Party Time! Halloween

We had a great party Saturday night! It was rainy but our friend Sandy had not yet arrived so our fun was not dampened! Tried some great Pinterest recipes, especially the " broccomole"! Fun, friends, food and a homemade TARDIS costume.... Priceless!

Pinterest Recipe: No-Bread Cheese Bread-sticks

My friend Kandice has made a commitment to make every recipe she pins on Pinterest. I have not been as dedicated as that but I am making an honest attempt to try them all.

Cut to tonight when I had a head of cauliflower I had yet to use and remembered that I had pinned a recipe for cheesy garlic cauliflower bread-sticks. You read that correctly: cauliflower. As it turns out I had already heard from my friend and fellow food blogger, Cooking for Betty that she had tried the cauliflower pizza crust and had been happy with the results.

This recipe was super easy, and I had all the ingredients on hand minus the fresh garlic (which, umm how did THAT happen?) so I substituted with more garlic powder and a little Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic. My family's verdict? My husband and step-daughter were practically fighting over them at the table and I will be making them again this weekend on order request. And let me say as a cheesy bread-stick expert, this is a keeper for sure!!

Steal of the Week: Pumpkin Bread

That awesome first CSA box experience included 2 pie pumpkins. Here then is my opportunity to confess I have NEVER cooked with fresh pumpkin. However, the opportunity presented itself and I was on the search for a pumpkin recipe calling for the fresh stuff.
Then I found this recipe for Pumpkin Bread by one of my favorite chefs, Alton Brown. It was especially attractive because it used the seeds too.
While peeling the pumpkin proved difficult (I was down a vegetable peeler) the food processor made quick work of shredding the flesh. I toasted the seeds to add and the result was moist, delicious and devoured by my office in one work day!

Admittedly, the seeds in my opinion did not add as much to the bread as I thought and I do not think they are absolutely necessary. I can see variations of this and definitely muffins would be great!

Pasta, Pasta! Chicken Sausage Alfredo

The best thing about pasta is it is quick! And when you can put together with a quick homemade sauce and an easy add-in it is also delicious. The quick light Alfredo recipe I discovered from before went great with sun dried tomato chicken sausage and fresh fettuccine!

Crock-pot Creation

That CSA box I purchased contained radishes. I do not believe I have ever put a radish in anything other than a salad! However, it is a root vegetable so why not use them in stew? The problem? No stew meat. However, I did have boneless chicken thighs and decided to go with those.
Two pounds of thighs, one cup of red wine, two packets of brown gravy mix, one cup water, four sliced carrots, the radishes, chopped green pepper, salt and pepper. 10 hours later, a pot roast like stew I served over rice for hubby and over some toasted sourdough for me!

Dining Out: Pierce's BBQ

My step-daughter asked for one thing during our weekend away in Williamsburg: a trip to Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que! A local staple and a tourist Mecca, the barbecue is tasty and worth the wait, the small restaurant and the even more minuscule restrooms! This is a time when splurging for a "combo" is worth it, especially when it comes with tasty classic crinkle cut fries and a homemade cookie.

While not the North Carolina style barbecue I usually crave, the Pierce's sauce and simplicity of its food make it a great lunch spot. Family friendly and always consistent, we stop there whenever we are in the area.

Friday Night Bites: Old Bay Wings

My dear husband went out with a buddy to watch his Yankees and have some drinks. He loves me enough and knows me well enough to ask about wings. I love wings. They may be one of my favorite foods. These beauties are coated in Old Bay. I am a happy girl!

Groupon Meal: Baker's Crust Breakfast

My family is spending the weekend in Williamsburg, VA celebrating an early birthday for our almost teenager. Hubby bought a Groupon for Baker's Crust months ago only to discover it was only good at the Williamsburg location. So our Sunday breakfast plans were set! Everyone's breakfast was delicious but mine was an extra treat, because it was something I would never make at home: smoked salmon eggs Benedict with fried capers and creamy hollandaise! What a great way to fuel up before a day at the theme park!

My First CSA Box! Local Produce at the Ready

I am so excited about locally grown produce! Let me back up...I have never participated in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture for those of you who may not know) and was always a little hesitant to do so because of the commitment. Ordinarily, you pay up front for 6 weeks of produce that you need to pick up from a specified location. THAT seemed unattainable to me and my family, the crazy-busy, two-people-working-outside-the-home family that we are. So I was very excited when a farm on the Eastern Shore of Virginia started offering a "flexible" CSA which allows you to choose the weeks you want to order. Mattawoman Creek Farms sends me an e-mail advising me of that week's selection and if I am interested, I pay via PayPal and choose my desired pick-up location.

Today was my first pick-up which was a breeze, just signed my name and got my produce. And what a bounty I got: pie pumpkins, butternut squash, arugula, red radishes, a hot pepper mix and purple potatoes. I am so excited to make some yummy dishes. I have already froze some of the hot peppers for later and I am working on creating a spicy harvest soup of squash and pumpkin. If you want to know more about CSAs, check out Local Harvest: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Rainy Night: Grilled Cheese Alright

The weather where I live is awful tonight. Temperature dropped with rain, lots of rain. What is better than grilled cheeses with manchego, Irish cheddar and Gruyere served with a side of soup. Warm bellies tonight!

Crock-pot Creation: Asian Style Pork Tacos

It may not look like a lot in the pot, but this is the makings of pulled pork tacos with a sauce of soy, hoisin, cola, ginger and garlic. Yummy!

Dinner Out: Yo Yo Sushi

I have been eating sushi as long as I can remember. My grandparents lived in Hawaii and I remember the summers we visited I was gobbling ahi tuna. For a long time, I was leery of sushi outside of Hawaii and California or high dollar restaurants. Now it is like there is a sushi bar everywhere! My favorite spot is a drive from home but close enough to my husband's job that he goes there for lunch just to make me jealous. Yo Yo sushi has never disappointed me, including tonight, date night with hubby. The chef special rolls were interesting (tuna and macadamian nuts?) and delicious. A little shumai to start and Sopporo beer and I thought about my grandparents and was thankful my hubby loves it as much as I do!

Quick Cupboard Meal: Spicy Indian

Today was one of those days when both me and hubby worked late and felt the whole day was rushed. It's nights like these I am glad I plan out meals! Tonight was an easy meal from ingredients I keep on hand (chicken, basmati rice, jalapenos, scallions, tomato paste) and two strategically purchased items: 1 jar of tikka masala sauce and 1 package of naan bread from our local grocery bakery.

The jarred tikka masala suace by Sharwood's is something we tried once before but decided needed something more. So tonight, I sauteed some scallions and thinly sliced fresh jalapeno in some olive oil and then added the chicken and sauce according to package directions. I then added about a tablespoon of tomato paste (the squeeze tube of tomato paste from Trader Joe's is a kitchen must have!) and some garlic salt. The sauce simmered, the naan was brushed with olive oil and heated in the oven, all while the rice cooked. In about 15 minutes, dinner was served! Once work slows down I want to try my hand at making my own Indian but for now this is a pretty good substitute.

Dinner Out: Five Guys!

Today was a day I forgot to eat lunch and tonight it was just me and the boy so I felt I was justified in a dining splurge. And by dining splurge I mean a calorie splurge. So one of my guilty pleasures is a cheeseburger (with mustard and pickles no less) so off to Five Guys Burgers and Fries we went. How do you say no to peanuts right before dinner when he loves them so?
I got my usual, little man got his kosher dog and we shared some fries. I may be playing some Just Dance tonight to work off some of it but it was delicious.

I have had In n' Out and I had my first taste of Smashburger when I was out in Arizona this spring. But Five Guys will always hold a special place in my burger loving heart...if for no other reason than it was what I had when we brought our little guy home from the hospital. Happy food memories!

Light Macaroni and Cheese: Encore Please

This time of year is perfect for one of my family's favorite dishes: Mac n' Cheese courtesy of Cooking Light that has appeared on this blog before. It is a little time consuming in terms of the prep, but the actual dish comes together in minutes. What I do recommend is reading up on how to peel and cut a butternut squash before attempting it. The pre-peeled stuff in the grocery store will NOT give you the flavor you want. This time I also tried a Gruyere and cheddar cheese mix from Trader Joe's. The flavor was fantastic!

Steal of the Week: Ancho-Glazed Salmon

I love it when a plan comes together! So that recipe I pinned to use with my expertly (ahem) prepared salmon?Fantastic! Simple ingredients in a spicy and sweet rub made delicious fish and sweet potatoes!

The fish cooked while the potatoes broiled and I quickly steamed some fresh broccoli to round out our meal. Hubby gave it two thumbs up! Now I just need to practice my fish mongering skills!

You can find the recipe here: Ancho-Glazed salmon

Salmon: Teaching Myself to Swim in the Culinary Seas

I bought some beautiful salmon this weekend in an effort to continue our journey of eating more healthy. I just prepped them for tonight's dinner and realized I should have paid more attention in Chef Edward' salmon skinning class! But, I prevailed. The fillets are skinned, re-checked for bones, and bones removed. I also have fillets that do NOT look like they have already been eaten on and a new recipe to try that I just pinned. Here goes nothing!