Strawberry Shortcake

I had already sliced up some strawberries (1 lb)  and marinated them with a dash of balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of sugar.  They were sitting in the fridge waiting to be macerated .  I was going to serve with vanilla ice cream to my son for dessert tonight.  Below, they just went into the fridge so the syrup hadn't developed yet.

Easy Eggplant Parmigiana

I have never made this and I think it's because I make Moussaka + newer version, which I love.  I have fried eggplant before and it sucks the oil - like a sponge.  I didn't want to try this dish with deep frying so I did it the same way I make my moussaka.  Eggplant was priced good where I bought it, and for $3, I picked up three.

Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin

Is this my first ever Guy Fieri recipe?  It indeed is!  I was away from the office, not feeling so great today and saw it on the t.v.  He made this with Tori Spelling's husband - which seemed really random, lol.  I had all the ingredients, so had to make it.  It looked really good.  I subbed coconut milk for the heavy cream.  I kept all the cheese though, and more...  😉  I forgot the thyme though... ☹  You're supposed to strip a couple of stems and put some leaves in.  Next time...

Potato, Leek, Onion Soup

My office had a pay lunch ($5) today.  It was potato leek soup with cheese toast.  It was great soup.  So good that I wanted more.  I decided to go home and make it for dinner.  I keep making all these wintry things still, not sure why... What came to mind and what I used:

Instant Pot: Roast Beef (for Beef Dip)

Today screamed and begged me for comfort food.  I had this mad craving for beef dip tonight.  I think because I saw it on a sandwich board outside a restaurant as I was lunch walking last week.  It hasn't left my mind, I guess.  The closest grocery store to work had "outside round" roasts on sale for $5 a lb.

Egg White, Spinach, Bacon, Cheese, Tomato Breakfast Bakes

So, my friend turned me onto this low carb protein bread which was not bad when toasted and only nets 1 gram of carb, per slice!  I thought I'd make these to go along side it for breakfast at work for this following week.  I made 6 in a jumbo muffin tin.  You could use whatever you want in them...bell pepper, green onions, red onions, mushrooms, zucchini, kale, cilantro, parsley, chives, etc. etc - the possibilities are endless!  I used what I had in my fridge/house today.

Asparagus, Tomato, Green Onion & Feta Salad

I had all the ingredients at home, so was inspired by this and is what accompanied my wild salmon dinner.  I don't usually use balsamic vinegar too much anymore, but for some reason I was craving it today.  Her measurements for the dressing are in the link of her recipe, up top.  If you google, there are endless balsamic vinaigrette recipes the same as hers. I used what she did but didn't measure as I've made numerous vinaigrettes.

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

I saw my son looking at this on social media so told him I would make it for him.  It was sure easy for me to put on the table for a weeknight.  I used:

Instant Pot: Curried Opo Squash & Chana Dal

I found opo squash in the grocery store today so looked for a recipe to utilize them.  I don't think I've ever cooked with them before, and if I have, I don't remember.

Instant Pot: Chicken, Lentil, and Bacon Stew With Carrots

It sounds comforting, no?  I got down to business and followed the ingredients exactly except I subbed apple cider vinegar for the sherry vinegar.  I used less pancetta and I cut the broth by half a cup too.  I couldn't find french lentils in my usual grocery stores so ordered them online from Amazon.  I didn't want drumsticks so just used thighs.  As an addition, I threw in some organic baby spinach at the end.

Curried Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups

I bought a rotisserie chicken from Costco and this is what came to my mind to make for dinner.

Homemade Quick Ramen

I made this for my son tonight.  It will not compare to the delicious ramen we love going out for here in Vancouver but I thought it would be comforting for him on this beautiful but nippy day.   I do wished I had homemade stock to use for this, but another time.  I walked to Chinatown at lunch and picked up BBQ pork and half a Soya chicken for $9!  Can't beat that.

Christine's Chopped Salad

I got back from Vegas and had a very pedestrian chopped salad.  I decided to make my own for Sunday dinner.  I'm not going to lie, I put a shit load of ingredients in.  This would make work lunches as well.  I'm not giving measurements for the greens, just use what you want/need.  I used leftover steelhead trout for myself and no nitrate turkey breast for my son's (he claims fish on a salad is not right).  I made a basic vinaigrette with red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, currants and S&P.

Leftover Pork Roast Cheesy Egg Noodle Casserole

I had quite a lot of pork roast leftover from last night's dinner.  I decided to invent a casserole with whatever I had in the house.  I went rummaging through the cupboards and fridge.  What I ended up using: