Happy Friday!

Aaaahhh, the weekend.  I love Friday nights.  They are easily the best nights of the week.  No work tomorrow, the knowledge that I have two whole days to hack away at my to-do (and want-to-do) lists, and getting to spend some QT with Ellie and Flick that does not include rushing to and from daycare / work.  Bliss.

Another thing I love about weekends is the potential to maybe, just maybe, cook without pressure.  We are on a pretty tight schedule during the week (I know this is not unique to our family), so weeknight dinner can be an all out sprint to get food on the table as close to 6pm as possible.  Don't get me wrong, I love every second of it!  30 rushed minutes in the kitchen is a heck of a lot better than 30 minutes doing a lot of other things...if you are me that is.  But on the weekend...oh the possibilities.  I'll be honest, more often than not, Saturdays and Sundays get away from us and it is yet another mad dash at to pull something together that won't have us eating too late for Ellie to maintain some semblance of a normal bedtime.  However, there is at least a chance that I can get myself into the kitchen early enough to turn on the radio and calmly cook a meal...

With all this one-in-a-million talk (this should conclude the movie references) - I find recipes like the one for Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo below to be indispensable when we need something quick, tasty, and appetizing for the whole family.  The ingredients for this are not all that far-fetched so you may find that you even have them on hand in case dinner sneaks up and you need something in a pinch (mushrooms can be subbed in easily for the shrimp too, by the way).  Ellie happens to be a shrimp-a-holic so this recipe is right in her wheel house.  I find that the frozen, already peeled and deveined shrimp-in-a-bag can be a little tougher than the "ez-peel" ones we get from the fish counter (deveined and the shell is split so it comes off super easy).  But by all means, if you are down with the bag, use it.  We certainly have!  TGIF

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

Courtesy of Cooking Light

9 ounces of fettuccine (or linguine)

1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp

2 chopped green onions

2 minced garlic cloves

Olive Oil

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup half and half

3 tablespoons (or 1 1/2 ounces) cream cheese 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Parsley for the finish (optional)

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Towards the end of cooking, scoop out 1/4 cup of the pasta water to use with the shrimp.

In a small bowl, combine shrimp, green onions, and garlic.  

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add olive oil and swirl to coat the pan.  Add the shrimp/onion/garlic mixture and saute for about 4 minutes or until the shrimp are done - remove from the pan and keep warm.

Turn the heat down to medium on the skillet and add the 1/4 cup cooking liquid from the pasta (if you forgot, no big deal, just use 1/4 cup water), parmesan cheese, half and half, cream cheese, and pepper.  Cook about 2 minutes or until all the cheeses melt.  Combine the pasta, cheese mixture, and shrimp mixture.  If you are opting to do so, sprinkle with parsley.  Best served not long after cooking but tastes fine as leftovers too!

Summer Lovin

We have been working a few new recipes these days so I think it is time to put up another blog post so that I can have them as part of my online collection!  The photographers of the beautiful food have been given their kudos in the corresponding captions.  I'll kick it off with the Lemon-Garlic Shrimp Skewers we made for dinner tonight.  These were delicious and a great way to broaden your shrimp horizons...that is, if you are like me and have never grilled them before!

Michael Weschler

Next we have Cheddar Turkey Burgers with Mashed Avocado.  MAN these were delicious.  Flick and I are not generally huge fans of turkey burgers since they have such a narrow "perfect" window when they are not too dry.  These are kept moist with some grated red onion and cheddar cheese.  These will completely change your point of view on non-beef burgers, give them a chance.

Marcus Nilsson

Catfish always seems to end up with a cornmeal coating in our family - and the catfish meal we had a week or so ago is no exception.  What makes it really awesome is the Quinoa Saute that we served on the side.  This is a perfect summer side and loads you up with good-for-you quinoa and a decent serving of veggies.

The next two recipes are nods to some of the great food we have acquired from friends who have done some hunting/fishing over the fall and winter months.  Our friends up in Steamboat provided us with some amazing ground elk and elk tenderloins.  We incorporated the ground elk into our Shepard's Pie awhile back, but had been saving the tenderloins.  We finally got to cooking them and did a really simple crock pot recipe that you could easily use for a beef tenderloin if game isn't your thing.  They came out very flavorful and not tough at all - and elk is a very lean cut of meat!

The last recipe is a glaze for salmon that we have been using just about every other week on the Alaskan-caught salmon filets we were fortunate enough to receive from one of Flick's colleagues.  Neither of us are huge salmon eaters, so when we came across this recipe we decided it was the best way to prepare this amazing fish so that we could thoroughly enjoy eating it.  Happy summertime cooking everyone!

Streamlining

I believe I have previously alluded to the book I am currently reading: The Joy of Less: A minimalist living guide.  The whole idea of the minimalist lifestyle is to live with less "stuff" which ultimately gives you more time and space to enjoy doing the things you love.  It is an idea that I have started to employ around our house (not to the extremes mentioned in the book; the only piece of furniture in the author's bedroom is a futon mattress on the floor...slightly excessive, er, minimalist).  At home, I am really trying to keep clutter to a minimum and get rid of the things that we don't really need.  There are so many ways to streamline our lives.

I have had this recipe for Swedish Meatballs cut out since we lived in Boston.  When I first started gathering recipes, I was putting every recipe that sounded good into a sticky back photo book.  Needless to say, I was filling up these books pretty quickly and still rotating through the same old recipes.  Flick suggested that I start actually making the recipes before putting them in the book so that I have a comprehensive collection of recipes that have already been vetted.  He's so smart...and that was much more efficient.  With this blog, I have found that I am able to further condense my recipe collection into my online recipe book.  No more piles of paper needed, we just keep everything organized in a nice, searchable format online.  Along the same lines, the whole goal of this blog is to share recipes that taste great but that don't require a lot of pomp and circumstance to pull together.  In theory, I am pulling together a list of minimalist dinner recipes - guess I was destined to start tracking in this direction!

A quick way to put together an after work chicken dish is with Chicken Chilaquiles.  This recipe uses rotisserie chicken to cut down on prep time and carries just a tiny bit of spice.  Don't fear the heat - we are not big spicy food fans in our family so if we can take it you know it has to be pretty mild.

Another recipe that we have had since Boston, but that I have actually been cooking for years, is Smothered Pork Chops with Thyme.  This is a good fall recipe served up with mashed potatoes and some veggies.  To make the pork chop baby friendly, we threw it in the food processor with some of the sauce and Ellie loved it.

 



Two recipes that we have previously featured but that have been out of the loop for awhile are Tuna Noodle Casserole (big hit with Ellie) and Monterey Jack, Corn, and Roasted Red Pepper Risotto.  That's right, we made a risotto after work and had it ready to go at 6pm for dinner with Ellie.  Nothing is impossible with a little bit of planning and the drive to get it done.

Upgrades

Flick and I made our first real "grown-up" furniture purchase this week.  Over the years we have managed to acquire almost a house full of furniture in hand-me-downs, craigslist purchases, and thankfully, in gifts from family/friends.  Although our kitchen table and chairs currently fall into our good furniture category, we made the call to replace them over the weekend when we realized that we were going to require a table which could comfortably seat more than four.  As you may have noticed, having home cooked meals and eating together is extremely important to us.  This year we will be hosting both Thanksgiving and Christmas and we are going to require seating for a whole troop of people.  With that being said, it was time to upgrade.

 

That was such a random commercial.  Back to the kitchen table - since we are working with a pretty tight space (currently) we wanted a table that wouldn't be in the way of our day-to-day activities but that could be the center of attention come mealtime.  We found one that is the same size as our current table - but that has 2 leaves (leafs?) that extend it out to seat EIGHT.  Yes, eight...and since Ellie is in a high chair that means eight adults.  Needless to say, we jumped on that one - and some unexpected chairs (you'll have to wait in suspense - they are far from traditional), and there you have it - a kitchen table where we can gather with family and friends for years to come.  We are so excited for it to get here...and given that we are excited over a furniture purchase, we are officially adult-like.

It will be a little while before we are eating meals on our new table, but in the meantime we have some great dinners lined up for this week. 

Open Faced Blackened Catfish Sandwiches are yet another way to break out of the mold when it comes to cooking fish at home.  You get the simplicity of pan cooking a filet of fish, without serving it alongside a pile of rice and a vegetable.  We cut this up with a knife and fork and really enjoy the cool coleslaw with the mild kick to the fish...and it is on bread, so you can't go wrong there!

Not long ago, Flick and I would take a vegetarian meal and add chicken or beef to it in order to make it fit our dinner expectations.  Over the years, our definition of a meal has changed and we are now taking the meat out of a dish in order to work in a few more veggies (and save some money).  Butternut Squash Tagine, served over pistachio couscous, originally had chicken in it, but we upped the squash content and took out the chicken and I don't miss it one bit!

Chicken and White BBQ Potatoes were in one of the more recent issues of Cooking Light that came to our door.  I love potatoes and I was intrigued by this recipe - fortunately, it worked out well and using rotisserie chicken makes it a snap to pull together.  The relish kind of turned Ellie off from this dish but she happily ate some potatoes and shredded chicken.

Pork Chops with Roasted Apples and Onions was a big time winner.  What a perfect fall dish.  The apples and pearl onions are perfect together and paired with pork chops and some rice - you have yourself a meal that is fit to serve guests but that you can pull together in 30 minutes or so after work.  Definitely give this one a try!

We served Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs with Quinoa Salad and Peaches on a Friday night when Mark and Tara were out visiting.  We needed a meal that you could both prepare in a flash after work, and increase the number of servings without prolonging the cooking time.  I am presently a little obsessed with Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah...I think).  Now that I know how to say it, just try and stop me from ordering it everywhere I go.  It is a versatile "mother of all" grains (coined by the Inca).  Seriously, this little number (not even a true grain, as it may be), is a powerhouse of nutrition - high in calcium, protein, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron.  It is also a good source of fiber.  I am on the lookout for some more recipes involving Quinoa so get ready for it - we'll Boulderize you yet. 

The New Kid on the Block

I apologize in advance if you now have a NKOTB ballad stuck in your head.  I couldn't resist.  You may or may not find it interesting to know that I was never a New Kids fan.  Yes, though I was a product of the 80s and early 90s music era, I did not "hang tough".  The only NKOTB swag that I owned was a pair of slippers that my Memere and I bought when she took me shopping as my birthday present one year.  I am pretty sure that my lack of interest in them had something to do with the fact that I was too busy listening to the Pointer Sisters and Michael Jackson albums.  Now do you have "Jump for my Love" or "Man in the Mirror" in your head instead?  How about now?

Back to being the new kid on the block.  I started a new job this week.  After having been with my previous company for just over 6 years, I landed a new gig with a biotech company here in Boulder.  The first day I was excited at the prospect of a fresh start but had that nervous "first day of school" feeling.  I think it is a good thing - as my late father-in-law used to say: "If you're green, you're growing, if you're not, you rot".  My goal in life is to always be some shade of green; staleness does not sit well with me.

Where does this all tie into a weekly meal plan you ask?  It is so easy to fall into a pattern of making the same few dishes over, and over.  Before you know it, you are burnt out on your usual rotation and you would rather scrape gum off the driveway than have to eat the same old dinner for the 5th (or maybe 10th) time in a month.  Writing this blog has really helped me to expand our repertoire of meals.  Of course we have our favorites that we go back to when we are looking for something delicious and reliable, but putting a new dish on the table for dinner can be oddly satisfying (well, not so odd if you are anything like me).  Not every new dish will fall into the "keeper" category but you never know until you try.

I made these recipes a little while back, just before I made the decision to halt new endeavors until after my recipes were fully converted to the new site.  They were all "never-evers" and luckily, we hit it out of the park with all of them.

Black Bean, Corn and Zucchini Enchiladas was our vegetarian dish.  These were so yummy.  I find the wheat tortillas to be great for enchiladas because they are really soft.  Throw in some black beans, veggies, a delicious red sauce, and of course...some cheese, and you have yourself a healthy and satisfying dinner option.  Note that the enchilada sauce takes about 30 minutes to cook - I made it the day before so that all we had to do was put everything together and bake it when we got home from work.

We are not fortunate enough to have In-N-Out Burger here in Colorado, however, I had my first In-N-Out experience this past summer when we took a family trip to Lake Tahoe.  Flick ALWAYS stops to get a burger on his way up to the mountains so I felt like I really needed to see what all the hoopla was about.  YUM.  These Out-N-In California Burgers are a healthy, home-made alternative and were quite tasty.  I would have liked to be in the test kitchen when they were devising the recipe for these little guys.

Chicken and Herb White Pizza was a nice, light take on our semi-weekly pizza foray.  The fresh herbs really stand out and you don't end up missing the marinara one bit.

Tilapia tostadas were a take on a chicken tostada recipe that we have.  We try really hard to have fish at least one day a week.  It is all too easy to fall into the fish filet + rice + veggie meal plan.  There are plenty of ways to eat fish so don't be afraid to experiment.  I like the texture that the tostadas add to the fish/tomato/guacamole since they all tend to be on the softer side. 

Finally we have Fresh Tomato, Sausage, and Pecorino Pasta.  Doesn't it just look divine?  It is such a basic recipe that really plays to all of the comfort food qualities.  The pasta brings in the carbohydrates, cheese needs no further introduction, sausage and tomatoes belong together, and some fresh basil..."I'm so excited".

Gimme a break

Flick is on break from school right now.  After each quarter, he gets about 3 weeks off before the next round of classes ensue.  This period of down time is really great on a number of levels.  First of all, I love that he has the freedom to spend his nights doing what he wants (for the most part, dishes probably wouldn't fall into that category), second - I like to pretend that I am also on break (well, actually I guess I am) and can therefore slow my roll from Mach 3 down to the speed of sound.  

In my mind, 'our' breaks are my chance to get caught up on all of the things that have been put to the back burner while Flick is in class and studying every night.  I like to disillusion myself into thinking that I am going to weed the entire front lawn, iron all 54 shirts in the ironing pile, clean things that have been gathering dust, hang some photos on the walls, and have dinner ready at a reasonable hour (all on the first day).   The problem with this line of thinking is that it makes my 'break' anything but a chance to reset and gear up for the next quarter.  So, this time around I am testing out this whole, enjoy-a-break-for-what-it-is thing.  It's hard!  As someone who relishes in getting things done, going to bed without feeling as though I have made a major dent in my to-do list stresses me out.  Something I clearly need to work on because that list is not going anywhere.  

Along these same lines, I think it is important to take a break from cooking every now and again.  I know that I lay the whole 'home cooked meal' thing on pretty thick but we like going out to eat or ordering a pizza just as much as the next busy family.  For me, it is so much more enjoyable when it is a treat rather than the norm.  Flick and I had an AMAZING dinner last night out on the town in Boulder (thank you SO much to the VR crew for all your love and support and especially to Charles for babysitting Ellie!).  We went all out and felt great about it because it is something that we really never do.  It is important to take care of yourself, whether it be a random day off from work or a much needed date night with your partner.  Burnout and staleness can happen in any aspect of your life and it is up to you to be self-aware enough to know when it is coming.  Spice it up to keep it fresh.

Starting next week we will be back to working in the new recipes.  I am FINALLY at the end of my conversion over to the new site (woohooo).  There are a few loose ends (mostly in the dessert category) to tie up but the major players are all prettied up and ready to go.  Thanks for hanging in there through the whole process...

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Thai Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas

Tuna Noodle Casserole (camera shy :) )


Turkey Meatball Reuben Subs

Vegetable Burritos with Cheese

Sameness

I don't know if it is a human nature thing or if it is just me, but I go through "kicks" where I will read/eat/listen to/watch/wear something that I like, and then proceed to re-create the experience for some undetermined amount of time.  Does this sound familiar at all?  Reading is where it started.

I really love to read.  When I was younger, I spent a fair amount of my spare time with a pile of books by my side.  My mom would schlep us out to the library during the summer and I would come home with what seemed to be no fewer than 17 books...all of which were Nancy Drew novels.

I would breeze through one book every day or so until they were done and we would start the process over.  Imagine my disappointment when I exhausted the Canterbury Library's collection.  I then moved on to the American Girl stories.  When I decided I wanted to be a veterinarian, I read all of James Herriot's books.  As I got older I devoured Mary Higgins Clark, then Ken Follett, Marian Keyes, and Bill Bryson.  Of course there were one-off books in between that I thoroughly enjoyed, but to this day, I am always looking for an author who either writes a series or has a few books under their belt so that if I like one, I can keep moving through their novels until my appetite for their work is quenched (or I run out of material).

I have to be very mindful of my tendency for "sameness" when I am cooking.  Fortunately, Flick helps me stay on track, otherwise our menus would be surprisingly homogeneous.  Last winter I was on a real risotto kick.  We were trying to eat less meat and risottos happen to be a very satisfying way to incorporate a meatless meal into your week.  After 3 or so weeks in a row of 2+ risottos per week, I was thanked for the delicious meals that were being lovingly prepared every night...and gently reminded that maybe there was more than one way to make a meatless meal :).  If it weren't for Flick, I would need to buy grain bags full of Arborio rice.

That isn't good for anyone (except the farmers I suppose).  So you will have to forgive me if I turn out a few menus here and there that seem to have a common theme...I am probably just on some sort of kick and it will soon pass.  Off to research how I can get my hands on some of those old Nancy Drew books...enjoy the meals!    

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

Monterey Jack, Corn, and Roasted Red Pepper Risotto

Pecan Crusted Tilapia

Parmesan Polenta and Spicy Sausage

Parmesan Sage Crusted Pork Chops

Changing of the seasons

After what feels like 5 years of oppressive heat, it is finally "cooling down" a bit in Boulder.  Yesterday I wore a SWEATSHIRT while eating dinner outside and had to close the windows a bit at night...big doings!  I couldn't be happier about it.  Understand that we are still hitting the 90s on a regular basis, but with these cooler nights, I know sweet relief is just around the corner.  In honor of this realization, I bought a down jacket on Steep and Cheap (love it when Patagonia pops up on there) and  started looking at skis for this season.  That's right, mama's gettin' some new fat skis this year, look out.  Of course, this pretty much guarantees a repeat of last years snow (or lack-there-of) for Colorado (sorry everyone), but I am due.

With cooler weather comes a whole new arsenal of recipes for me to work into the dinner rotation: Chili, beef stew, pot pie, roasts, and dishes involving winter squashes and apples (pies and cobblers anyone?).  Don't get me wrong, I love the rush of inexpensive, fresh produce that fills the supermarket shelves in the summer, but by the time September rolls around, I am ready to change gears.  This is what I love about the seasons.

Seriously, what is better than this?

Once I am through moving my recipes to the new site, get ready for some of our favorite comfort foods and fall dishes to start making an appearance.  Anyone have some good Halloween costume ideas?

 
 Enjoy the meals this week!

Curry Spiced Noodles (apparently I have some work to do with my photos)

Filets and Spinach with Balsamic Vinaigrette

 Heavenly Honey Chicken

Italian Meatball Sliders













Fall Veggie Curry over Cashew Coconut Rice

Regaining control

Today at work we were talking about how easy it is for your house to get to that point where you feel as though you have lost all sense of control. Maybe it starts with a stray toy being left in the middle of the living room and before you know it there are Cheerios between your toes and your kids have named the dust bunnies in the corner. I swear this happens in a matter of 23 minutes. We desperately try to stay on top of everything, but every once and awhile, you need to re-baseline and take things by the reigns.

I was looking through the recipes section of the blog today and realized that we have quite the collection of recipes in our rotation. There must be at least 50 recipes posted, this gives us a lot of options when it comes to dinner planning. Since we do have so many recipes, I am going to take this opportunity to start recycling some recipes for a few weeks as a way to help me move my recipes to my new site.

I originally intended to slowly move my recipes over in addition to adding the new recipes for the week. Please refer to the above paragraph while I go retrieve the 3 day old Cheerios from Ellie's pincer grasp. Simply put, I don't have much more time than I am currently devoting to spend on the blog! Over the next few weeks I will finally regain control over my blog and will shift all my recipes to the Recipefy site. I am psyched and hope you enjoy the finished product!

The recipes I will call into play this week are:

Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables

 

Baked Cod Filet

Cajun Red Beans and Rice

Cheddar Burgers with Red Onion Jam (aka: Michelle's Birthday burgers...we had them on my birthday again last Monday!), and finally,

Cheesy Potato Soup with Ham Sandwiches.

Lake Eats

I've said it before and I'll say it again - we love food.  The reason it is so painless for me to spend time putting together a meal is because the end product is so satisfying.  Even when just Flick and I are dining together, dinner is no short ordeal.  We easily spend 45 minutes eating, talking, drinking - and that is on nights when we have a full agenda for the post dinner hours.

With company in town - plan for at least an hour and a half at the dinner table.  Love it.  We just went out and bought a bunch of tiki torches and citronella oil to ward of the mosquitoes and prolong the dinner-time chat out on our back deck in Boulder.  It is the same way at the lake.  When we saddle up for dinner we are going well beyond sunset into the hours of the night when I would normally be getting ready for bed.  How great is that? 

Instead of the normal 5 meals - here are two meal "events" that you can count on to provide you with a great medium for conversation at your next backyard get together.

The first meal is a bit of a one-pot-wonder: the Shrimp Boil.  My brother and sister-in-law have lived south of the Mason Dixon (which, when I Googled it, is not quite as far south as I had imagined, but regardless...) for long enough to be bringing a little southern flare to our gatherings.  They put on a delightful shrimp boil which was delicious and fun to eat (NOTE: if you are taking turns doing dishes, call dibs on this night...trust me).  The shrimp boil involves shrimp, corn, onions, potatoes, sausage, Old Bay Seasoning and a giant newspaper covered table.  Intrigued?  Give this a go - if you have easy going guests who are not afraid to dig in family-style, this will surely be a hit!

Getting ready to chow down!

The second meal was a bit more traditional (in the way it was served) but just as memorable.  We had a feast of steaks, salmon, broccoli slaw, baked potatoes, bread dipped in flavored oil, and strawberry torte for dessert.  Mmmmm.  

The steaks were grilled with a little olive oil, seasoned salt, and crushed black pepper.  We had sauteed mushrooms (slice mushrooms, heat skillet over medium heat and add some butter.  Add mushrooms and saute until softened) as a nice compliment to the perfectly grilled steaks.

The salmon was cooked on a cedar plank - soak the plank for an hour, rub the fish with a mixture of 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper and 1 tablespoon brown sugar.  Lay the fish on the plank and put the plank on the preheated grill (medium heat) for 15 or so minutes or until it reaches 130 degrees.  Serve with this horseradish sauce from Wegmans if possible! 

 

These recipes will be as great individually as they are all together - mix and match, borrow a marinade or cooking technique for a different cut of meat, and by all means, allow yourself some strawberry torte for dessert!

Broccoli slaw?  Yes please!

Strawberry Torte