Today's Special: Butternut Squash Apple Soup, Garlic Soup, Beef with Snow Peas, Sausage, Mushroom, & Spinach Lasagna, and Homestyle Macaroni & Cheese

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

New Recipe. A couple weeks ago I made some butternut squash gnocchi and had a ton of squash left over. So, I froze it. And used it for this recipe! I honestly just made this to use up the extra squash and didn't have super high hopes for it. BUT, I really liked this a lot! The recipe says to use salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg to "season to taste." I HATE IT when recipes say that without giving you a starting point as to recommended amounts. But, I delved in and seasoned and tasted away and the final product was just what I was hoping for... a nicely seasoned soup that didn't taste sweet. I think it's hard to use cinnamon and nutmeg as a savory ingredient... usually they give more of a dessert quality to a dish. So, in order to help you make this, I will give you the amounts I used for the seasonings: 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 2 1/2 tsp. salt. You may want to start with 2 tsp. salt, just to be safe. So anyway, this recipe was definitely a winner and it's ORANGE! Perfect for Halloween dinner! (I totally didn't plan that.)

Garlic Soup

New Recipe. I didn't realize how much time this was going to take to make... at least an hour I think. But, the end product was really good. I think I like this more than the garlic soup I've made in the past... more flavor and a thicker consistency. I used half and half instead of the heavy cream and it was still really delicious. This was good as a light dinner with salad and french bread. It didn't make a whole lot... maybe enough for 4 people... maybe. This would also be good in place of a dinner salad... if you are one of those ambitious people who have several courses to a meal (I'm not). Oh, I also used Jarlsberg cheese instead of Gruyere because I couldn't find any of that.

Beef with Snow Peas

New Recipe. If you're looking for a fast recipe this week, this is your winner! It took me maybe a half hour and that included all the prep work and cooking the brown rice (pressure cookers are awesome!). The sauce was perfect and the beef and snow peas were so delicious! The extra addition of crushed red pepper made it that much better. This is the first Asian-y beef  recipe I've made that has turned out to my liking. I really haven't had much success with this category of food... it's very rare for me to make something and actually like it as much as the stuff I get at restaurants. It's nice to have found another winner!

Sausage, Mushroom, and Spinach Lasagna

New Recipe. Now, I am really picky with my lasagna. Usually I only like the kind I make with my sauce recipe and my mom's lasagna recipe from when I was a kid. But I thought I'd try this one out because #1 It looked a lot healthier and #2 Who doesn't love sausage, mushrooms, and spinach? I made this exactly as written using the Italian flavored ground turkey, but I also used an oven-ready pasta. I was a little worried about the pasta not getting cooked through and/or the lasagna being too dry. Oh, I also added 2 cloves of garlic to the turkey mixture. So, this actually turned out really good. I didn't think it tasted healthy at all and the oven-ready pasta worked just fine. It wasn't the fastest meal ever because of the hour long bake time, but it was well worth the effort.

Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese

Old Favorite. Have I said how much I love this stuff? Seriously the best homemade mac and cheese I've had by far. Ok wait, I lied. Rachel made some for us once and it rocked too. But other than that... every other homemade mac and cheese I've made or eaten pretty much sucks. The Dijon mustard in this is what gives it an extra punch of flavor. It only calls for 1 tbsp., but I usually double that because I love it so much.

Today's Special: Pot Stickers w/ Soy Dipping Sauce, Chicken Wellington, Kelly's Chili, and Deep-Dish Apple Pie

I resisted the urge to raid my "new recipe" feeds on Google this week and dug out the old-fashioned cookbook. These are definitely some of my favorite recipes!

Pot Stickers with Soy Ginger Dipping Sauce- These pot stickers rock my world. It's a little time consuming to make all the individual folded pouches, but so worth it. Also, do not skip the dipping sauce, it'll take you five minutes to make it and it's amazing! I usually make double batches of these because it's more common to find 48 packs of the won ton wrappers (usually in the produce section) and a full pound of ground pork.

Chicken Wellington with Creamy Mushroom Sauce - So remember a couple weeks ago when I made Crap in Rolls? Well think of this as its more sophisticated, incredibly delicious older sister. The recipe calls for 8 small chicken breasts, but I used 4 large ones and cut them in half. I also pounded out the chicken to a uniform thickness to make sure they cooked evenly (I don't have a mallet... just used the side of a can of beans!). Also... I have a confession to make... I completely forgot about the corresponding Mushroom Sauce this time around. Which was fine... they are totally awesome on their own. HOWEVER. I have made the Mushroom Sauce before and it is awesome. And I would have made it this time had it not completely slipped my mind. Oh, and the recipe says to take the puff pastry out of the freezer 10 minutes before you use it. I'd say make it more like 20-30 minutes. But seriously... this looks really fancy but it's not hard at all to make!

Kelly's Chili- I'm not usually big on chili. In fact it's typically one of my least favorite "soups." But this chili is so good! It always turns out with the perfect amount of heat and it doesn't have a lot of beans in it. In fact I add an extra can of beans to make the meat/bean ratio a little better. I made this for a work party once and everybody loved it. And Seth and I were able to make it through an entire crockpot full of this stuff before it went bad, so that's saying something!

Deep-Dish Apple Pie- This week a friend of mine at work gave me a bag of homegrown apples so of course I had to make a pie! I love making this pie because it always turns out delicious. And look how beautiful! This isn't exactly a fast recipe to make (what apple pie is?) but it's well worth the effort. I use an apple peeler thingy which helps cut down the prep time a lot. A food processor is also a very useful tool with this one.

Today's Special: Smoked Salmon Burgers, Cobb Salad Pizza, Spaghetti w/ Clams & Corn, Grilled Pork Loin, & Red Velvet Cupcakes

Smoked Salmon Burgers- New Recipe. These turned out really good. The avocado mayo mixture was tangy and went well with the salmon. If you don't like fishy stuff, smoked salmon is not for you. I think regular grilled salmon would work well as a less-fishy substitute.

Cobb Salad Pizza- New Recipe. This was my first time using one of the refrigerated pizza doughs. I thought it was pretty good and would use it again. The pizza was good but the lack of sauce made it so the toppings fell off really easily. I'm not sure what I'd do to remedy that as regular pizza sauce wouldn't taste that good. I know it's not exactly healthy, but maybe ranch dressing or something like that would work. It may also work a little better to shred the chicken instead of cutting it into cubes because then the chicken's center of gravity would be lower and it wouldn't topple over the side of the pizza slice so easily. There are a lot of physics involved in cooking.

Spaghetti with Clams and Corn- New Recipe. I should've listen to the reviews on this one. There were only a couple reviews, but they all said this was too bland. I thought, " How could it be bland with all those onions and fresh herbs?" Somehow it was. It wasn't bad by any means, just not that great either. Too bad.

Grilled Pork Loin- No recipe. So I just bought a pre-marinated pork loin at the grocery store and threw it on the grill. Made some Rice-a-Roni and there's dinner!

Red Velvet Cupcakes- New Recipe. I made these and brought them to work for a birthday treat and all those guys raved all day long about how they were the best cupcakes they'd ever had in their entire lives and what did I do to them to make them so delicious and what's in the frosting and on and on and on. So they were good. Even though I don't like Bobby Flay and think he's a douche.

Today's Special: Steak & Potato Kebabs, Grilled Portobello Sandwiches, Salmon Panzanella, & Curried Chicken w/ Mango Salsa

Steak & Potato Kebabs with Creamy Cilantro Sauce- New Recipe. These turned out really good. The meat was cooked perfectly and wasn't chewy. The potatoes were cooked through and the poblano peppers had a much better flavor than regular green bell peppers. I also really liked the cilantro sauce. It had a very fresh flavor and complimented the meat and veggies really well. Plus kebabs always look so pretty! I would definitely recommend this one.

Curried Chicken with Mango Salad- New Recipe. I thought this turned out pretty good. It was a very light, summery meal. I think I liked the mango salad more than Seth did. The chicken was probably the best part. The outside was nice and crunchy and had a good flavor. I was surprised the yogurt based sauce held up so well. I thought it would burn under the broiler. This was probably the least favorite meal of the week, but by no means bad.

Salmon Panzanella- New Recipe. I actually have no idea why I made this recipe. When I looked at it and saw the salad with bread chunks, cucumber and such, I didn't think it looked all that great. But somehow I made it anyway and I'm telling you, this was fantastic! It really blew me away how good it was! It was extremely easy to make and somehow the flavors all blended together really nicely and it just worked! Seth kept digging into the salad with the giant serving spoon and eating it while the salmon was cooking. Another bonus was that it used up some of the whole wheat rolls I'd bought for the portobello sandwiches earlier in the week. This one is definitely a keeper!

Balsamic Grilled Portobello Sandwiches with Goat Cheese and Roasted Peppers- Repeat. Wow wow wow. Even better than I remember. These may even knock out the Vegetarian Reubens with Russian Dressing as my favorite meat-free meal. So easy and so much flavor! The recipe says to let the mushrooms marinate for 1 hour, but both times I've done 30 minutes and they still turn out great. This is possibly my most favorite sandwich ever.

Today's Special: Fish Tacos, Beer Can Chicken, Tijuana Tortas, Dry-Aged Steaks, & Banana Pudding

Fish Tacos- New Recipe. I saw Alton Brown make these on Good Eats the other day and thought they looked really good. I made kind of a cheater version though. I didn't make my own tortillas and I didn't make my own sauce. I did however make the fish/marinade like he did. For my cheater version I used soft flour tortillas and some store bought spicy ranch dressing for the sauce. My ranch dressing wasn't that spicy though so I added a couple chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (I had some leftover in the fridge... doesn't everybody?) and blended it up, which he does in the recipe. It takes 24 hours to make the sauce his way and I just don't plan ahead that much. Anyway, I really liked these and thought they turned out really good. I'll have to try making that sauce one of these days to see if it's worth it.

Beer Can Chicken- New Recipe. I love making whole chickens. Mainly because I think they look funny when I'm prepping them for cooking. I feel like I'm giving a little chicken child a bath and a rubdown! HA! I also like to make whole chickens because they are just so darn cheap. I got a 4 lb. chicken for $2.38. Awesome huh? Anyway, as far as this recipe goes, I really liked the flavors (have I mentioned how much I love fresh thyme?) and it was very simple to prepare. The chicken turned out incredibly moist. The skin wasn't quite as browned as I would have liked so in the future I'd start it out at a higher temp to brown it and then back it down to keep the meat moist. This was a great basic recipe that has potential for a lot of tweaking/customizing. Also, the recipe says you can use a small mason jar filled with chicken stock instead of the beer.

Tijuana Tortas- New Recipe. Good not great. Probably won't make them again, but not bad for a vegetarian meal. (I have never actually had a regular torta so I have no idea how these compare, sorry Rachel.)

Dry-Aged Ribeye Steaks- New Recipe. Another Alton Brown recipe (he used Porterhouse steaks though). Although I thought these turned out well, I don't know that it was good enough to warrant days worth of prepping. It was fun to try but I doubt I'll do it again.

Southern Banana Pudding- New Recipe. This tasted a lot like banana cream pie but without the extra step of making a crust. If you make this, don't get impatient like I did and eat it an hour after you make it. It uses layers of Nilla Wafers which need time to soften in the pudding. I didn't want to wait to try it out and the cookies were really dry. This was much better the next day, so make sure you plan ahead. It won't be worth it otherwise. Also, I used an 8x8" (2 quart) pan and only had enough pudding and such for 2 layers, not 3 as it states in the recipe. The recipe says to use a 1.5 quart pan so maybe I would have had enough for 3 if my pan had been a bit smaller. Not that it really matters as far as taste is concerned. Anyway, I thought this was a good, easy dessert.

A Can of Beans and an Onion Walk Into a Bar...

Seth: (Walks into the room and reads the title of this post) What's this post going to be about? Smelly stuff?
Me: Nope
Seth: Flatulence?
Me: Nope
Seth: Beans and Onions?

Well sorta. Camping season is among us folks and what's the hardest thing about camping? Planning out all the damn food. It's a pain in the butt and I know because I'm the one who does that sort of thing around here. Seth does the packing of the car and I do the menu. That's just how it is because it divides up tasks according to our respective talents and abilities.

Now planning a regular weekly menu is hard enough, but when you throw in the camping element, it's a whole different ball game. You gotta worry about stuff getting smashed, keeping things cool, eliminating tedious prep, making something fast and easy that your family will actually like. All of your typical tried and true recipes get thrown out the window and you're standing there clueless, frustrated, and stressed out.

Lucky for you I do a lot of camping. Over the years I've tweaked and sampled and experimented and now you get to reap all the benefits. Today you get to learn all of my camping food secrets to success.

Tip #1: Use tortillas instead of bread.

How many times have I packed a loaf of bread for sandwiches and it gets smashed? Every single time I've done it. It doesn't matter if it's packed into a food box or surrounded by a force field of magic. Not only that, but anytime you whip out a loaf of bread in a dry outdoor environment, it spontaneously turns into slices of  stale parched yuckiness. Who wants to eat that?

On the other hand, tortillas are already smashed. They don't dry out. They don't need to be refrigerated and they're great for lunches on the go. Plus there are some great recipes for wraps out there that'll make you feel like you're eating a gourmet meal in the time it would have taken you to make a couple smashed PB&J sandwiches. And there'll be no whining from the kids about the dry crust.

Tip #2: Pre-packaged shortcuts

When I cook at home I rarely buy ready-to-use pre-prepped ingredients (think chopped onions, veggies, pre-cooked meat, etc.). These things just aren't very cost effective to buy on a regular basis and generally don't taste as good. However, when you're camping, they're a real time saver. Some of my favorite things to buy are chopped onions (found in the produce section in a neat little container), shoe string or sliced carrots, pre-cooked grilled sliced chicken breast, shredded cheese, guacamole, and the list goes on. Definitely worth the extra money to save some time and add a whole lot of convenience when the family is starved. Plus when you're already stressed out trying to get everything ready for a trip, the last thing you want to do is prep work for your meals.

Along these same lines, there are a few easy camp meals and side dishes that I've found work really well for camping. Don't be afraid to let the kids roast hot dogs for dinner or make tin foil dinners. I like to bring things like Lloyd's BBQ Pulled Pork for pulled pork sandwiches. Just heat and eat! Buy premade potato or pasta salads in the deli or just eat potato chips or fresh fruit. I've found single serving pop-top canned fruit also travels well and doesn't require refrigeration. Yogurt is a good option for breakfast. Get creative! Camping is a time to have fun and try new things!

Tip #3: Bring the Right Tools

When you're camping you don't want to bring your whole kitchen with you. It takes up too much room and it's a huge hassle to dig through everything to find what you need. Want to make a recipe that requires measuring stuff? Pre-measure the few ingredients you need and bring them in baggies. Keep sauces or oils in squeeze bottles. All you need are a few key tools and you should be set for any meal you want to make. This is MY list of essential camp kitchen items:

• Tin Foil (preferably the longer heavy duty kind)
• Gallon Size Ziplock Bags (to save leftovers and ensure open packages don't get soaked with water in the cooler)
• Can Opener
• Small Cutting Board
• Chef's Knife
• Saucepan
• Skillet
• Tongs
• Spatula
• Salt & Pepper
• Non-Stick Spray

Optional:

• Large Mixing Bowl
• Whisk (usually a plastic fork will suffice)

*My Favorite Camping Meals*

Breakfast Burritos

This is actually an incredibly easy and fast breakfast. Even better than those shake n' pour pancakes because those darn pancakes never seem to cook very evenly on a camp stove. These work best if you've got a large rectangular skillet, but a normal round skillet will work just fine too. Plan for 2 eggs per person and at least 2 sausage links.

• Burrito Size Tortillas (I like Mission flavored tortillas. Garden Veggie and Tomato Basil are my favorite, but Jalapeno Cheddar is also good).
• Eggs (you can buy Egg Beaters which come in a resealable container or whole eggs that come in a Styrofoam carton. Do not buy eggs in a cardboard container... it will get soggy and fall apart in your cooler)
• Pre-cooked Sausage (I like Farmland Premium Pork Sausage Links-Fully Cooked. It actually won the Cooks Illustrated taste test!)
• Hash browns (Don't get the frozen ones, they won't stay frozen. I like Simply Potatoes. One bag is enough for 6 large burritos)
• Shredded Cheese
• Salsa

The hash browns and sausage basically just need to be warmed up, so throw em on a hot skillet sprayed with non-stick spray and cook for about 5 minutes or so. While they're cooking I crack all the eggs into a bowl, add salt and pepper and whisk together. Throw one large tortilla onto each plate and divide the hash browns and sausage equally. Scramble the eggs and put on top of the hash browns and potatoes. Top with shredded cheese and if desired return each filled tortilla back to the skillet for a final warming. I let everyone choose whether or not they want salsa.  

Creamy Guacamole & White Bean Wrap

I know. This sounds like a vegetarian disaster. But I swear you will love it. And it's so incredibly easy to make. Trust me on this one. Oh, and just to give credit, this is my camping version of EatingWell's Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wrap. 

• 1 bottle spicy ranch dressing (or other southwesterny style dressing)
• 1 bag coleslaw mix (by the bagged salads in the produce section)
• 1 bag of shoestring carrots
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 15-ounce can white beans, drained
• 1 package guacamole (I like Wholly Guacamole brand. Get the snack packs for 1-2 people, regular packs for families)
• 8 oz. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 small container chopped red onions
• 1 package burrito size tortillas (try the Mission Garden Veggie kind)

I mainly just put as much of this stuff on each wrap as I wanted. One can of beans makes 3 good sized wraps. You'll have a ton of all the other stuff left over. This isn't really an exact science, so just get extra of any ingredients you'll need more of for more people (probably just the guacamole and beans).

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

• 1 package burrito size tortillas (try Mission's Tomato Basil)
• 1 package crumbled Blue Cheese
• 1 bottle Buffalo Wing sauce (in ketchup isle)
• celery (1 large stick for 2 wraps)
• 1 package coleslaw mix (salad area of produce section)
• 1 package Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Strips (any flavor) (1 package= 2 wraps)

 Once again just divvy the ingredients out onto each wrap as desired. 1 4 oz. package of blue cheese crumbles is enough for about 6 wraps. Make sure you look at the hotness level of your buffalo wing sauce, especially if you have kids. Also, I don't worry about chopping up the celery, just break it into smaller pieces with your hands.

For more great recipe ideas, check out Eatingwell.com and CookingLight.com. They both have a ton of different wrap recipes. Don't be afraid to tweak them to your liking and/or substitute ingredients. Also, don't feel like you have to come up with something different for every single meal. Chances are you'll only be camping for a couple days. Nobody is going to die if you eat the same thing for lunch each day. Especially if it's something delicious.

I hope you can use some of these tips for your camping trips this year. Let me know how they work out for you. And feel free to share any of your own cooking tips for camping!

Today's Special: Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

Balsamic Grilled Portobello Sandwiches with Goat Cheese and Roasted Peppers- New Recipe. Wow these turned out so good! Seth mentioned at least 3 times during the meal how awesome they were. Very easy to make and healthy to boot! This is definitely a keeper.

Penne with Mushroom Sauce- New Recipe. This was a bit disappointing. I didn't think the brown sauce looked very appetizing on the pasta and it was surprisingly bland.

Sauerkraut Chowder- Repeat. Man I love this stuff. Have I mentioned that before?

Today's Special: It's All Good

Balsamic Grilled Portobello Sandwiches with Goat Cheese and Roasted Peppers- New Recipe. Wow these turned out so good! Seth mentioned at least 3 times during the meal how awesome they were. Very easy to make and healthy to boot! This is definitely a keeper.

Shaker-Style Smoked Chicken Thighs and Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob- New Recipe. This turned out really good despite the fact that I didn't actually do any of the smoking as stated in the recipe (too lazy, too hungry, and no wood chips). Also, just as a tip for all you chicken barbequers out there: use chicken thighs! Chicken breasts have to be cooked "just-so" on the grill in order for them to not turn out dry. Chicken thighs keep their delicious texture and are more forgiving if you overcook them a little. Plus, thighs are much cheaper and quite frankly I think they taste better too. I was able to pick up 2 pounds of chicken thighs for only $2.50 and easily removed the skin myself (you can buy them boneless and skinless).

If you've never grilled corn on the cob, it's time you had. You can get fancy with putting butter and such inside the husks beforehand, but I always just throw the corn on the grill (husks still on!) and rotate them every 5 minutes or so. They're done when all sides start to blacken a little. Mine were done at the same time as the Shaker chicken this time around. Oh and if you don't want to burn your flesh off but still want hot corn to eat, shuck the ears while wearing oven mitts, works pretty good!

Cassoulet-Style Chicken Thighs- New Recipe. I'm always a little wary of these crazy bean recipes, but somehow they turn out surprisingly good! I think white beans are my favorite. They have a great creamy texture and a nice mild buttery flavor. My food processor was my best friend when I made this. I used it to turn 2 pieces of wheat bread into crumbs (and blend the oil into them), chop the onion, and mash up the beans. That food processor saves me so much time. Anyway, this recipe is a keeper!

Mama Hanson's Fish Stew- New Recipe. One day Dad Hanson raved to me about this "tomato based fish chowder" Mama Hanson had made. He said, "It's the best chowder there is to be found and all gourmet fish places should hang their heads in shame." I knew I needed the recipe. Mama Hanson is a soup/stew guru so I felt very privileged to gain access to this recipe. It didn't actually come with instructions, just a list of ingredients, so hopefully I made it right. I thought it turned out very well and was even better the next day (which is usually the standard for soups).

Mama Hanson's Fish Stew

 2 tbsp. olive oil

1 green pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced thinly

2 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups chicken broth

1 (28oz.) can diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 bay leaf

1/8-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 lb. cod fillets, cut into 1" pieces

1/2 lb. white fish, crab, or shrimp

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot. Add green pepper, red pepper, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until onions are translucent.

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, basil, thyme, turmeric, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes (for thicker stew, leave off lid).

Add all fish/crab and continue to simmer until fish is cooked through (about 5-10 minutes more). Garnish with parsley and serve.

Serves 4-6

Today's Special: A Whole Lotta Food

Turkey Soup- New Recipe. This is the recipe that saved Seth's wild turkey from culinary disaster (long story short, it was way too salty after I roasted it). This soup helped tone down the saltiness of the turkey a lot and made it not only edible, but incredibly delicious. The recipe name doesn't sound too fancy, but it was some of the best soup we've had in awhile. Definitely a keeper! (p.s. I substituted corn for carrots because I didn't have any).

Basil Pesto Pasta- New Recipe. This pesto turned out so good! Even better than the stuff in the jar I buy at the grocery store. I have to admit I was a little scared to try it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very fresh tasting. Oh, I did sub pecans for the walnuts. I also used this on gnocchi instead of regular pasta.

 Fajita Burgers- New Recipe. These were really spicy so watch out if you're cooking for kids. They were a bit crumbly but I think it was because I didn't chop up my onions small enough. Seth really liked these, but I thought all the stuff mixed into the burgers was a bit overwhelming. I'd probably tone it down a bit next time. Also, the roasted peppers were good (Seth made them!) but not sure they were worth the effort. I'd suggest using some store bought roasted red peppers in a jar. I think this would actually cut back on the spiciness too. Oh and one more tip: Don't eat one of these right before you go running. Bleh.

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Creamy Chive Sauce- New Recipe. This turned out ok... maybe a bit on the bland side. I think it would've been better had the sauce simmered longer and/or the flavors had more time to meld. Definitely not bad by any means, but nothing spectacular.

Mediterranean Tuna Panini- Repeat. These were Seth's exact words the other night when I made this... "This one of my favorite things you make." Enough said.

Granola Bars- New Recipe. This is another Alton Brown recipe. I wanted to try and make my own granola bars for a couple reasons. #1 Store bought granola bars are pricey #2 Store bought granola bars aren't that good or filling or healthy. I wanted to make my own granola bars so I could control all those variables and I have to say my experiment worked pretty well.

There were a couple changes I made to this recipe. I couldn't find hulled raw sunflower seeds at the grocery store, so I just left them out. Also, I tried using agave nectar in place of honey. For my dried fruit I used a mixture of regular and golden raisins, dried cranberries and I believe there were some dried blueberries in the mix as well. These turned out pretty well. They are more of a soft granola bar and mine were a bit crumbly, but not too bad. I read reviews on the recipe that said these were hard to cut or really crunchy... I think this may be the difference between the honey and agave, but I'm not sure. I've already bought ingredients to make a second batch and I think I'll try using honey this time to see which I like best. I'll let you know how it goes.

Ok so update on that last paragraph. I made a second batch of these with honey and they turned out even better I think. I let them cool in the pan this time and I couldn't get them out. So, I nuked it in the microwave for a minute to soften it up and then it came out... in pieces. I would suggest baking this then right away (before it cools) dump it out onto a cutting board and press it together/shape it and then let it cool.

p.s. These were made in a 9x9 pan and I cut them into 8 bars- using these proportions the granola bars have about 400 calories, which is a good sized breakfast. Perfect for my drive to work!

Get in the Kitchen and Bake Me a Pie

For a couple years now I've been living with the stove/oven from hell. It's old. It's ugly. The oven temperature settings are off by +50 degrees. The heat seal around the door is bad which caused the cabinet to turn black. There is no window to look inside the oven while baking. The stove coils are not removable and don't sit flat. And there's only ONE large coil and 3 small ones. It's amazing I can cook any edible food at all because it's pretty much the worst stove ever.

This week Seth and I needed to renew our lease and I finally decided to gripe about this stupid oven and try to get a new one. At first they just offered to send in a serviceman to look at it and I was crushed. But after the serviceman gave it a look over, he decided it was junk and installed a new one. Praise the Lord!

You guys, I came home from work yesterday and as soon as I opened the door I heard angels singing from the heavens. There, glistening in all its wonderful glory (I'm pretty sure I saw a large halo over it), was my new stove. A brand new white stove already installed and waiting just for ME. And it has TWO large coils on the stovetop. And a window AND light in the oven. And removable coils. And a timer and clock.

I raved and raved to Seth all night long about my fabulous new stove. How beautiful it is and how wonderful all these features are. How clean and bright it makes the kitchen look. And look at these biscuits I made for dinner, don't they look AMAZING? I could tell they were baked perfectly because I looked at them through the oven WINDOW!

Oh new oven, how I love thee. Let us never part! (until we move) *tear*

Today's Special: Wow No Red Meat Again!

Open-Faced Sandwiches with Ricotta, Arugula, and Fried Egg - New Recipe. I wasn't sure I'd like this as I'm not a big fan of fried eggs. But, not only did I like this... I loved it! I actually used fresh spinach instead of arugula, but otherwise made this as written. This technique for making fried eggs made them turn out perfectly and I didn't have to mess with flipping them over and accidentally breaking the yolks. This recipe made me realize that I do in fact like fried eggs (so long as they're not touching any maple syrup!).

White Chili with Chicken- Repeat. This doesn't really taste like a classic chili at all, but it's good anyway. It has a very fresh taste from the cilantro and lime and is a great healthy meal.

Ramen Shrimp Pouch- New Recipe. This is a recipe I stumbled upon from Alton Brown on Good Eats. I used a couple new ingredients with this one... mirin and dried mushrooms. Mirin is kind of a sugary rice wine and the black wormy looking things in the picture are the mushrooms (or "black fungus" as labeled on the package :D ). Anyway, I thought this turned out pretty good and it was simple to make. It took probably about 10 minutes longer to cook than it said in the recipe (the noodles weren't cooked through yet and the mushrooms were still dry). Aside from that it all went smoothly. I thought the broth for the soup was good, though a bit sweet for my tastes... I think it's from the 1/2 cup of mirin. I'd probably cut that back next time to about 1/4 cup and up the veggie broth. Seth and I both added a bit of Thai garlic chili paste and extra soy sauce to our individual bowls just for some added spice and flavor. This was good "as written" though and a fun experiment.

Meat & Grain Burgers with Shrimp Louie Pasta Salad: New Recipe. So I thought these burgers sounded kind of weird but they looked delicious and I had a whole bunch of bulgur to use up so I thought I'd give it a try. I also branched out and tried using ground turkey instead of beef. I thought these turned out really well and weren't weird at all. I was a bit worried after I made the patties because they seemed kind of mushy, but the texture was just fine after they were cooked. I'd probably stick with using regular hamburger next time just because beef has a lot more flavor to it, but turkey wasn't bad by any means (these were actually better then next day).

As for the shrimp salad, it was exactly what I was looking for... a basic pasta shrimp salad. It was good right after I made it, but even better the next day after all the flavors had a chance to blend and the pasta was completely chilled. I'm a sucker for a pasta salad, especially ones like this that remind me of all the potlucks from my childhood. Definitely a keeper. Oh yeah, I substituted celery for the red peppers.

Today's Special: Trying to Increase My Processed Meat Intake

Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Mashed Potatoes- So this isn't really a recipe. Just salt and pepper some good ribeye steaks and throw them on a hot grill. The mashed potatoes are an inborn Idaho man secret. Or technique. Either way, only Seth can make them at our house. Sorry, you'll have to find your own Idaho native to make them for you.

Fancy Hot Dogs- New Recipe. Don't knock it til you try it is all I got to say about this one. This was a lot like stroganoff, but with hot dogs. I added mushrooms to this which I thought worked really well. I sauteed them along with the hot dogs and onions. Also, I know you're all going to be scandalized by this, but I've found a new brand of hot dogs. I had been using Ballpark Grillmasters for a long time, but decided to try Hebrew National Kosher Beef Hot Dogs this time. They taste more like a classic hot dog and aren't quite so greasy as the Grillmasters. I can see this recipe making it to the second round.

Tuna Casserole- Old Favorite. This is one of the recipes my mom always made. Super easy and you can keep all the ingredients on hand for a quick dinner. I tried using a couple green onions in place of the minced onions in this and was very pleased with the results.

Baked Cod with Chorizo and White Beans- Repeat. I made this recipe once before and decided it was good enough to make again. This time I actually used chorizo sausage instead of kielbasa sausage and it was great as well. I like this recipe because it doesn't involve frying or spices that cover the flavor of the fish. This works well with virtually any type of white fish.

Shrimp, Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya- Favorite. I love this recipe. One of my favorite things to make. It's an easy one dish meal (if you've got a big oven-safe skillet) and makes a ton. Although the andouille sausage is good in this, I prefer to use turkey kielbasa sausage. It's not so spicy and has a more mellow flavor. Seriously, this stuff is awesome.

Bonus: Dessert

Granny's Chocolate Cobbler- New Recipe. I saw this recipe on the Pioneer Woman website and had to try it. I thought it turned out really good.... kind of like one of those hot fudge cakes that make their own fudge sauce. I used dark chocolate cocoa to give it even more chocolate flavor.

Tip of the Week: Garnishes

Until I started taking pictures of the meals I make, I completely ignored garnishes. I saw them as an optional ingredient and rarely ever used them. I mean, how much of a difference can chopped parsley or cilantro make to soup or a Mexican dish? Why should I bother with the toasted almonds on a casserole or a sprinkling of green onions? Let me tell you... garnishes make a huge difference!

Garnishes are actually incredibly important. Not only do they make the meal look more appetizing, they can also give an extra little punch of flavor that brings the whole dish together. There are so many meals I've made that have been dramatically altered by a seemingly small finishing touch. So don't skip the garnishes! I  guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results.

Today's Special: Cinco de Mayo

Blackened Salmon Sandwich- New Recipe. Wow this was really great. A big surprise as far as flavor and it's healthy too! I would definitely make this again.

 
Nogales Steak Tacos- This was the second time I've made this. So so good and easy to make. You do have to plan ahead of time (the onions and steak need to marinate overnight), but it makes for a fast meal that's full of delicious flavor.

Brats and Sauerkraut- New Recipe. So I don't know that this really counts as a recipe as there isn't much added to the brats or sauerkraut. I mainly saw "Brats and Sauerkraut" and thought it sounded really good. I served this on fancy hot dog buns from the bakery (which I later saw were labeled at 'Brat Buns'), and mustard. It was really good and hit the spot.

Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese- Favorite. I LOVE this mac and cheese. I've tried a lot of homemade mac and cheese recipes and they are usually bland and don't have much flavor. This stuff is awesome. The Dijon mustard gives it an extra little kick of flavor and matches really well with the cheddar. This is one of my favorite recipes.

Bonus: Dessert

Ginger-Lime Coconut Cake with Marshmallow Frosting- New Recipe. After looking at about a million cake recipes, I chose this one to make for my mom's birthday. It was a bit time consuming, but turned out really good. I thought it was kind of a "key lime pie" cake. The lime curd filling was really good and the frosting was addictive. I kept eating the leftovers out of the bowl... it was just like marshmallow fluff. The cake turned out a lot more dense than I thought it would, but it was still really good. It was a really beautiful cake and I was really pleased with how it turned out.