A Girl's Gotta Eat!

It’s the time of year again for Christmas parties and company potlucks. Our company Christmas luncheon was today. After seeing plenty of people signed up for vegetables and desserts, I decided to bring macaroni and cheese. After all, you can’t have ham without it! The glitch to bringing this dish, however was two-fold. 1) Mike and I have had a lot going on with finals, visiting with friends, and our new German Shepherd pup, Leopold, so I needed to make something quick and easy; and 2) warming up large portions of food in our work microwaves is tedious and frustrating. Cooking something in a slow-cooker solved both these problems in one fell swoop. I was pleasantly surprised. It was very easy to whip up, and I thought it was very tasty. The sauce would have been a bit creamier if I had served it 30 minutes earlier, but it was still very good. And had I been at home cooking it, I could have simply stirred in some extra milk or margarine.  Before Cooking  The original recipe cooks ...

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Mike and I first tried this dish long before I ever thought about doing a food blog. When I realized I had not yet shared it on my blog, I decided we just had to make it again, if not for ourselves, for those out in the world who had never tried such tastiness. We originally found the recipe in an issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray, and have left a sticky note on the page so we always have quick-and-easy access to it. When Wednesday rolled around this week, Mike was supposed to have his flag football tournament. The weather had another idea, and after raining for about 36 hours straight, they decided to postpone for a drier time. Because of this, I needed some easy to shop for and make (I don’t normally cook on football nights), and I wanted something warm and comforting after have a very soggy couple of days.   We do everything by the book on this one, although we rarely use the amount of horseradish called for in the recipe, opting instead to add plenty of extra. And coo...

In an effort to raise money for United Way, my company decided to have a bake sale and cake/pie auction two days ago. As we had family arriving in town that night, and Mike had a flag football game, I opted to help out by baking a pie for the auction instead of needing to bag up individual servings for the bake sale. I found a recipe that looked tasty, but relatively easy, with high ratings on food.com . My only hope was that it would raise at least $15 in the auction... Despite the fact that I misread the recipe and ended up staying up way past my bedtime to get it finished, it was, indeed, quite easy to put together. Even better, I'm happy to report it raised $40 in the auction! Eager to try it for myself, I made another this morning to take to my parents' house for family to try. All-in-all, I would say it got pretty good reviews. I did cheat and use a store-bought pie pastry, but we can't all be Betty Crocker...My brother-in-law who is in love with my normal apple p...

No clever story to this one. We just saw the recipe on the cover of our Food Network Magazine and really wanted to try it. It was easy, tasty, and something we'll definitely be making again. Don't skip the croutons on top; they add a ton of flavor! Broccoli-Cheddar Soup 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2 ribs celery, finely chopped 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 cups half-and-half 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 1 bay leaf Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 2 cups chopped broccoli florets 1/3 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/3 cups) Croutons for topping Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes or until softened, stirring frequently. Add the chicken broth, half-and-half, both potatoes, bay leaf, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-l...

It’s that time of year again: Mike’s birthday! A few weeks ago, we were looking at German recipes to try in honor of Oktoberfest while we were renting a cabin in the Appalachian Mountains . We found Oktoberfest Strudel , a delightful savory pastry dish that called our names immediately. We decided it might be a bit much to transport all that we would need to make it there, so we opted to wait and try it as Mike’s birthday dinner. We invited Mike’s family over and decided to go ahead and double the recipe, making two strudels. I will admit, I was a little hesitant about using phyllo pastry, having tried it to make empanadas with disastrous results. Still, pastry stuffed with apples, sauerkraut, bratwurst, and mustard was too tempting not to take the chance. I had much better luck with the phyllo this time. Be sure you brush it well with butter as directed, and don’t forget a damp towel over the sheets you’re not working with. Also, a few of my sheets stuck together, so I left them toge...

I meant to post this one two weeks ago, so I'll keep it short. Mike had drill, and he had been hungry for "regular spaghetti." I decided to take it up a notch and create homemade marinara and meatballs. I wanted a recipe for marinara that was reliable, but easy. We have a cookbook from Mario Batali that came in handy. The following recipe was super-easy and super-tasty. I don't know that we'll buy marinara again. I'm not a fan of big tomato chunks, so I used my immersion blender to smooth out the chunky bits. It's really up to your personal taste, though. I doubled the recipe, mostly due to the fact that I love really saucy pasta. It was fantastic having leftovers. The sauce especially turned out extremely scrumptious, and the original recipe specifies that you can freeze the sauce for up to 6 months. We didn't have any to freeze after a week, but it's duly noted. :) I didn't use a recipe for the meatballs, but I used 1 pound of lean ground...

I read a recipe a while back for Summer Squash Pasta Soup (it's another from Seasoned to Taste by the JL Chattanooga.) I thought it sounded delicious, but I don't like making soup during the hot months, and good summer squash is sometimes hard to come by in the colder months. I have a solution. In our past couple CSA boxes from Delvin Farms , we've been getting more pattypan squash than we could stuff and eat. Technically the recipe calls for yellow crookneck squash, but I decided this would be an acceptable substitute and put some tasty looking squash to good use. Also, Mom and Dad haven't been able to eat all their pattypan, so I decided to make a double batch and invite them over for supper. Mike decreed the result as his new favorite soup, and the rest of us thought pretty highly of it as well. I didn't have fresh thyme on hand, but thought dried worked fine. If you don't have or prefer not to cook with wine, I'm sure you could use additional brot...

Well...it almost is, anyway. With a long-missed crispness back in the air today and a baseball game on TV tonight, I was in the mood to break out the soup pot again. Mike thought it sounded good, too, and we both agreed that we should try something we've never made. So, I pulled out some past issues of Food Network Magazine and EveryDay with Rachael Ray and got busy browsing. Rachael Ray won this time with her Curried Chicken and Cider Soup . It seemed easy, healthful, and the perfect start to the season. Anyway...this was, indeed, quite tasty. I doubled the recipe, since I couldn't think for the life of me what we'd do with half a chicken and half a head of cauliflower. The original said this freezes well, so I decided to make extra and we could always freeze some for later. Mike loved coming home from class to the smell of this on the stove, and ate until he was stuffed. All-in-all, I'd say it was a success. I think I might also add a pinch of cloves next time. ...

Today's treat is in honor of Shayla's birthday. I was in the mood to try something new, and I knew she loved coconut. Hence, this Almond Joy Cake. I did everything exactly as directed by the recipe, but I will share one word of warning: The cake pan gets very full. As in, when I was adding the chocolate topping, chocolate started oozing off the sides of the pan and all over my table. You should probably set it on a cookie sheet first unless you have a super-deep cake pan (in which case, I'd like to know where you found it.) Oh! I also used dark chocolate chips instead of semisweet because I was just certain Almond Joy candy bars were made with dark chocolate. I was later informed I was incorrect, but I thought the cake was delicious nonetheless. I would say to go with your personal preference. Almond Joy Cake 1 (2-layer) package devil’s food cake mix 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk 1½ cups sugar 25 large marshmallows 1 (14-ounce) package flaked coconut 1 cup sugar ½...

Mike and I have been getting quite a few cucumbers in our CSA. While we are happy to chop them salads or slice them for cucumber-onion salad (with our own twist of Greek yogurt), we were on the lookout for something a little different. That's where this recipe comes in. Cucumber Feta Salad seemed perfect for us: quick, simple, and with a twist (that's where the fennel comes in.) The recipe is pretty self-explanatory, and we didn't chage anything. For those who may not have tried it, fennel has a subtle licorice-type flavor. Don't worry, it's not overpowering at all in this salad. Instead it adds a nice little crunch and complements the other flavors. I would say that if you're unsure if you'd like it, chop it into pretty small pieces. We had some large chunks in ours that, while tasty, can take you aback if you're expecting the mild flavor of cucumber instead. While you're getting together this weekend for your Labor Day picnics and barbecues,...

When Mike and I were still just dating, Mike's mom was having us over for dinner and introduced me to a brand new dish: Squash Casserole. It was so very tasty that I asked for the recipe at the end of the meal and have been making it ever since. Granted, it's not the healthiest way to eat your vegetables, but sometimes you've got to go for tasty and leave the healthy to someone else. Most recipes I've found call for a full cup of sour cream and an entire stick of butter. I've decreased both these and found it was still delicious. If you're really going for decadence, though, feel free to go all in. Also, most recipes I've seen either mix half the cornbread stuffing mix into the casserole or spread half on the bottom and the remaining on top. I really enjoy the crispy on top, so that's where I put all of mine. All the ingredient amounts are pretty flexible. I've used preshredded carrots, and I've shredded my own. Preshredded will offer a bit o...

Life has been crazy, and I am way behind in offering you my promised recipe per week. This one's short and easy, but delicious all the same. Plus, you can whip them up Sunday afternoon and have breakfast for the rest of the week! As weekday breakfast for me usually consists of something I can eat easily at my desk, these are perfect: Crustless Quiche Muffins . For the base, mix the following together in a bowl. 3 eggs, lightly beaten 1½ cups milk ½ cup baking mix Pour the base into 12 greased muffin cups. Now for the filling... The original recipe calls for 12 ounces of sausage and about 1½ cups Cheddar cheese. Most recently, I  sautéed some veggies from our farm box that I had finely chopped (bell peppers and zucchini, mostly) in about 1 tablespoon butter. I added two chopped turkey sausage patties (mine were precooked, but I still wanted everything to cook together for a bit.) I sprinkled this evenly among the filled muffin cups. Then I topped half with crumbled...

Mike and I have been getting eggplant in our CSA box as of late and were on the search for new ways to enjoy them. Normally we would treat ourselves to Eggplant Parmesan, but since that would require several eggplant and typically we receive 1, we needed to branch out. While perusing a Rachael Ray magazine on my lunch break, the solution presented itself: Mediterranean Chicken Stacks! The recipe looked simple and delicious, two of our favorite things. We had fresh eggplant and tomatoes from our farm box, and I picked up fresh herbed goat cheese from Noble Springs Dairy at NFM. The recipe did take a bit longer than the magazine promised, but we've found that it usually does. It still made for a great weeknight meal...not a ton of ingredients were needed, and it only got one skillet dirty. It makes 4 servings, so Mike and I even had lunch for the next day ready to go! Mediterranean Chicken Stacks 1 eggplant (10 oz.), trimmed and peeled Salt and pepper 2 thick slices coarse...

A week or so ago, friends of mine were kind enough to not only invite Mike and I over to dinner, but to then send home some Zucchini Blueberry Bread she made the day before. When I enjoyed the next morning for breakfast, I knew I had to have the recipe. We've been getting some great zucchini in our farm box, and blueberries have been not only cheaper at the grocery store, but have looked better than they have in weeks. Last week we received a couple extra-large zucchini that I knew were perfect for baking, so I decided to whip up a batch. The ingredients were simple enough, and the directions were easy to follow. Now to decide what shape to bake it in... As I may have mentioned before, Mike definitely prefers bread loaves when it comes to this sort of treat, but I'm a sucker for muffins. With this one batch of batter, I was able to please both our taste buds with 2 mini loaves, 12 regular-size muffins, and 24 mini muffins. Man, oh, man...these are scrumptious. I sent the ...

Mike first introduced me to the delightful treat known as fried pickles several years ago at Toot's; it was love at first bite. Unfortunately, the closest Toot's to our house is about 30 minutes away. I knew I needed to figure out how to make these at home. I've made the following recipe several times now, including twice for the Fourth of July while we had friends over. Needless to say, there aren't ever any leftovers. We had the turkey fryer going anyway, so that's how we fried these. We've also used our fry baby, but it does take longer since you can't fry as many at one time. Find the recipe we use at: Fried Dill Pickles. I buy a large jar of kosher dill pickles and slice them myself so I can make them as thin or as thick as we'd like. For the full dining experience, serve with ranch dressing. As a side note, for those live in or near the Mt. Juliet area, if you're in the mood for fried pickles but don't feel like frying your own, I...

While traveling in Europe, Mike and I discovered a delightful new "wurst" we had never tried before: Currywurst. After seeing it on several menus, we decided we had to try it. Oh my word, was it tasty or what. It was so tasty in fact, that we ordered it several more times before returning home. A few days before we came home, we were in a grocery store picking up some local wine and decided to check out the spice aisle to see if there was anything we needed to bring home. Imagine our delight when we saw Knorr's Currywurst sauce mix! Oh, the joy of now knowing we could re-create this yummy dish at home! We had only been home for a little over a week when we decided to bring Germany to the states. We found skinny fries in the frozen section (they always served currywurst "mit Pommes"), picked up some brats and scurried home. I must say...we hit the nail on the head. It's so easy to make. Order the mix from www.germandeli.com , being sure to check out all th...

I’ve wanted to try this one for a while, and with the arrival of the first tomatoes in our CSA yesterday, decided today is the perfect time! (Also, Mike’s mom is coming over for dinner, and she doesn’t mind when I try out new recipes on her.) Remember the Amaretto Fruit Salad I made for Easter? This pasta is from the same book, Seasoned to Taste . I told you it was good one and that you’d see more recipes from it…I’d hate to not deliver on a promise. With tomatoes in the farm box, basil growing one our deck, and pasta always in our pantry, all I really had to pick up was the Brie. I didn’t want to be eating too late, so I chopped the tomatoes the night before, put them in a medium bowl so everything else could be added tonight, and stored them in the fridge overnight. I thought about chopping the basil early as well, but didn’t want to run the risk of it bruising overnight. We made everything as directed, with the exception of adding a bit of extra garlic. We have a ton of it from o...

Mike and I returned home from vacation a little over a week ago to a very full farm box. We were very excited to find some tiny yellow squash in there and decided we would purchase a zucchini from the store to stretch the squash a bit further. I had already picked up some chicken tenderloins, so the plan was to grill those and have veggies as a side dish. However, when I got to store, the zucchini were also looking a bit smallish. I started thinking: why not combine the zucchini, our squash and maybe a few other veggies, then toss it with pasta for a Pasta Primavera dinner? I've certainly read enough recipes for it that I felt confidant in winging it this time. Here's what we started with....  1 small zucchini, 2 small squash, 1 green bell pepper, 3/4 pound chicken tenderloins. You'll also need 16 to 32 ounces of pasta sauce and 1 pound of pasta.   Chop all the veggies. We started by sauteing the bell pepper since it typically takes a bit longer. Drizzle about 2 to 3...

I’ve really been in the mood to grill burgers at home. Mike and I try to stay aware and not eat red meat more than once or at most twice a week, and we’d already had it twice, so I had to think of different way to satisfy my craving. I was at the store to pick up chicken breasts for him to grill when it hit me…why not make chicken burgers? We’ve had them before and found them tasty. And, as luck would have it, the ground chicken was on sale. Then my mind really started going nuts…I saw arugula on Manager’s Special (those little orange tags always excite me), and I knew we had feta cheese at home. Why not get really crazy and make Greek Chicken Burgers? Once home, I combined a pound of ground chicken with 1 egg, Montreal Chicken Seasoning, and about 4 ounces crumbled tomato-basil feta cheese. (I'm sure you could use ground turkey inplace of the chicken.) Form into 3 or 4 patties and drizzle with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil to flavor the burgers,keep them most, an...

We used the recipe for Swiss chard that Delvin Farms sent us. It wasn’t my favorite (I’m not a big “greens” person), but I would still  make it again. Mike thoroughly enjoyed it though, and I did finish my bowl. We used the stalks and the leaves, adding the stalks first and letting them cook for a bit before adding the leaves. I also topped mine with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, having read several other recipes that did so. Swiss Chard Made Easy from Delvin Farms 1 bunch of Swiss chard 1 teaspoon butter 1 small clove garlic, sliced 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons water Pinch of dried crushed red pepper Salt to taste Roughly chop leaves into inch wide strips. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, a few small slices of garlic and the crushed red peppers.   Sauté for about a minute and add the chopped chard leaves and water.  Turn thoroughly and cover.  Check for doneness after about 5 minutes.  Add salt to t...

We just picked up our first CSA box, and I must say that I was not disappointed. In our first stash, we received Swiss chard, Russian red kale, garlic, green onions, strawberries, red lettuce, and green lettuce. We were also supposed to have broccoli, but I accidentally picked up the one box without it. I believe we got extra red lettuce instead, so it’s all good. The garlic and strawberries had Mike and I most excited, but I was definitely intrigued by the kale and chard. If I’ve read 1 recipe for kale chips in the past couple months, I’ve read a dozen, and chard seems to be gaining popularity as well. And I had promised Mike that I would try everything in the box at least once. First, we made the kale chips. These were so easy and tasty that I cannot WAIT to get more in the coming weeks. I knew that they were baked until crispy, but I figured they wouldn’t really crisp up the way that say, potato chips, do. I was pleasantly surprised. I would also imagine that they retain many of th...

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I realize that Mardi Gras was weeks ago, but I’ve been in the mood for some Cajun cooking (I’m reading a Louisiana cookbook at work). I decided to branch out and try something new and homemade (as opposed to opening a box of Zatarain’s, which is admittedly quite tasty, but not the same.) We were meant to have a softball game Tuesday, but after 2 days of solid rain, the game was cancelled, so I invited my parents over as guinea pigs and made some Jambalaya. I would say the only drawback to the recipe is the fact that it has to bake for 1½ hours, which will not be so great during the summer months when I’m trying to keep the house cool. I’m going to work on figuring out a way to “bake” it in a disposable pan on the grill to work around that. I’ll keep you posted on if/how that works out, because we will definitely be making this again. There are several variations the recipe suggests, but I have listed the recipe how I made it. Instead of the chicken thighs, you may also use 1 whole c...