Getting To Know You Sunday!

1. Do you like seafood?
Hate it, all of it, I wish I liked it. My mom tried every cut of fish under the sea to see what I would eat. At this point the only thing I will eat is calamari (I know... weird right?)


2. Are mermaids hot?
Mermaids? hmmmm not really, mermen... maybe...

3. Have you swam in the ocean?
Yes, but since I live in Oregon it isn't really our ocean I am thinking of.

4. If you got stung by a jellyfish, would you let a stranger pee on you?
Depends on how agonizing it is. If it is horrendous, then yes, bring it on stop the pain.

5. Have you ever pee'd in the ocean?
Doesn't everyone pee in water, like all the time? Lake, ocean, pool...
6. Can you make a cute fish face? (Show a pic..if you want)
Don't know about cute but I can make a fish face.

7. When you see the lobster tank at the grocery store do you just have this overwhelming urge to set them free or cook them up?
I will watch them but I neither want to set them free or cook them. Since my parents love seafood, and I hate it, they would still cook seafood but make me chicken or something. One of their favorite celebratory meals was lobster at home. I can remember them cracking shells and the lobster juice slinging across the table and hitting me on the face, and the smell is about the worst on the planet.

8. Are you afraid of sharks?
I would have to say if I was in an ocean where sharks were known to lurk, hell yes I would be terrified!

Linked to Getting To Know You - Under the Sea Addition

Tacos!

While the act of holding a folded taco is still a hard thing to tackle for a two year old the basic contents are very kid friendly. And I am not going to take credit for this recipe, this is coming from my mom so I will call it Nancy's Tacos. I love this recipe because it sneaks more veggies in, and stretches the amount of meat you have so you can in fact have multiple meals, my favorite second go 'rounds are obviously taco salad and I also am partial to taco soup!

Nancy's Tacos

1 lb hamburger

1 medium russet potato, shredded

2 medium carrots, shredded

1 1/2 onion, chopped and divided (one whole onion with beef, 1/2 onion fresh for tacos)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 heart of romaine, shredded
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup of Greek yogurt
Salsa to taste

1. Brown meat with onions, when the meat is cooked through add the shredded carrots and potato with taco seasoning and water (follow package directions on the amount of water needed). Check the taste you might need a bit more taco seasoning or chili powder and/or cumin the carrots and potato definitely soak up a bit of flavor.
     *I know the potatoes and carrots sound odd, but trust me! It adds a thick starchiness/creaminess and not
       to mention the extra nutrients you are getting, and you are stretching the amount of filling you get!
2. Cut up the remainder of the ingredients and put them in small ramekin's for easy assembly.
3. Create Taco buffet for the whole family, make however you want!

I realize that this wasn't on the original menu plan, but it was a quick fix for me, and my husband wasn't feeling well and he thought this sounded good. Plus I think this is a great recipe, those in my extended family that have had this while I was growing up at a pot luck or what not have always loved it, and I am excited to get it out into the void and see if anyone is willing to try it. If you do let me know! I also apologize for the photo but I have to ask, how do you really take an appetizing photo of a taco? And if you have a food processor, drag it out to shred the potatoes and carrots, I can remember being very young and that being my job. What I would've given for a processor back then!
                     

    
Linked to Mingle Mondays, Meet Me Monday, Making Friends Monday,

Oldie but a goodie!

So every time I make this dish (Which isn't that often, and every time we have it I am reminded of how much I like it and that I should make it more: and yet it always gets left out for sometimes years before we see it again.) I am reminded of a certain time in my sorority house kitchen when I was hungry and got the itch to make this sandwich, we had all the ingredients in the walk-in so why not? I proceeded to make this sandwich and one of my sisters walked in and clearly thoroughly confused asked me what the heck I was making. I laughed and told her the ingredients and end product and I think at that point she thought I was completely nuts. I told her just wait, try it when I am finished. She did, and LOVED it! And then she asked if I would make her one too, and then another sister asked after that and another. I made several sandwiches that day and I felt proud that I introduced my sisters to something new. This sandwich was a Monte Cristo. My mom made these for us every so often, which of course is how I knew how to make it myself when I went off into the world by myself. Seriously every time I make this sandwich I think about the Chi Omega kitchen, ahhh those were the days!

But I digress...

Super simple sandwich, and yet so tasty!

Monte Cristo (serves 4)
8 slices of bread
8 slices of smoked turkey
8 slices of ham
8 slices of provolone
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp butter (or less)
powdered sugar to taste

1. Slather some Dijon on each inside slice of bread, layer provolone, turkey, ham, then another provolone slice (cheese should be next to bread to help glue the sandwich together). Make all sandwiches, assembly line style.
2. Turn stove on medium high heat, melt butter in pan and get ready for sandwiches (will need a lid for pan too!)
3. Beat eggs in a shallow dish, like making french toast dip the whole sandwich (or at least both "outside" sides of bread) in eggs and place in your pan with melted butter. Put on lid and watch carefully you don't want them to burn. When one side is done, flip to the other side, when both sides are done cheese should be melted.
4. Place on dinner plate, sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar (I know this sounds weird but TRUST ME it is KEY!) and cut in half and enjoy!

This was served with a fruit salad of bananas, kiwi, and mango. Original recipe again came from Relish.

BEST DINNER EVER!

So tonight my husband isn't feeling well, a tummy bug is being passed around the house from daycare, but Molly is finally back to 100% and she showed it tonight at dinner. The child ate a HUGE dinner, and she sat there for the whole time. She never does this, usually she sits for about half of the time that Brian and I actually eat. This time she sat there the whole time. AMAZING! She had several helpings of the bread, TWO helpings of salad, and all of her pasta. This was sooooo tasty if you are looking for a really great meal you have found it, try this and I guarantee you will love it.  And I finally got to use my fancy pancy salad dressing mixer! (see add to the right to check it out!)

Shout out to Relish, for the recipe on the salad and pasta.

And if anyone tries this at home I have to hear back on if you liked it!

Orecchiette with Prosciutto and Breadcrumbs
10 oz orecchiette pasta (I couldn't find any at my local store and didn't want to go to a specialty store so I just used the bigger shells)
1/2 cup of olive oil, divided in half
8 slices of prosciutto
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to directions, (salted boiling water) Saute prosciutto till crispy in half of the olive oil.
2. Remove the bacon, then add the remainder of the oil and the bread crumbs, garlic, and parsley. Stir constantly so they don't burn, and get them a golden brown (you will smell the most wonderful buttery garlic toasty goodness at this step)
3. Drain the pasta (reserve a little water to help the shells not stick together) put the pasta in your saute pan that you have been using. Add a little water (maybe 1/4 cup) and the Parmesan cheese. Let the water be sucked in by the pasta (this is another reason why it is so important to salt the pasta water) I didn't have to add any salt to the recipe because the bacon and Parmesan and the salt in the pasta water was more than enough. Toss back in the bacon then transfer to dinner plates and top with the crumbs.

The salad and the amazing dressing I have talked about before, go here for the recipe.

You know you have been blogging awhile and constantly taking photos of your food when your 2 year old daughter insists on you taking a picture of her plate before she starts eating. So here you go Moll's here is your picture too!

She got started on her bread before I got to her pic! The bread recipe is one from my mom, and it takes me back only instead of using a french bread loaf I used a baguette. It has a little butter, garlic powder, Parmesan Reggiano, and dill on top and then broiled until cooked through.

Linked to Family Food Fridays, Boost My Blog Friday, Friendly Friday Follow,  & New Friend Fridays Fresh Clean and Pure Fridays ! Also linked with Susieqtpies recipe swap click here!

Meal Planning

This week is always a bit stressful for me, and for those of you that are teachers you know what I mean, so it is going to take me a bit to get back into the swing of things and being on time for these Meal Planning Monday blog hops. In the mean time two days off isn't too bad, and besides I desperately needed to go to the store.

Wednesday: Monte Cristo sandwiches and fruit salad
Thursday: Orecchiette with porscuitto, apple & spinach salad, pressed garlic bread
Friday; Steak Diane, mixed greens with goat cheese, & garlic mashed potatoes
Saturday: State Fair and maybe dinner with the grandparents???
Sunday: Slow cooker italian meat sauce with tortelini and italian salad
Monday: Flank steak gyros, greek salad, & carmalized carrots
Tuesday: Chicken skewers with grilled corn and tomatoes, Parmasean polenta, lemony green beans,
Wednesday: Grilled chicken and pecan salad, poppy bread knots

Most meal ideas come from my favorite meal planning site Relish, it allows you to choose from a menu and then creates a PDF shopping list with all the ingredients for you!

Bento for Back to School Week

Bento for today, left over rice with soy sauce in the little rhino bottle, cherry tomatoes from our CSA on the picks, butterfly cucumbers (CSA), checkered apples (CSA) and galea melon (CSA) I put sprinkles on it last night and then realized I didn't take a picture when it was super fresh and the sprinkles had already started to break down... not to self do it right before she takes off for daycare!

Moms lunch yesterday, half a peach, ranch in the sauce container, peach packed again at the top of the bagel, carrots and snap peas on the side, bagel and cream cheese, homemade granola bar, and cucumbers.

Dads bento for yesterday, PB&J, granola bar, half a peach, carrots cucumbers and snap peas as well (he also had a small container of ranch to dip the veggies in.

Moms bento for Monday, PB&J  carrots, cucumber flowers, and ranch in the sauce container.

Molly's bento for Monday, PB&J fruit leather flowers, cherry tomatoes from our garden on the sticks, checkered apples, cucumbers with ranch in the little rabbit sauce bottle (although I don't recommend putting anything really other than soy sauce in those bottles, thick sauces are hard to get in them.)

Chicken with Mustard Sauce,Roasted Potatoes & Green Beans

So I was fully planning on going to the store today, it was payday after all, but I had to pick up my CSA bag and I had a huge headache so ehhh, put it off till tomorrow. Do we notice a pattern? Honestly, I haven't been to the store - that I can remember- since before we went camping several weeks ago. I avoid the store like the plague (could be that it is a vicious cycle- I hate it so I don't go that often, but when I go I buy enough to last several weeks, thus the trip is over an hour long and takes a bit of physical effort to get home and so I hate it, and the cycle continues) anywho, long story short I didn't go to the store today even though I desperately needed too, I am out of Kosher salt and pepper for my pepper grinder for crying out loud! I mean it's like you cut off my right arm when I am out of that salt & pepper. As I came home I am thinking about what I have available, chicken breast and a huge amount of egg noodles. So I am thinking chicken with mustard pan sauce on top of egg noodles and then I have all these CSA veggies. What can I use the most of? Oven roasted new red potatoes, and green beans! Dinner accomplished. This is fully my recipe, pulled it out of... you know where. I know I can cook like this: but if you are like me, after a day of work a plan and a recipe is really imperative I couldn't do the type of cooking I do if I didn't have a plan and a recipe.

Chicken with Mustard Sauce
2 chicken breasts (on the larger side) butterflied
1 cup flour, seasoned with salt & pepper
olive oil
1 leek, chopped
3 tbsp parsley
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp butter

1. Take your thin chicken cutlets and dip them in flour, tap off any excess flour and put them in a pan with a couple of tsp of olive oil. Leave the chicken alone for about five minutes on each side to brown and almost cook through.
2. Pull chicken out of pan and tent with tin foil.
3. Put in leeks and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan, they add flavor and color to the sauce! Add in broth and Dijon and whisk to incorporate fully.
4. Add butter and stir in as it melts, then put chicken back in to reheat and cook all the way through. The flour should help thicken your sauce (you could add some wonder flour to thicken but you want it semi-thin to help coat the noodles too!)

Egg noodles
3 cups dry egg noodles
pot of salted boiling water
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp parsley

1. Cook according to package directions, then strain and add butter (to keep from sticking) and parsley.
2. Put a helping of noodles on plate, then add chicken and then sauce over both to plate.