getting them soft enough.  I based my recipe on hers, but did my own edits to suit me and it was a little different - my own experiment.  I looked for peppers that had 4 bumps on the bottom (a lot had 3) and would stand up straight.  I found 3 green and 1 yellow.  Green were the cheapest, red the most expensive.  Still expensive, the 4 peppers cost me $4.50 and on sale.

Pork Chops Alla Milanese with Roasted Cipollini & Pearl Onions

The first time I had cipollini onions, I was bowled over.  Wow!  So sweet and succulent.  I bought some recently but was dismayed when I learned they're hard to peel, so they've been sitting on my counter...They were expensive too. The 10 oz bag below was $4.

Pa amb tomàquet (Bread with Tomato)

This was one of my favorite things I devoured in Spain.  It is one of those unadorned food items that excels because of uncomplicated quality ingredients.  It is delicious in its simplicity.  Heavenly.  Below is a picture from a Catalan restaurant we had it at while visiting Barcelona.  It makes me drool to look at it.  SO GOOD!

Real Texas Chili Con Carne

I made this for a co-worker.  He is always talking about chili from Texas (where he lived for quite some time) and how it doesn't have beans.  And I add, or tomatoes.  So, I decided it was time to give it a whirl.  I looked at soooo many recipes and had a hard time finding one I liked or could modify.  I finally found the one I wanted on "Serious Eats" and I stopped looking once there.  I made some minor adaptations:

Ground Turkey, Salami, Barley Vegetable Soup

The soup title sounds weird, doesn't it?  I was going to make stuffed peppers today, but didn't feel like putting it together.  I just decided to try and use up a bunch of odds & ends food leftovers in the fridge.  So, soup it was.  It morphed into an interesting hodgepodge potage and I still had a few things I couldn't fit into the pot...

• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb extra lean ground turkey
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Parmesan cheese rind
• 1/2 lb of salami, diced
• 6 cups of low sodium chicken broth (I used "Better than Bouillon")
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1/2 lb of white mushrooms, sliced and quartered
• 2 handfuls of haricot vert, sliced in 1 inch pieces
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced
• 2 large handfuls of organic baby spinach
• 1 cup of dried gourmet mushrooms, soaked in 2 cups of boiling water till re-hydrated, then chopped.  Broth then strained into soup
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, whole but sliced open
• 2 cups Napa cabbage, sliced thin
• 1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup of pearl barley
• 1/4 cup of Israeli couscous harvest grains mix (leftover and wanted to use it up)
• 2 bay leaves
• Tablespoon of "Kitchen Bouquet" seasoning to color the anemic turkey
• Fresh cilantro, thyme, dill, basil & Italian parsley tied with kitchen twine
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• Fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt, to taste

I did all my chopping first.  At least my "absent sous chef" cleaned my kitchen spotless so I had that bonus when I started...I have to be honest.  I got these new expensive German knives and I love chopping now.  It's so easy and so fast when you have good knives!  I don't know why I waited so long to invest in proper knives...

I sauteed the onion, garlic, white mushrooms, salami and turkey first.  I added the "Kitchen Bouquet".  Then everything else except the spinach went into the pot.

I brought to a boil and then simmered on very low for 45 minutes.  I fished out the bay leaves, cheese rind, herbs and jalapeno, then added in the spinach.

5 minutes later it was time to serve.  I made a country bread grilled cheese for my son to eat with his soup.  Below, is his dinner tonight.

The broth in the soup was terrific!  The salami gave a nice flavor and saltiness - who knew?  All in all, it was a pleasant surprise.  Will I ever make it exactly like this again?  No, but it turned out well for using what I could get rid of in my fridge. I really don't like to waste food.  No complaints.  Some will get it for lunch tomorrow and then it will end up in the freezer for easy soup some other time...

Linguine with Clams (Linguine con le Vongole)

This is really one of my all time favorite pasta dishes.  I had these good frozen clams in the freezer which were low sodium, and I always buy them.  But, the idea of fresh clams was appealing...I found a seafood place close to my work called Fanny Bay Oysters.  A call to them told me the clams were $4.95 a pound.  They recommended a pound per person and the type they suggested using with pasta was Manila clams.  So, I decided to buy a couple pounds of fresh and use the frozen too, so I wouldn't have to take them out of the shell and could add more clam meat to the dish.  I know I was going to have a LOT of clams, but that is why I like this dish so much - the clams.  I was making a shitload of pasta too, so it seemed okay.  When I bought them, the person who sold them to me advised that he didn't think I should cook frozen and fresh together simply as they wouldn't cook at the same time.  I assured him I would adjust what I needed to do accordingly.  He also said they were cleaned and I needed to do nothing...

Ground Turkey Asian Lettuce Wraps

This is my "go-to" recipe for this dish.  I make a pretty good dipping sauce for lettuce wraps. I think that's the highlight of the dish.   The filling is flexible, use what you're feeling for when you make it...

Codfish Noodle Casserole

I had LOTS of leftovers from last night's dinner.  I decided to do something really easy and make a casserole out of it tonight.  I sprayed a non-stick 13" x 9" baking pan with "Pam".  I flaked the cod and I fished out all the green beans as I didn't want them in there.

Poached Cod with Tomato & Grits

I've made a version of this before, but it wasn't great.  I decided to serve it up with some organic heirloom Pencil Cob grits by Anson Mills.

I soaked these overnight.  I had a new balloon whisk that I wanted to try out too.  I have never had success with keeping a whisk that didn't break.  I found one by "Oxo" and it was rated very high.  These grits would be perfect to test it with since they take a good half hour of serious whisking.

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 can (28 oz) D.O.P San Marzano tomatoes, crushed with hands

• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon organic low sodium "Better than Bouillon" chicken base
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 skinless wild Pacific cod fillets
• Large handful of haricot vert
• Fresh basil leaves, to taste

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and crushed pepper and cook, until onions are transparent and softened.

Add tomatoes, wine, bay leaves, basil, and green beans.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes until slightly reduced.

Lower heat slightly and add  cod.  Season with S&P.   Cover and simmer until cod is cooked through.

I served mine half with grits and half with the broth/fish.  I garnished with torn basil.

The grits were different than other Anson Mills ones I've made to date.  These were more "corny".  They were toothsome too.  The cod was flaky and tender and poached nicely.  The broth had a nice spice and was very tasty.  I couldn't stop slurping that up.  My son did say that he prefers my "cheesy" grits but it was a good meal.  I often don't like to cook complex things on Mondays, but this turned out okay.  And the whisk worked like a hot damn!

Japanese Curried Chicken with Italian Farro

I thought about whether to write this up, and I did - simply because when I was trying to remember how I made it last time, I couldn't.  If I post it, I will have it in my food diary which is this blog.  So this post is not really "homemade", it's "curry in a hurry".  I typically use this store bought stuff called "Glico" and I think is pretty darn good, though, certainly not sodium friendly - it's loaded.  If I order this curry while out, I usually get it at fast food Japanese places.  There's a really good one in a Korean food court by my office.  I usually always get the deep fried pork cutlet with it so it's called "Katsu-karē".  The pack below was $1.99.

Easy Oven Beef & Vegetable Stew

I remembered a recipe from years and years ago that was a simple oven beef stew.  I have the cookbook and made it all the time.  I didn't use the recipe this time, but used what I had for stew in the house.  I didn't use any potatoes either.  However, I did use the oven directions and grated orange zest which was one of my favorite memories of the recipe.  I also cooked it "low and slow" this time.  I put it in my cast iron, enamel covered dutch oven.  I preheated the oven to 250°F.   I put it in when I left for work and let it go until I got back about 9 hours later.  My son was home so I got him to stir it once during the day and give me a progress update.  My adaptation is below:

Vegetarian Chickpea Rotini with Roasted Tomatoes & Garlic

This was a quick week night meal.  I did grate some fresh Parmesan cheese on it so it took my dish from vegan to vegetarian.  I was surprised how good this pasta was the first time I made it.  I found it at Costco.

Pan Roasted Salmon with Lemony Kale

Back on Track:  My breakfast/lunch at work today was a homemade beet, grape tomatoes, quinoa, arugula, dried apricots, walnut salad with a tiny bit of goat cheese.  I dressed it with olive oil and vinegar dressing.

Pinto Bean & Andouille Sausage Stew

Ever since I saw an online post about pinto beans a week or two ago, I've been craving them.  I was going to do them in the pressure cooker, but since I am off work, decided to do them low and slow on the stove top.  I can remember my dad's last wife making these, years ago.  They were so good, but such a carb coma overload with the rice.  I wouldn't be using the rice.  She always made hers with a smoked ham hock.  I debated it, but had the andouille in the fridge.  My co-worker brings these back from the States for me.