Crunchwrap Supreme

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

Smokies wrapped in "Everything Bagel" Puff Pastry

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

Homemade Dumplings (for Chicken Soup)

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

Chorizo, Chickpea, Potato Soup

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

Grilled Romaine with Bagna Cauda & Spicy Shrimp

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

Slow Roasted Crispy Pork Belly

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

Judy Hesser’s Oven-Fried Chicken

I am always craving fried chicken.  I would give anything to find a good Southern fried chicken place locally.  I always think of Nashville when I think of the best fried chicken I've had in my life...  Anyway, I saw this and decided to give it a try.  

Rigatoni Pie

I saw this and wanted to make it with Marcella Hazan's sauce.  I prepared it as per recipe in the link.  It is my favorite sauce for pasta, I think because of the butter.  

Instant Mashed Potato Gnocchi Al Forno

I was inspired to make this from watching the current season of Top Chef.  The world all-star chef won the day with instant mashed tater gnocchi.  I found a recipe here.  I tried once to make Ricotta and Parmigiano-Reggiano Gnocchi that did not work at all.  It turned into a big round blob of cheese while simmering and I haven't tried since...What I used today:

Raspberry Jam Oatmeal Bars

Son loves oatmeal anything and I had company company for dinner so thought this would accomplish a couple of things, dessert, breakfast and treats for everyone.  There were oodles and oodles of recipes online and I decided on this one.  What I used:

Falafel Waffles with Creamy Lemon Yogurt Slaw

As soon as I saw this on food t.v., I knew I had to make it.  I was surprised that I only had to soak the chickpeas, but I guessed the waffle maker would cook them hopefully.  What I used:

Cheesy Jalapeño Beer Bread

I saw this recipe and thought I'd make it since it looked so easy.  What I used: