Christmas: Panettone Bread Pudding

A kind neighbor brought me a Panettone over Christmas and I decided to make bread pudding with it.  I haven't seen a panettone since I dated my Italian ex.  His parents seemed like they had a 100 of them on their counter at Christmas, that they received as gifts.  Quite a sight, so many different types and makers of it.  I always wondered what they did with them all... Anyway, bread pudding always makes me think of both New Orleans as it's a specialty there and my dad (RIP), who made it for us as kids.  Here's what I concocted today:

Christmas: Boneless Leg of Lamb Roast

Well this is a first for me on Christmas Day 🎅.  I don't remember ever making leg of lamb though I'm sure I have at some point but I do know I've never served it for Christmas dinner before.  Therefore; you see the reason I write this cooking journal.  😉  I got my roast from Costco.  It was Australian (I usually get New Zealand lamb) and it came netted so I didn't have much work to do with it other than seasoning.  

Christmas Eve: Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

I'm making appetizers for Christmas Eve and often do.  I usually bake a brie in puff pastry but I wanted to do it smaller this year as we don't have people coming over and I thought it would be nice to reheat at another time with leftovers.  So, I used a jumbo pan which held 6.

Avocado Walnut Cheese Toast

This was my own creation.  I have a surplus of avocados because I was going to make sushi (California Rolls) but that's going to have to wait due to Christmas stuff going on...  They're all ripe now so my millennial son would be getting his fave avocado toast for bit.

Air Fryer: Crispy Chicken Thighs & Homemade Russet Fries

This was going to be easy peasy tonight (I heard Jamie Oliver when I wrote that).  Fries and fried chicken.  I've done thighs before in the air-fryer, but they were breaded and didn't turn out because the breading was too toasty.  This time I went with nothing but kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Coconut Macaroons with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

I used to have a co-worker that did my Christmas baking for me.  As it's not something I love to make or eat, it worked out well for me.  This year the only person doing any baking for us will be us.  We do make shortbread, but nothing else.  I found this recipe and it looked easy which is right for me when it comes to baking.  And, my son loves anything coconut...

"Juicy Lucy" Turkey Burger

I took extra-lean turkey out of the freezer for dinner.  After thinking on it all day I decided I wanted a burger, though being honest, I don't love turkey burgers.  So, I decided to stuff it with cheese.  I used toasted brioche buns to serve them on, and oh yeah, bacon for the topping because we all know bacon makes everything better...

Taco Hotdish

I saw Molly Yeh make this on her show on food t.v.  A "hotdish" is basically a casserole but that's what they call it in the mid-west apparently.  It has a protein, a starch and a veggie held together with a sauce.  I had ordered my Fritos in the last grocery delivery, so I was all set!  I also had tons of leftovers from a Pork Loin Roast last night so it would be perfect as the protein in this.  I edited her recipe for my own take on it:

Kale Dip

I think everyone remembers the infamous "Spinach Dip" with Knorr Vegetable Soup mix, well this is it, but with kale.  I saw reference to it and literally have not made it for years and years.  It was time to have it again.  I couldn't get frozen spinach so switched it up with kale.  I also didn't receive a whole sourdough loaf in my grocery order, I got a sliced one, so I didn't serve it inside the hollowed out boule like the "old days"...Here's how I made mine:

Linguica Hash

Today was use something from the freezer and make dinner out of it.  I found these Linguica sausages and thought about making a hash since I had a bunch of random veggies in the fridge.  I had originally planned to make kale, potato soup (Caldo Verde) with them.

Black Bean Chocolate Chip Brownies with Pecans

I saw this on "skinnytaste" and wanted to make it for my son.  He loves sweets and pandemic life makes it a bit hard to be as active as he is in "normal" times.  I thought this would be a healthy treat to make and he loves brownies.  What I used:

Egg Foo Yung

I loves me some good Egg Foo Yung.  I find it really hit/miss in ordering take out for it where I live.  Truth is I can't find a restaurant I like it at anymore.  I was watching food t.v. and saw this and it looked fantastic.  So, I had to try and make it though I edited to my likings.  And hey, I got a new wok today!

Fried Chicken Sandwiches

A local food blogger keeps posting all the fried chicken sandwiches he is trying around town.  Well, finally he made me crave it so I thought I'd give it a try.  I based mine on the Serious Eats recipe though I made it my own.

Italian Turkey Meatball Subs

I was really craving meatballs but not sure how I wanted them served.  I was debating "Swedish", "Asian" and the good ole "Italian" with spaghetti.  In the end, I decided to make subs on fresh baguette for the first round.  (I had mozza that needed to be used).  Costco started selling "Rao's" marinara sauce so my workload got a little easier using a jar of it... I was worried they'd be dry because they were so lean so I decided to incorporate some bacon in it.  What I came up with:

Braised Lamb Shanks with Orange Gremolata

I do love fall/winter season for cooking even if this year has brought the second wave of Covid-19 with it. 😢  So many soups, casseroles, stews and comfort food will be filling our days now.  

Sweet & Sour Boneless Pork

I had a pineapple that I needed to find a use for.  I debated over Pina Coladas, ham & pineapple pizza and this.  In the end, this won.  I did a combination of marinade, broiling and then baking.  I served this with fried quinoa in the style of fried rice.

Turkey Vegetable Barley Soup

I made the turkey stock yesterday and added a bag of duck bones I had in the freezer to it as well.  This simmered all day for about 8 hours. I strained it and let it cool in the fridge overnight.  

Thanksgiving: Dry Brined Free Range Turkey

I got my turkey delivered.  It was expensive - 11 pound local bird for $60 but not as expensive as this one was and I had to pick that one up myself.  

Thanksgiving: Gateau di Patate (Italian Potato Cake)

I saw this on food t.v. and couldn't resist making it.  It seemed appropriate for Thanksgiving and it was something new to make.  I love trying a new dish each Thanksgiving.  I ordered the salami from this great local place we have here.  I baked this with the roasted veggies and stuffing while the turkey was resting. I also made this the day before so all I would have to do is bake it at dinner time.  I had a shit load of stuff going for a 2 people dinner.  😜  Doing most of the prep early was really helpful...

Thanksgiving: Spiced Rum Bananas Foster

Instead of pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, I decided to do Bananas Foster.  This is a favorite of my sons.  I followed this recipe though it's pretty straight forward to guess on your own if you've had it before.  I bought Duncan Hines yellow cake mix and made a pound cake with their recipe for it.  I made the cake the day before and froze half of it for another time, the rest was wrapped in Saran and put in the fridge. 

One-Pot Ground Turkey Chili with Quinoa

 I wanted to make an easy healthy meal that wouldn't have many leftovers.  I came up with this:

Brie Cheese Pull-Apart Bread

I've always wanted to make this.  Usually want to do it at Christmas time but haven't yet as it isn't the "heathiest" to say the least, and that time of year is usually bad enough with all I do.  However, I saw that this great bakery by my house was selling this for a limited time.  I thought the splurge would be now.  They described it as:  "A delicious sourdough loaf made with Sifted Red Spring Wheat Flour, a small touch of chili flakes and loaded with Golden Ears Cheesecrafters Havarti and Cheddar Cheese".  $12!!!  Below shot is after picking it up, still warm. This would be served with homemade tomato soup.

Pork Loin Roast with Sierra Honey Plums

I bought a 3.5 lb box of plums at Costco and was wondering what to do with them besides eating one here and there as I knew they'd go bad before we finished them.  I decided to roast them with pork tonight.  The idea came to me as I used to make a roast with prunes years ago.  What I used:

Smoky Bison Sausage Hash

I had 2 & 1/2 bison sausages leftover from dinner last night.  I was trying to decide what to make with them for my son's lunch today.  Then I came up with an idea of a brunchy hash.  This is what I used:

Sheet Pan ChickenThigh, Yam, Kale Dinner

Today was using what was at home in the fridge/freezer and seeing what I could create.  I was feeling kind of lazy though but wanted a nice healthy-ish dinner.  Sheet pan dinners are relatively easy, so we would see...

Arugula, Tomato, Basil, Onion & Gorgonzola Cheese Salad

I ordered some Italian ingredients from a local shop here.  With the fresh basil I received I immediately thought about making a Caprese salad, but didn't have any mozzarella, fresh or block.  So, I decided to just try it with the Gorgonzola cheese I ordered which essentially is an Italian bleu cheese.  This one was mildly sweet.  

Maman's Cheese Soufflé

I've always wanted to make a cheese soufflé yet never have.  I was reminded when I saw Chef Ludo making it on t.v. recently, but the recipe I went with was by legendary Jacques Pepin.  The video is here.  I chose his because it's way less fussy and you didn't have to separate the yolks and egg whites to make it like all the other recipes call for.  Also, Comté cheese was on sale at Costco so the time was now...What I used:

Country Style Ribs

I used to see these ribs in the grocery store all the time about 20 years or more ago.  Now, hardly ever.  I did find them this week so decided to make it for dinner.  They're pretty easy to put together and can be meaty delicious if tender and crispy.

Roasted and Fresh Tomato Pie

I have made this before, but with store bought pie dough and tomatoes not in season.  So, today would be the "real" thing.  Homemade pie dough and "in season" tomatoes which cost me a fortune this year!  Below is what it cost me for the jewels in this pie.  

BBQ Pork Chow Mein

I love all Asian fried noodle dishes.  I don't make them often as, let's be honest, it's just easier to order in.  Anyhoo, I decided to make chow mein tonight with fingers crossed it turned out good.  I had all these crappy, pricey (from non-Asian grocery stores), unhealthy chow mein noodles in the cupboard and finally settled on one - the one that most reminded me of chow mein from my younger days...  What I used:

Blueberry Scones

I follow Skinnytaste and these scones popped up as being "lightened up and low-fat" on social media.  I decided to make them for my son as he loves scones for breakfast.  What I used:

Pork Tenderloin Stroganoff

I've made the beef recipe many times and many different ways.  I thought it would be good with nice lean pork (the other white meat, lol).  Tenderloin is like its name "tender" and perfect for this, I thought.  What I used today:

Chicken, Andouille Sausage Cassoulet

I was surprised I hadn't blogged this recipe before as I've made it multiple times.  I had to dig up my recipe for it.  I'm not sure where the original came from now as its been years, but I spun my own take on it.  Ugh, company cancelled backyard dinner tonight staying home with COVID-19 symptoms.  I hope they are well and it doesn't turn out to be the virus.  Anyway, I was stuck now making all this food!!!  I was hoping to send some of it home with them too. ☹  I had everything out and ready to go, so had to proceed...and my freezer is jammed full, can't even put it there...

Oven Cheese Grits

I saw this on food t.v. and had to give it a try.  It looked so easy and most times I stand stirring over the stove like a slave when I make grits.  Of course I used my stash of Anson Mills stone-ground grits for this.  On the show I watched, they made it for brunch with an egg on top.  I made breakfast for dinner and served this with eggs on top and fried ham with sourdough toast on the side.

Air Fryer: Celery Root (Celeriac ) Fries

I've always wanted to try one of these things so I picked one up.  As we were having grilled burgers tonight, I thought I'd make fries out of it.  Ugly thing isn't it?  And...it cost me $5.68 too!

Pizzadilla (Quesadilla Pizza)

This flashed up on social media and I knew I wanted to make it for my son for dinner.  What I used:

Mushroom Risotto

I've always wanted to try making risotto, even though it's never been a favorite of mine in Italian restaurants.  I think I've only ordered it once and that was over 20 years ago now.  I had some mushrooms I had to use and had a box of arborio rice.  I ordered the rice in panic pandemic mode to support local restaurants.  I decided this was the time to try it.  I based mine on this recipe.  

Chicken Fried Steak

I have a great fondness for this comfort food.  This is not a meal to count calories, go big or go home.  I never have seen it on menus here in Vancouver and in fact - I don't think I've ever had it at a restaurant here.  I eat it while visiting the States (I know I won't be there any time soon!).  When I first started taking my son to Disneyland when he was six, I would eat it everyday for breakfast before we got to the park.  I could afford the calories back then.  I outgrew eating it for breakfast - it was too much and I stopped enjoying eggs with it, but mashed potatoes are A-okay.  That being said, I have never made it at home.  I decided to try it for dinner this evening. 

Polenta Dutch Baby with Ham and Cheese

I've made the sweet version before and now it was time for the savory.  I found the recipe here.  What I used:

Chocolate Espresso Crème Caramel (Flan)

I don't do desserts usually, but actually bought this on the beach in Huatulco from a vendor.  I asked what it was and her only English was "flan".  My friend and I thought it was great.  I recently saw this on food t.v. and thought I'd give it a go...  I bought espresso powder online a while ago as I could never find it when I used to shop everywhere pre-pandemic days, so thought this would be a time to use it.

Elvis Sandwich

Happy Canada Day!  🍁 It's raining, it's pouring here...  I thought I'd make my son an Elvis Sandwich.  When I asked my son who Elvis was, he said he was a famous singer.  I asked him to name a song he sang and got an "Ummm..." So I had to sit him down and showed him a few song clips on youtube which got some eye rolls.  Ah, my millennial, which made me roll my own eyes.. 🙄 The recipe calls for white bread but we didn't have any so used what we had today which was:

Air Fryer: Homemade Shake 'N Bake Chicken Thighs

I made homemade "Shake 'N Bake" seasoning a while ago and saw it in the freezer.  (I don't remember how I made it but do remember it was good.  I know there was "Cheez-It" crackers in it).  I decided to try "fried chicken" with it in the Air Fryer.  This was an experiment... 

French Toast Roll Ups

I saw this on pandemic food t.v.  I liked the idea so decided to make these for my son who I knew would really enjoy them.  I make him French toast often so this was a nice spin on that.  I bought this buttermilk honey bread from a local bakery and it was really soft, so I thought it would be perfect.  I also bought some Canadian spreadable cream cheese that is a specialty for Montreal bagels.

Pizza Pasta (Spaghetti Frittata)

Another frittata so soon after making one last week.  It came to mind with my leftovers and I've always thought it sounded interesting.   We had a wonderful spicy spag dinner with ground pork and hot Italian sausage meat sauce last night.  It was this or grilled cheese spaghetti sandwiches for brunch today.

Fiddlehead Ferns

I've never made these before, and was a little nervous after reading this.  I have eaten them at restaurants though.  I saw them in this ad below so ordered ($12).  They were local too which was a big bonus.  They have a very short season so it's a grab 'em while you can.

Egg White Veggie Frittata

This was brunch today.  I used what I had in my fridge to make up the ingredients.

Broccoli Cheddar Orzotto

I was watching "pandemic food t.v." (which I like because it's REAL, nothing is perfectly clean and mistakes happen like a true kitchen!  We usually only see perfect dishes and clean kitchens on food t.v.).  She made this and it looked yummy.  I decided to try it for next comfort food meal which turned out to be today.  I looked for some meat in my freezer and found some local apple banger sausages, so they went in.  I also had some roast chicken left over, so it joined the party as well.  For my personal take on it I used:

Deviled Beef Short Ribs

I saw this being made on a PBS cooking show called "Cook's Country".  Seeing as I love short ribs, I thought this recipe was interesting, and decided to give it a go.  It was my different than my usual method  of making them too.   I used one Serrano pepper instead of the jalapeno.  I served with Anson Mills stone-ground grits and made them cheesy.  I also sauteed a "Farmer's Market" mix of mushrooms.  I prepped this Saturday for dinner Sunday.  I made the mustard sauce first and then proceeded to do the ribs. I drained the fat, let the ribs cool and then moved them to the fridge.  I made the panko crust last.  The next day I warmed the ribs in the oven and then followed the saucing steps.  What I used:

Instant Pot: Bacon Cheese Fried Grits

Tomorrow's dinner will be short ribs.  I decided to do most prep work today.  I thought rather than standing over my stove for an hour tomorrow, I'd make the grits today and then fry them up when dinner was ready.

Pasta With Vodka Sauce

This popped up on my news feed and I couldn't stop thinking about it.  I had to make it.  A few weeks ago I ordered this in as a meal kit from a local Italian gourmet deli.  They used penne.  I'm using rigatoni.  Tonight I will compare it to mine.  What I used:

Bajan Macaroni Pie

While visiting Barbados last year, this dish was one of my favorite memories.  Below are pictures I took of it while there.  I decided it was time to make it.  I was able to order in fresh made bucatini from the farmer's market, so gave this a whirl tonight.  It is my understanding that every family has their own take on it, so I did my own too after perusing a few recipes...

Chili Corn Chip Pie

Yup, this is about as inspired in cooking I am right now.  It was hot today and I had roma tomatoes.  I made homemade pico de gallo with them which is great in warm weather.  Then I thought about what to use it for.  I have always wanted to make this, though it was going to be served in a "Fritos" bag.  This is the bowl version, therefore called a "pie".  This is what I came up with:

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

I was looking at Costco blog and they were reviewing cinnamon raisin bread.  After looking at the ingredients (I buy it for my son), I was dismayed.  I thought about making it from scratch.  I found a recipe and gave it a try.  I didn't tweak any ingredients as it's baking and thought I should try it as is.  I did add more raisins though.  I was happy for my stand mixer today.  I used:

Melting Potatoes

I saw these on food t.v. and decided it was what's for dinner tonight, with burgers.  I didn't have enough yellow potatoes so thought we'd try russet too, to see which were better.  What I used:

Roasted Yam Burritos

Happy Cinco de Mayo 🌮.  I'm trying to stay positive in the pandemic, but honestly I'm not right now.  I'm glum and depressed, not going to lie.  Anyway, I decided to try and make something to celebrate the day, mostly just trying to occupy my mind for a short while giving it something to focus on.  I totally stole the idea from my favorite food blogger, so I thank her for the inspiration.  My burrito is not traditional and has no rice either, it's just what I put together.  I love, love, love pico de gallo so that is always the star of the show for me.  What I used for two:

Half Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

After making a "no yeast" dough (blech), I finally was able to find yeast!!!  So a pizza was in store.  I like whole wheat crust, it's a texture thingy.  My son will eat it but it is not his fave, so I used half whole wheat flour to compromise.  I used my stand mixer with dough hook for the ease of it, but you don't need one to make this dough.

Chocolate Banana Pumpkin Swirl Bread

The weirdest cooking outcome for me in this pandemic is that I want to bake treats all the time.  I don't always make them when the urge starts though.  I start the recipe in this blog and then never follow through (drafts), I've done about 5 like that in the last couple of weeks.  I don't even eat sweets other than candy (black licorice especially) and dark chocolate fits once in a blue moon.  Anyway, I did make this one with a couple of edits.  I didn't have white whole wheat flour.  I had ripe bananas, so I threw them in.

Loco Moco

This happens to be my favorite Hawaiian meal when on the Islands.  Yes, I love me some Spam musubi, garlic shrimp, lau lau, malasadas, mahi mahi, poke, shave ice, etc. too, but this is a comfort food I adore.  I'm not serving the sides that often accompany it in a plate-lunch, like mac salad, coleslaw, etc.  I like this for brunch as well as dinner.

Avocado Toast with Cloud Eggs

I read about and watch food t.v. daily but never heard of a "cloud egg" before.  When I saw it on my news feed, I decided to give it a try for my son.  He's a big avocado toast fan and I make it for him all the time.  I use premium bakery bread in a nice thick slice, toasted.  I put some cream cheese on, 2 slices of black forest ham, followed by diced avocado, a sprinkle of "everything bagel" seasoning and then usually over easy eggs.  Today would be cloud eggs instead.

Instant Pot: Red Beans and Rice

"Southern" food is my favorite over all others if I had to choose.  I recommend when in New Orleans to try red beans and rice if you haven't already.  While it is not a pretty dish, it is a carby comfort food and soooo delicious.  I decided to give this a go today in my instant pot.  I was going to make a dish using beautiful Swiss chard I obtained, but I will make that tomorrow as a side for this.  I had to use what I had in the house, so this is not "southern authentic" by any means.  It's just my spin on the classic recipe.  One thing I've been trying do during this pandemic is buy local food and support our own purveyors.  I think it's something I will try to continue, though it is pricier...

Maple, Pecan, Chocolate Chip Jumbo Muffins

Happy 🐰 Easter!  We're ordering in dinner tonight, supporting a local restaurant in this pandemic time, so no cooking today.  A nice splurge and treat for both of us.  I decided to make my son muffins for breakfast.  What I used:

Pork, Peppers & Black Beans

In my online grocery order, I requested bone-in center cut pork chops but received some boneless rib end chops.  That didn't make me happy as I wouldn't buy these normally.  I thought about pounding them out and making schnitzel, but I was too lazy today.  I didn't know what to do with them, but decided I'd whip up some kind of stir-fry with what was in my house right now.

Homemade "No Yeast" Pizza

I've tried to order yeast in my online grocery shops but have failed.  I couldn't get flour either and was lucky a friend picked me up a big bag.  Then I started to see on social media that everyone is home baking bread through this pandemic... A local bakery sells pizza dough right by my house here, but it's $8 and it makes one pizza.  While it's great dough with local ingredients, it's pricey!  Below is a vegetarian pizza I made with theirs a while ago.

Coconut Brown Basmati Rice Pudding

I made bread pudding a few days ago and talked about being resourceful like my dad was.  Well, this was another one of his dishes, though his recipe was not with basmati rice or coconut.  But I spun this off his, as that's what kind of rice I had.

Jjapaguri (Ram-don)

Day umpteenthillion in self-isolation.  Can't help feeling like a sitting duck...I have totally abandoned the news and research now except for what sneaks in whether I like it or not.  Just anxiety, panic, fear and sadness, all day, every day.  Anyhooo... I'm trying to start yoga, but apparently need help with my "tight hip flexibility".  Glad I'm by myself doing these exercises so no one can see me.  20 minutes of hip exercises makes me limp around the rest of the day.  😅  Well, exercise is like cooking isn't it?  Practice, practice, practice...

Whole Wheat Bread Pudding

Bread pudding reminds me of my dad.  He always seemed to make something out of nothing in the kitchen and was very resourceful in that way.  I am like that now, thanks to him.  He made this a lot when I was young.  I had a loaf of stale bread, and hate wasting food, so I thought I'd make this for my son for dessert tonight.  I made savory bread pudding at Christmas that was fantastic and more my thing.

Air Fryer: Roast Chicken

Pandemic Life.  In this coronavirus (covid-19) time, one would think cooking would be a great pastime.  I've always used the kitchen as a way to relieve stress.  But now, not so much.  I've found little joy in it as of late, unfortunately, certainly not like I normally do.  Plus it's not exactly easy getting groceries in these times.  However, I always want to turn out a good meal, that is just part of my nature.  Anyway, I'm still here and virus free at this minute...

Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken) Soup

Hard to believe I've never made this before.  I love all egg drop soups.  Italian Stracciatella and this Asian one that I've made before.  Time to try Greek tonight.  I love this one as it's so creamy without having any dairy in it.  I garnished my sons with chives as he despises dill.

Tea Poached Pear, Leek and Cheddar Galette

I saw this on food t.v. and it looked interesting to me in that it was sweet and savory, so I gave it a go.   I think it would be great with goat cheese instead of cheddar as well...  I've always wanted to make a "galette".  I used the other pie crust to make a "crostata" which is essentially the same thing except one is French and the other is Italian (I think it's easy to guess which is which  😊)

Ginger and Turmeric Noodle Soup

I knew this was my next recipe as soon as I saw it.  Restorative soup sounded good today and it became dinner.  It may even be vegan (?), I just didn't check each ingredient (the veggie stock mainly), but the noodles for sure were.  What I used with my minor edits:

Four Cheese Lasagna

I was having company over for dinner and lasagna was one of their requests when I asked them what they liked.  So I went with homemade Caesar salad, cheesy (Mozza, Grana Padano, Provolone & Ricotta - 5 lbs at least!) lasagna and homemade garlic bread.  Oh, and Tuxedo cake for dessert but I bought that at Costco.  I decided to assemble and bake this the day before.  I would just heat it up when they arrived.  I made the sauce two days before.

Loaded Cauliflower Casserole

I chose to make this instead of baked taters tonight.  We were having NY Strip steak and I though this would make a good side for it, along with sauteed mushrooms.

Singapore Fried Curry Noodles

When I was in my 20's if I got "Chinese Food" delivery, I always, always, always ordered Singapore fried noodles - loved the curry and the thin noodles.  I rarely do anymore as there are many other chowmein noodles dishes I prefer though every now and then, I have them for "old times sake".  Making it homemade sounded like a nice challenge for myself... This recipe popped up on my news feed and I decided to give it a go, adapting it for my likes.  I headed to the Asian market.  I picked up the Shaoxing wine @ $1.79 for a 600 ml bottle.  I also grabbed the BBQ pork and noodles @ $1.29.

Black Vinegar Pork

I've slowly been working my way through freezer items.  I found some pork loin and decided to make this recipe.  I love black vinegar (Chinkiang), plus I had all the ingredients in my home, which is always a bonus.  I doubled the recipe as I had 2 lbs of pork in the freezer.  I served this with roasted broccoli w/ Everything Bagel seasoning and coconut cilantro quinoa with lime zest.

Garlic Cilantro Hummus

I had company coming for dinner.  I was putting together a cheese/meat board and decided to make some hummus.

Raw Zoodle Salad with Tahini Dressing

This post is old and from when zucchini was in season.  I just found it my drafts so published it...

Pastitcio (Greek Lasagna)

I've never made but have always wanted to.  I decided on this by Chef Michael Symon.  I've been holding this recipe since he was on "The Chew".  I used my deep dish lasagna pan to make it in.  I had to edit and improvise a little; no lamb, fresh oregano or whip cream as I didn't have any of these in my kitchen tonight.

3-Ingredient Banana Nut Cookies

These are my kind of recipes - 3 ingredients.  I got it from a favorite site, Skinnytaste.  Basically this was 2 bananas, mashed, 1 cup of quick oats and crushed pecans.  Into a 350°F oven for 20 minutes and voila, done!

Ina Garten's Lamb and Chickpea Curry

I was watching Food T.V. and saw Ina Garten make this on her show.  Said this was the only dish she would order at this restaurant because it was sooo good, then finally asked Chef for the recipe, which they shared.  I knew this would be the next special dinner I made.  There is a shitload of ingredients in it, so I went through my pantry to make sure I had everything that I needed and shopped for what wasn't there (only 5 ingredients, including lamb!).  The grocery store I went to only had shoulder chops, so I removed the bone and cubed them myself.  I bought  2 & 1/2 lbs but probably ended up with less than 2 lbs when all the bones and fat/gristle were removed.  It was not fun either.  Next time I want boneless, shoulder roast for this recipe.  What I used (with my minor edits):

Brussels Sprouts and Smoked Bison Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner

Tonight's dinner special... I've said before, I don't really like cooking on Fridays, so this was literally easy to throw together...

Miss Daisy's Beef and Cabbage Casserole

I re-watched "A Chef's Life" recently and wanted to make this casserole I saw on it.  My son and I love casseroles.  He doesn't love cabbage though, but I thought I'd give it a go and see if it took away from the dish for him... This certainly wasn't pretty looking but Vivian Howard said it was her favorite on the church homecoming buffet table when she was a kid.  Said she memorized Miss Daisy's dish so she could head straight for it.  This part of the episode brought tears to my eyes, in a heartfelt way.

Scarlett's Chicken and Rice (Bog)

One of my favorite chefs, Vivian Howard did this recipe with her mom on her show.  It is also in her cookbook which I own and adore; Deep Run Roots. In her book she says this dish is called "Bog" in some parts of the south.  This dish is about simple southern foods, which I love.  It also reminded me of another dish I tried to make which was chicken and dumplings .  Chef Sean Brock made that with his mama.

Grandma's Shortbread

Happy New Year and New Decade!  This recipe is not my grandma's, but off the back of the Canada Cornstarch box.  This was always my favorite cookie at Christmas when I was little.  My absent-sous-chef son and I planned to make this before Xmas but only got to it today.  A great way to start off the "healthy" new year.  😉