My Opinion (and I have a million of them)

So, Honey and I were at our current favorite restaurant, 

Cooper's Hawk ,

today and I overheard the ladies behind me

looking for recommendations from the

waitress. 

I so wanted to lean over the back of the booth 

and tell the one gal,

"You're feeling like salmon?

Get the Soy Ginger Salmon."

But, unfortunately,

 or, 

fortunately if you were that lady, 

I have done my work on boundaries and I kept to myself.

I said to Honey, if only there was a job

 where I could tell people what to eat.

He said, make one.

I said, that would actually be a

Busybody.

Don't nobody wants one of those.

But in the interest of satiating my inner

busybody,

should you be at Cooper's Hawk

and just can't decide, 

well, everything is good.

But here's a heads up, 

whereas the asian slaw served alongside

said Soy Ginger Salmon is delicious,

served as a side

it leaves something to be desired.

There. 

My 2 cents.

Not that you asked, 

but hey, if you made it this far then there 

is implied consent that you 

wanted to hear my opinion.

You are welcome.

Lasagna Soup

This was wonderful!

And it gave me another plus for the Instant Pot

over a slow cooker.

I'm in and out of the house most days.

When I have something cooking in the slow cooker,

while it smells wonderful,

it makes me hungry ALL day!

 This would have done me in.

https://temeculablogs.com/instant-pot-lasagna-soup/

The only change I made to the recipe was that

I used bulk Italian sausage 

instead of ground beef.

I say, when you see a chance for more flavor, 

take it!

Can You Instant Pot It?

In the spirit of

Good Mythical Morning, 

who love to ask if you can 

(insert word that is not a verb)

it.

Meatloaf.
Can you?

(Photo disclaimer, I am not a food photographer
and don't ever claim to be. Those colors are horrific!)
Nonetheless,

Why, YES! You can!

I looked around to figure out the method

people were using and

determined I could

use my family recipe for meatloaf.

It seems 2 pounds of meat was the 

consistent amount used.

Most of the recipes I found have you cook

potatoes in the pot at the same time

and then mash them.

I imagine, 

in my limited knowledge of all things Instant Pot,

part of the reasoning is, 

you have to have some liquid in the pot 

to achieve pressure cooking status.

I think.

I added 3 smashed cloves of garlic along with

one cup of chicken stock

to about 6-8 quartered potatoes.

I put a piece of foil over 

the rack and built my meatloaf on that

and then placed that right on top of the potatoes.

The recipes I found said to cook on high for 25 minutes.

Mine took more like 30 minutes.

(and do a quick release)

It was also suggested you throw it under the 

broiler for 5 minutes.

The meat is a little pale right out of the pot.

Given that you've cooked it on the foil lined rack, 

transferring it to a sheet pan is not problem

and no mess.

And!!! It slices!!!

I was afraid it would be mushy, all the meat I've

cooked so far has been fall apart tender. 

And the potatoes were amazing!

I may be being won over.....

Instant Pot VS 12 Nights Of Christmas Wine

OK, the Instant Pot never really stood a chance.

But, I gotta say, I was SHOCKED by the number

of my friends who voted Instant Pot when I put it up for a vote.

Have you MET me???

And then the question  begs,

Have you met my mother and aunt?

My husband was the wise man 

who came bearing gifts of wine, 

Mom and Big? The pot :)

So now I am on a journey to determine if I will

drink of the Instant Pot Kool Aid that is 

taking Facebook and Pinterest by storm.

At first I was surprised to learn 

that I had mistaken the word 

"instant"

for

"magic".

It's not magic. 

You still have to prep.

(chop, peel, measure)

It's nice that you can saute right in the pot.

Sweat those onions, brown that meat.

See? Not magic.

I have cooked a whopping three meals in it thus far

and all three were delicious.

I'm still on the fence as to whether it's 

that much better than a slow cooker.

I think you have to decide, do I want to do 

the grunt labor 

at the start of the day or the end.

Most days it's 6 to one, half dozen to the other.

Yesterday may have tipped the scales in its favor.

I walked in the door at 4:30 

and had dinner on the table at 5:30.

This Honey Bourbon Chicken was fantastic.

And don't be mislead, there is NO bourbon in it.

The internet is in a bit of a fight as to why 

it's called this, but bottom line, don't worry when you don't see

bourbon in the ingredients.

It's not there.

Ava loved it, Mike was not as enthused but 

it was a bit sweet, so I will try cutting back on the honey

the next time I make it.

I'm kind of thinking of trying meatloaf in it tonight.

Maybe.

I dunno.

https://onceamonthmeals.com/recipes/instant-pot-honey-bourbon-chicken-traditional-version/

BACON JAM!!!

If anything could make me open this little 

site back up, those two words can.

And did.

And it has been so long, sadly, since I have been in

Blog mindset, that I didn't take a picture

of the final product.

I hang my head in shame.

But this was sooo stinkin' good

and I put it on grilled cheese sandwiches that

I baked!

With three cheeses!

Including Bree!

I gotta share:

The Jam

1 pound bacon cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 1/2 cups diced onions

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 T. Dijon mustard

In a large heavy pot, cook the bacon till browned and crisp.

Drain on a paper towel. 

Reserve 1 T. of the grease and cook the onion in it

until soft (about 8 min.)

Add 

water,

syrup,

vinegar,

brown sugar

and Dijon.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer, add the bacon back in 

and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened.

1-2 hours.

Once it's all nice and thick (mine took all of 2 hours!)

break down mixture with food processor or

immersion blender to get it top a spreadable consistency.

WALA!

You can spread it on a shoe, 

or on toast with a poached egg, 

or on incredible grilled cheese sandwiches.

Here's how to make multiple 

grilled cheese sandwiches at once

AND

have the center get all melty.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

assemble sandwiches as you would to grill them, 

butter and all, 

place on a cookie sheet

and bake 6 minutes,

flip

cook 6 more minutes and

WALA!!

You are welcome.

Cilantro Lime Tilapia

I have found that Tilapia and Salmon

are crazy easy fish to cook

but there is precious little you do to 

alter the fish itself.

Most of the variety in the dishes come from

the side you serve it with or a sauce.

My tried and true method of cooking

both fish is:

brush both sides with oil

(olive or grape seed)

salt and pepper

put under broiler set on low

cook for 8 minutes.

Perfect every time.

No need to flip, just sometimes 

I will turn the pan 1/2 a turn.

I have tried dusting the fish with some other

spices and that usually works nicely.

If I'm doing Mexican I'll dust it with

cumin, 

smokey paprika

or some chiplotle chili powder.

I think some Garam Masala

for Indian flavor would be good.

The only things I would stay away from 

would be the "leafy" dried spices.

I think they would burn.

I have found a new to me blog

that is proving to be a great source of ideas.

Food Faith Fitness

Here is the link to the recipe

http://www.foodfaithfitness.com/cilantro-time-tilapia/

Note:

I cooked the fish by my method

and Honey felt the lime was a bit over powering

so maybe cut it by half.

It's 

TILAPIA,

Shanna.

;)

Bacon Granola

Duh!

Why wouldn't you?

I found a recipe for this but I actually like my

own granola concoction better. 

But the addition of bacon can only help, 

right?

Here is my granola formula:

 3 cups of old fashion oats

2 cups of chopped nuts

1 cup coconut

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup agave

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

And here's where it gets fun, 

chop some bacon and cook it till almost crisp, 

it's going to crisp up while it cooks in the granola.

Mix the bacon in with the granola, 

spread on 2 baking sheets

and bake at 250 degrees

for about 1.5 hours, turning

every 15 minutes till golden. 

Once it's out of the oven add any dried fruit you like.

Um, 

yum!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I've taken a little time off.

For no reason.

Just lazy.

Or very busy.

But mostly a little of both.

I did make a really good casserole

last week. 

I forgot to take a picture, but I do have this:

Once you get past the cute, look at Mike's plate.

That's what is left of the casserole

that was supposed to feed 6-8. 

There were four of us.

So just, heads up.

I used one rotisserie chicken, 

I think two would have been a better choice

(and maybe have extend it by a couple of servings.)

Also, in her notes, the author mentions that the deli ham

 and cheese seem to release salt as

 they cook down so you

may want to reduce the salt in the sauce. 

No, you WANT to reduce the salt.

Mine was a bit salty.

I also felt there was a lot of sauce so I didn't 

use it all. I just got a good covering over the cheese

and called it done. 

I roasted some asparagus to go with it.

Good choice, but a green salad would be good too.

Sometimes what to "serve with" is a bigger

challenge than the meal itself.

:)

http://tsgcookin.com/2012/03/chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole/

Mac And (Butternut) Cheese Bake

This came from 

Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Butternut squash seems to have become the 

"it" food.

I've gotten to the point where I will 

substitute sweet potatoes

for it sometimes just because.

But not here.

I made the recipe as written with a couple of exceptions:

I used corn pasta,

I roasted my squash, 

because, really? Who would microwave it??

And most importantly, 

INCREASED THE BACON!!

Who puts two stingy pieces of bacon in

ANYTHING!!??

It was really good and

*almost*

vegetarian ;)

I can't seem to find it on their page so here you go:

3 cups of butternut squash (roasted)

8 ounces of pasta of your choice

1 T. butter

8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced

3 green onion, sliced

3 T. flour

1 C. milk

6 oz. Fontina cheese

Lots of bacon

Mash the roasted squash, cook the pasta.

Saute the mushrooms and onions in the 

butter till tender, 

sprinkle on the flour and cook one minute, 

add the milk and salt and pepper and cook till 

thick and bubbly.

Stir in the mashed squash, fold in the pasta.

Transfere half into a 2 quart baking dish

that has been coated with cooking spray. 

Sprinkle with half the cheese and a bunch of bacon

and repeat.

Bake 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Lentil Curry

From Martha Stewart.

I rarely try a Martha recipe anymore. 

A couple of reasons:

I get a lot of ideas from Google searches

and her website is sooo slow that I don't usually click on

something from it, 

and she's not in my family room everyday

anymore like the Food Network peeps.

I do enjoy catching her every once in a while on PBS

on Saturday afternoons, but how often does that happen?

I like watching her cook. 

I like to think about the minions running

around making it possible for

her to cook. 

I had a dream about Martha once, 

I don't remember any of the details other

than the most important one, 

she liked me!

But I digress, the curry, 

excellent!

I prepared it just as written except

for one glaring error, 

it calls for curry powder!!!

WHAT!!??

My friend Indra taught me that there is no one

curry powder. 

Every Indian cook worth their salt has their own blend

of spices used in curry dishes. 

I took that information to heart and have 

never purchased the offending

impostor since.

Here's the blend I used this time:

2 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. dry yellow mustard

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1/4 tsp. cardamom

It would be best if you had all those in seed form,

toasted them and ground them, 

but unfortunately I did not. 

And besides, 

ain't nobody got time for that.

http://www.marthastewart.com/337671/lentil-curry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIKI7ArSvlY

Asian Sloppy Joes

Without the Sloppy or Joe.

I don't know which one.

Read: No Bun!

But what are Sloppy Joes if not

a meat sauce of sorts?

I saw this in

Cuisine At Home

and had to try it. 

Who needs a bun?

I had corn pasta!

It's really good, 

I substituted ground turkey for the sirloin,

 cut back on the chili paste by about half

and added a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch

mixed with water at the end to thicken it up.

Here's the recipe with my adaptations:

 1 Lb. ground turkey

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced onion

2 T. sesame oil

2 T. each of grated ginger and garlic

2T. soy sauce

1 t. chili garlic sauce

1 T. brown sugar

1 can sliced chestnuts, chopped

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1/3 cup Hoisin sauce

2 T. cornstarch

Saute the celery and onions in the sesame oil

till soft, add ginger and garlic, cook for about 1

minute, add the turkey and cook through.

Add remaining ingredients and heat through. 

Add the cornstarch/water combo at the end.

Serve it on a bun if you want to conform. 

Or not.

Hoisin Pork Salad

In theory it was supposed to be a roast, 

but it just shredded and the salad

I was going to use as a supporting player

got to become the star.

Or at least worked it's way into the credits.

The salad is a mix of;

romaine,

napa cabbage,

celery,

red peppers, 

and golden raisins

tossed with a store-bought Asian dressing.

The pork is another Rachel Ray.

Heads up, Rachel likes her food HOT!

I'll link the recipe, 

the things I "adapted"

were:

I used two pork tenderloins instead of the 

loin roast called for, 

and the 1 tablespoon chili paste

I cut to 1 teaspoon. 

Good call.

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/dinner-recipes/hoisin-pork-roast

Breakfast Quinoa

My food photography stinks.

But this stuff is 

good, 

hot, 

and not oatmeal.

It's a 2 to 1 ratio of almond milk to quinoa

with a couple of splashes of vanilla, 

a packet of Stevia

and a handfull of Craisins.

It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to cook up

and then I tossed on some sliced almonds.

I bet it would be good with 

dried cherries and 

almond extract too.

Butternut Squash & Parsley Penne

From Rachel Ray.

 Costco has these way cool 

pre-cut butternut cubes.

I love them!

I love butternut squash and I love not having to get my 

hands all orange and filmy from whatever

is in those things that

leaves my hands all orange and filmy. 

So I am always on the lookout for 

recipes that incorporate them. 

This one was a winner

and aslo, plague approved!

I'll link her recipe but here are the 

areas I digressed from the recipe as written. 

I used corn pasta 

(wheat is baaad, very bad),

half a red onion

(because that's what I had),

and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

(because I'm a heat weenie.)

OK, next time I'll take it down to

 1/4 teaspoon. 

I'm a BIG weenie.

Oh, Costco also has copious amounts of 

corn pasta. 

Guess we are not the only ones who think wheat is 

baaaad.

(It's also GMO free, but let's not go there. Yet.)

http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=5599

Energy(?) Bars

A friend of mine shared a "recipe" with me for 

Larabars. 

I am not familiar with them but why would that stop me?

I also did not have all the ingredients she suggested

but again, 

why would that stop me?

So, here you have my interpretation of 

a knock-off of a Larabar. 

They are just 

dried apricots,

(or any dried, no sugar added fruit)

dates,

raw cashews and/or almonds, 

unsweetened coconut 

and a hit of vanilla.

All in about equal proportions

(except the vanilla)

I used about a cup of each.

You mash it all into submission in a food processor.

Then press it into a parchment paper 

lined loaf pan, chill and slice.

They are a plague approved food.

As in, we are fighting cancer here :)

Turkey Pie

Or, Gluten Gullet. 

Right before Mike and I decided to 

try to cut gluten out of our diet

I made this:

It was so good that I have to get this 

down for posterity. 

Or anyone else who might like a 

carbo-loaded piece of heaven.

I used a quiche pan but a deep pie plate would 

work easily as well.

I sprayed it with Pam and then mixed

up 2 cups Bisquick-like baking mix

with one cup water and "lined" the pan with it.

It is very wet so mostly I made a big well

in the middle of it.

Then I browned up some ground turkey with

onions and zucchini, but you could use

any veges you have on hand

(as well as left over turkey).

I mixed in some gravy and poured that

into my dough "well" and then 

a thin layer of cranberry sauce.

I topped all that with Stove Top stuffing that

I mixed according to the directions and put 

it in a 325 oven for about an hour. 

You want the crust to get cooked and nicely browned.

Soooo good!

Slow Cooker Meatloaf

Can you do it?

Yes! You can!

I made my Thanksgiving Meatloaf

but any meatloaf recipe will work.

I layered some sliced potatoes and mini carrots

on the bottom then gathered up my 

mixed up meatloaf blend

and just set it on top.

I set it on low for about 7 hours

and there you have it!

This is a turkey meatloaf so there was

not much fat, just some liquid that gathered 

at the sides towards the end. 

If I was going to use a beef blend I 

would probably use very lean beef.

A grease slick on top might be less than appetizing.

I wish I would have figured this out years ago, 

but hey, 

better late than never :)

Dinner Fail

So, people think I'm a marvelous cook.

I tell them I don't advertise my failures.

Well here you go:

The salmon was good.
It was an asian kind of thing.
The problem was in the salad.
I had an abundance of cucumbers
along with a couple of avocados.
I really and truly found a recipe that used both
ingredients.
As the main ingredients.
To be served with salmon.
No.
The textures were wrong.
The flavors were wrong.
It was a bust.

There may or may not be a trip to
Dairy Queen in my near future.

BBQ Chicken Salad

In a jar!

Unfortunately I didn't think to get a picture of them

on their own, but that's them there in the back.

This is the picnic I packed for

Symphony On The Prairie

down in Indy.

Shanna sprung for tickets, 

I provided dinner.

Thing is, dinner had to survive a 3.5 hour car ride 

down to Indy.

Read: NO MAYO!

My solution was making the BBQ chicken

salad with the substitution of mini pasta

for the quinoa 

(Shanna may or may no be allergic),

packing it in 16 ounce jars, 

about 2/3 full, topped off with some chopped

romaine and a wedge of lime.

My theory was, squeeze a little lime onto the 

lettuce and then  dig down to 

combine the lettuce and chicken salad.

It was a bit messy until you get a few bites out of there, but

then it was great!

Dinner was fun, the symphony?

Well, the *symphony* was a Beatles

cover band and the sky was a

symphony of lightening. 

It all works out.....

Savory Zucchini Bread

It's that time of year when we are all

pretty much looking for something, 

ANYTHING

new to do with a zucchini.

I've made some baby food 

and the mandatory zucchini bread

but I wanted something different.

How about savory?

A little surfing the

World Wide Web

(and I don't mean Pinterest)

and I came across this recipe.

http://www.hobbyfarms.com/food-and-kitchen/herbed-zucchini-cheese-bread.aspx

It's a great savory bread.

It has a little heat from cayenne but not too much.

You can use any combo of herbs you want. 

I chose thyme and rosemary

(mostly because they are right on my patio)

and it turns out that is a good mix. 

I went easy on the rosemary because I think it 

overwhelms most other flavors.

So, to list, I have made:

baby food,

sweet zucchini bread, 

savory zucchini bread, 

and still have about 2 cups of grated 

zucchini left.....

People have to learn to pick these things sooner. 

Just sayin....