weekend cooking

Weekend Cooking & Saturday Snapshot: Ford’s Garage

family, photos, saturday snapshot, weekend cooking

Sep 022017

The other day my son and I took the day off work because we had business to take care of. Our appointment was in the morning so we decided to do something instead of going straight home. We were trying to decide where to go eat lunch and since we had never been to Ford’s Garage we decided to go there.

I love different, and this restaurant was definitely different. I absolutely loved it!

We both decided to get a burger and since you can choose which patty you want, we both ordered the bison. I’ve had bison before but this burger was the best I’ve ever had, anywhere. You can click on the link above and then click “Food Menu” to see the other burger options.

I couldn’t stop taking photos! It is the most unique restaurants I’ve ever been to. Check it out!

The front door with gas nozzles for handles

Old Timey Gas Pumps, the front outside wall are glass garage doors

There are 3 or 4 old vehicles outside

There are even some inside the restaurant, hanging from the ceiling

The menu is leather

The napkins are grease rags secured by metal clamps

My bison burger with fries

Anthony’s burger with mac & cheese, served in a mini cast iron skillet

The bathroom door handle was also a gas pump nozzle

The sink was a tire, the faucet a gas pump nozzle

Photo of the water running

Urinals were beer kegs (son took this photo of course)

Don’t you think this is a neat restaurant? We both loved it and we’ll definitely be going back!

Weekend Cooking

Saturday Snapshot

Book Review:
Healthy Five Ingredient Recipes by Hannie P. Scott

books read in 2017, weekend cooking

Aug 052017

Healthy Five Ingredient Recipes: Delicious Recipes in 5 Ingredients or Less

Healthy Five Ingredient Recipes by Hannie P. Scott

File Size: 2949 KB
Print Length: 68 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1546720464
Publisher: Hannie P. Publishing (May 15, 2017)
Publication Date: May 15, 2017

Healthy Recipes in 5 Ingredients or Less!
Are you tired of complicated recipes with hard-to-find ingredients? Are you looking for delicious and easy recipes with only a few simple ingredients? Now you and your family can eat healthy meals with simple and delicious five ingredient recipes.

Healthy and wholesome ingredients Easy to understand, step-by-step directions 50 healthy recipes in 5 ingredients or less
Less is more because you will be spending less time shopping and cooking, and more time eating healthy foods with your family!

This cookbook was created out of necessity. I was tired of searching far and wide for ingredients that I would only use once every six months. Who wants to spend all that time and money on complex recipes you will never even cook? That’s what led me to create this cookbook full of step-by-step recipes that are easy to follow and simply prepared. Most importantly, they are healthy and your family will love them. All of the recipes only require 5 ingredients or less!

Check out some of mouth-watering recipes:
Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
Buffalo Chicken Pieces
Grilled Orange Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Zucchini Fritters
Peanut Butter Energy Bites
White Chicken Chili
Low Carb Broccoli Cheese Soup

Full-Time Mom, Best-Selling Author, and Lover of Food, Hannie P. Scott is a best-selling author that knows a thing or two about cooking! Cooking and experimenting with foods is her life passion. Driven by her desire for cooking for others (and herself), Hannie spends a lot of time in the kitchen. She enjoys sharing her love of food with the world by creating “no-nonsense” recipe books that anyone can use. You can find cooking tips, advice, and recipes on her blog.

FYI: The book is now on sale at Amazon for .99¢

Thoughts
This is one of the best cookbooks I’ve seen in a while. I love that there are only 5 ingredients or less and just a few simple steps.

At the beginning of the book there is a list of abbreviations, conversions, and an introduction.

Then this quote which I love:
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever we are doing and devote our attention to eating”
Lucino Pavorotti

All the recipes sound good, but here are two that I want to start with:

Pineapple Salsa Chicken
Servings: 6

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 16oz. jar of tomato salsa
1 20oz. can of pineapple chunks in 100% juice, juice reserved
3 medium zucchinis, diced

Place chicken in your slow cooker and pour the salsa over them

Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours

Shred the chicken

Add in the pineapple with 3/4 cup of the canned juice and the zucchini

Cook for another 30 minutes

White Chicken Chili
Servings: 4-6

6 cups chicken broth
4 cups cooked and shredded chicken
2 15oz cans of great northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups salsa verde
1 tbsp ground cumin

Place all of the ingredients in a medium sausepan over medium high heat

Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat and simmer for 20 min.

Note: You could also do this in the slow cooker using raw chicken.
Cook for 4-6 hours on low and shred chicken before serving

Thanks to the author for the review copy

Weekend Cooking is hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

Book Review:
Goldy’s Kitchen Cookbook by Diane Mott Davidson

books read in 2017, cookbook, weekend cooking

Jul 082017

Goldy's Kitchen Cookbook: Cooking, Writing, Family, Life

Goldy’s Kitchen Cookbook: Cooking, Writing, Family, Life
by Diane Mott Davidson

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Cookbook (September 22, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062194046
ISBN-13: 978-0062194046

The beloved New York Times bestselling culinary mystery writer delivers a cookbook packed with more than 160 mouthwatering recipes and charming anecdotes about her writing and cooking life.

Diane Mott Davidson is the author of seventeen bestselling mysteries featuring caterer/sleuth Goldy Schulz, a woman who “took the lemon that life had given her and made not just lemonade but Lemon Chicken, Lemon Bars, Lemon Cookies and Lemon Meringue Pie.” Each Goldy novel includes recipes for scrumptious dishes from the adored character’s kitchen. Now, Davidson has collected these treasured recipes and some brand-new dishes in one volume for the first time.

Here are recipes for Appetizers and Soups, Eggs and Cheese, Salads and Starches, Meat, Poultry, and Fish, Breads, Desserts, and finally Low-Carb Recipes (how Davidson lost thirty pounds and kept them off). Most of the dishes came from “playing around with dishes tasted in restaurants.” Others are family favorites, some came from friends, and a few are “happy accidents.” At last, fans can enjoy delicious fare such as Bacon-Wrapped Artichokes with Dijon Cream Sauce, Diamond Lovers’ Hot Crab Dip, Sweethearts’ Swedish Meatballs in Burgundy Sauce, André’s Coq au Vin, Ice-Capped Gingersnaps, Damson-in-Distress Plum Tart, and Dad’s Bread.

Part memoir, part writing manual, part cookbook, Goldy’s Kitchen Cookbook combines the author’s gift for storytelling with her skills in the kitchen. She introduces the recipes with stories about how she came to create them, anecdotes from her experiences as a writer and home cook, and includes her joy at receiving a fan letter from the legendary French Chef herself, Julia Child.

Full of irresistible food, Goldy’s Kitchen Cookbook is a must-have book for Davidson fans, food lovers, and cooks everywhere.

Thoughts
I saw this book posted on someone’s blog, sorry but I can’t remember who it was, and decided to read it. I haven’t read the Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery Series (17 books), but I have a few hardcover copies of some of them and may read them in the future.

The book is full of great sounding recipes, and stories about her life. I enjoyed reading about her life, her books, and learning how she came up with these recipes.

The Contents are:
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Appetizers & Soup or How Do I Look? (And other stories About Food and Appearance)
Eggs and Cheese or My Agent Is Still A Vegetarian
Spuds, Salads, Etc. or My Editor Is Also A Vegtarian
Meat, Poultry, And Fish or The Heart Of The Matter
Breads or This Is Not Your Low-Carb Chapter
Desserts or This Is Not Your Low-Carb Chapter, Either
Enfin! Low-Carb Recipes or How I Lost Tiirty Pounds And Kept It Off
Epilogue
Index

My favorite stories were that her dad eased his stress by baking bread, and about a blizzard her family went through in 2003 where they lost electricity for a week. I could related to that. Although I don’t ever remember losing electricity from a blizzard when I lived in Ohio, we have lost electricity many many times since I’ve moved to Florida. Sometimes from lightening, sometimes from a hurricane. A few times we were without power for a few weeks. It’s not fun!

I’m a steak lover, and it just so happened that the recipe that went along with the blizzard story is Love Me Tender Grilled Steaks from The Whole Enchilade, book 17 in the series. I haven’t made the steaks yet, but I will as soon as I get to town and buy the steaks.

Love Me Tender Grilled Steaks
4 filet mignon steaks (6oz. each,1 1/2 – 2 inches thick & prime grade if possible)
1/4 cup garlic oil
Kosher salt and freshly grownd black pepper

Allow the beef to come to room temperature
Preheat oven to 350° and have meat thermometer ready
Pat steaks on both sides with paper towels until they are thoroughly dry
Heat an ovenproof grill panon the stovetop over high heat
Lay the steaks in the pan and reduce the heat to medium-high
Sprinkle the steaks lightly with salt and pepper
Cook for one minute and turn off heat
Using tongs, flip the steaks and remove the pan from the heat
Insert a meat thermometer into one steak, place the grill pan in the oven
Cook until the thermometer reads 125° (for medium rare)
Remove the pan from the oven & loosely cover the steaks with foil
Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to everyone whether you read her Goldy series or not. There are some very interesting stories and the recipes sound good with not too many ingredients, or time to make them.

Weekend Cooking is hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

Weekend Cooking: Helpful Kitchen Finds

weekend cooking

Jun 172017

The other day I was hopping around on the internet when I came across these and decided to order them. They came in the mail yesterday. I haven’t used them yet, but will review them when I do.

Q-glove Silicone Oven Mitts Heat Resistant Glove

These will come in so handy for flipping food on a grill. No more dropping food when it slides of the metal spatula! They’re heat resistant up to 425 Degrees Fahrenheit!

Oksale 60 Second Salad Cutter Bowl

I love salad but sometimes having to cut everything up one thing at a time can be time consuming and not a lot of fun. I haven’t used this yet, but I plan to soon. Just throw everything in the bow and cut in the slots.

Have you used either of these? What do you think?

Weekend Cooking is hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

Weekend Cooking:
Quick Easy Recipes: 5 Ingredient Cookbook by Hannie P. Scott

weekend cooking

Jun 102017

Quick Easy Recipes: 5 Ingredient Cookbook: Easy Recipes in 5 or Less Ingredients (Quick and Easy Cooking Series)

Quick Easy Recipes: 5 Ingredient Cookbook
by Hannie P. Scott

I’ve had this e-cookbook for a while but didn’t check it out until today. There are many recipes I want to try, including the one I’m sharing with you today. I do wish that the recipe had the nutritional values included. I can figure it out myself, but having them included would have been so much better and quicker to add to my food tracker.

I want to try the Mashed Cauliflower recipe soon too. There are slow cooker, stove top, and dessert recipes. When I make this I’ll let you know what we thought,

Weekend Cooking is hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

Weekend Cooking: Weird Food

weekend cooking

Jun 032017

Weekend Cooking is hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

I ran across these recipes and really had to think about whether I’d try them or not. There are some that I would try, and some that are just too weird for me. Would you try any of them?

Dill Pickle Bread @ Delish (I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this before)

The Humm Dog with Bacon, Black Truffle and Celery @ Food Republic

This post @ BuzzFeed has 33 weird combinations that taste really good (?)

Deliciously Weird Food Combinations @ HuffPost

Weird & Wacky Regional Recipes @ Food.com

Weekend Cooking: The Melting Pot

weekend cooking

May 062017

April 28th was my oldest granddaughter’s 19th birthday. She wanted to try a new restaurant, The Melting Pot, so that’s where we went. It was a nice restaurant. We liked the food, but the entree wasn’t as good as I was expecting. The website says to expect the meal to last 3 hours. It took us 4, I suppose because there was so many of us, my son Jeremy and dil Susie, grandkids Arianna and Jordan, Luigi who is a friend of Arianna, my son Anthony, and me.

You get to choose the type of cheese and chocolate you want for two of the fondues.

The cheese fondue comes with artisan breads, seasonal fruits and veggies.

The chocolate fondue comes with fresh strawberries, blondies, bananas, pineapple, marshmallow treats, pound cake and brownies.

For the entree I got Tampa Big Night Out which included cold water lobster, teriyaki-marinated sirloin, Memphis-style dry rub pork, sriracha lime shrimp, Sun-dried tomato chicken, & wild mushroom sacchetti.

I liked that we got to cook our own meat in a pot. All the food tasted good, especially the chocolate fondue. Of course I couldn’t eat it all so I ended up bringing some of the meat home.

We had a fun time, I love spending time with my family.

This is the chandelier above our table.
I thought it was a bit strange, but I liked it.

If you’ve been to The Melting Pot before, what did you think?

Weekend Cooking is hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

Hawaiian Grilled Cheese

recipes, souper sundays, weekend cooking

Apr 152017

I saw this recipe @ House Of Yumm and since I love grilled cheese and all the ingredients used in it, I decided to try it. The only thing different I did was use slices of Colby Jack cheese instead of shredded Monterey Jack.

2 slices of bread
3 slices of pineapple, fresh or canned
3 slices canadian bacon
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
butter
oregano and parsley

Butter one side of each slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley and oregano to taste

On non buttered side of bread place the shredded cheese, then the canadian bacon, pineapple, and top with the other slice of bread, buttered side facing up

Cook sandwich on stove top on a griddle or frying pan

Once bread is toasted on one side flip the sandwich to toast the other side

Cook on a low heat to allow the cheese to melt while the bread is toasting

What I Thought
This sandwich was so good! I’ve never added oregano and parsley to the bread when making grilled cheese, and I loved the flavor it added. Quick and simple, and very yummy, I’ll be making this again!

Weekend Cooking

Souper Sunday

I ♥ Sweet Tomatoes

family, weekend cooking

Jan 282017

My daughter and I go on day trips once in a while. Two weeks ago we went to Lady Lake and stopped at Sweet Tomatoes, one of my top 3 favorite restaurants. For soup and salad, it’s #1. If you’re not familiar with Sweet Tomatoes, they’re a salad, soup, and baked goods restaurant. And their food is oh so yummy. I didn’t get a photo of the salad bar because we got there just as they were opening the door and there were a bunch of people waiting to get in. By the time I tried to take a photo, there were people on both side of the bar and I couldn’t get a good shot. Next time. There are more soups and bakery items than in the photo, it was just hard to get a clear shot with the people standing in front of them. I know the restaurant isn’t in all states, but if you haven’t been to this restaurant, check to see if there’s one near you. Their food is so good!

Sign Outside

Soup Bar

Bakery Bar

Weekend Cooking is hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

Hosted @ Kahakai Kitchen

Paula Deen’s Crock Pot Potato Soup

recipes, souper sundays, weekend cooking

Jan 202017

Paula Deen’s Crock Pot Potato Soup

1 bag (30 oz) frozen hash-brown potatoes
2 cans (14 oz ea) chicken broth
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of chicken soup
1/2 C chopped onion
1/3 tsp ground black pepper
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

Optional Garnish: minced green onion, shredded Cheddar and bacon

In a crock pot, combine potatoes, broth, soup, onion, and pepper. Cover, and cook on low for 5 hours.

Stir in cream cheese, cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until combined.

Garnish with green onion, and/or Cheddar and bacon if desired.

Thoughts
I’ve always made homemade potato soup using my mom’s recipe. This time I thought I’d look for a recipe online and see what I could find. I found this recipe by Paula Deen and thought I’d try it.

I wondered how the ingredients would work since I’ve never used cream cheese, chicken broth, or cream of chicken soup. It was easier than easy to make, and the ingredients didn’t cost much.

The soup was good, but I think I’ll stick with my mom’s recipe most of the time, and use this for when I’m not feeling like peeling a bunch of potatoes.

As you can see, I took the photo without the optional garnishes. It was fine without them, but they do add a bit more flavor.

Hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

Hosted @ Kahakai Kitchen

Simple BBQ Ribs

recipes, weekend cooking

Jan 142017

This is #1 of 6 recipes for my Pin It & Do It Challenge

The reason I chose this recipe instead of the one of the many others on the web, was because it has a 5 star rating from 1038 reviews. How could it not taste good with that kind of rating?

Simple BBQ Ribs
2 1/2 pounds country style pork ribs
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons salt
1 cup barbeque sauce

Place ribs in a large pot with enough water to cover.
Season with garlic powder, black pepper and salt.
Bring water to a boil, and cook ribs until tender.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Remove ribs from pot, and place them in a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Pour barbeque sauce over ribs.
Cover dish with aluminum foil

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until internal temperature of pork has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Changes I Made
I didn’t follow this recipe exactly. Instead of bringing the water to a boil, I turned the burner on low and just let the ribs cook for about 4 hours. I also poured a whole 18 oz. bottle of Stubb’s Hicory Bourbon BBQ Sauce over them instead of 1 cup.

What I Thought
WOW, these ribs were so tender! I’ve never had ribs that were that tender before. They tasted really good. We loved them and I’ll definitely make them again. I’ve added this recipe to my list of favorites. The next time we have a family get together, these are definitely going on the menu. Best ribs I’ve ever had!! There were a few ribs left, so the next day I made a sandwich with colby/jack cheese and pickles. Yummy!

This counts toward my Pin It & Do It: Food challenge

Hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

weekend cooking

Nov 262016

The other day I asked my son Anthony to stop at the store on his way home from work and get me a box of Suzy Q’s. This is what he came home with:

Weekend Cooking is hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, etc.

Cheese Tortellini With Peas, Corn & Alfredo Sauce

recipes, weekend cooking

Nov 052016

I’ve been craving the Cheese Ravioli w/ Broccoli & Alfredo Sauce that I’ve made before. This time I wanted to try it with cheese tortellini and switch the broccoli with peas and corn.

Cheese Tortellini With Peas, Corn & Alfredo Sauce
2- 16 oz. Cheese Tortellini
16 oz. frozen peas
16 oz. frozen corn
2- 16 oz. jars Alfredo Sauce

Make tortellini as directed on bag

Make peas and corn as directed on bag

Place tortellini, peas and corn in large pot

Add Alfredo sauce

Heat, stirring occasionally

Serve

Thoughts
I only made half a recipe since there is only two of us, and there was still a small bowl left over. I thought this was really good and suprisingly, so did son Anthony! It was a really low cost meal and so quick and easy to make. Not 100% sure, but I think I like the cheese ravioli and broccoli just a bit more because, well, it has broccoli. My son likes peas and carrots more than he does broccoli. This recipe is a keeper for when I want a quick and easy meal! The corn is hard to see, but believe me, it’s in there.

Weekend Cooking is hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

10 Can Chili

recipes, weekend cooking

Oct 252016

We love chili. I make it throughout the year, whether it’s cold or hot outside. I always use a recipe Henry and I came up with many years ago. But this time I used one I saw @ Around My Family Table. Here’s the recipe:

10 Can Chili
2 lbs ground beef
2-15oz cans tomato sauce
2-15oz cans kidney beans (with liquid)
2-15oz cans pinto beans (with liquid)
1 med onion, diced or one handful of dried onion flakes
1-2 small cans diced green chilis
2-15oz cans diced tomatoes
4 teaspoons cumin powder
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups water

Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Drain off the fat.

In a large pot, combine the beef plus all the remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer over low heat.

Cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2 to 3 hours.

(For the slow cooker: brown the meat. Add everything to slow cooker pot. Cook on low half the day or high for several hours. Stir often.)

Adaptions
used 2 1/4 lbs. ground chuck
didn’t add onions
melted slices of American cheese in the bowls

Thoughts
This recipe made six big bowls which was too much, we ate it for dinner three nights. If I make it again I’ll only use one can each and cut back on the spices since we both thought it was a little too spicy.

My family says I’m weird, but I always smear peanut butter on a piece of bread (or two) and fold it over to eat with my chili. It’s so good!

This is a cheap, quick way to make a pot of chili. I loved that it has cumin, I love cumin!

Souper Sundays

Bacon, Egg, And Cheese Eggo Waffle Sandwich

recipes, souper sundays, weekend cooking

Oct 162016

I was supposed to make these Bacon, Egg, And Cheese Eggo Waffle Sandwich last week, but didn’t get a round to it. So today, I decided to make it. The ingredients cost less than $10.

I very very rarely eat pancakes or waffles, I’m talking beaucoup years in between. But when I saw this recipe on the internet, it was different enough to pique my interest.

My son thought they were good but needed a little extra flavor so he put strawberry jam on his. When I tasted mine I thought the same thing, so I added some to mine. Much better! I left the cheese off, and that may have made a difference, so I may make these again with a different variety of ingredients, like adding the cheese, or some syrup instead of jam. I’ll also buy a different flavor of waffles. When I went to shop for the ingredients, I had no idea there were so many different kinds of them. The best thing about this sandwich was the bacon, of course!

Linking to:
Weekend Cooking
Souper Sundays

California Yogurt Bowl

recipes, weekend cooking

Oct 082016

It’s time to cook with Heidi Swanson @ I ♥ Cooking Club

California Yogurt Bowl

Spoon one cup of whole milk yogurt into bowl

Top the yogurt with:
a bit of thinly sliced, ripe avocado
1/3 cup lightly smashed boysenberries (or blackberries)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
scant 1/4 cup raw rolled oats
a tiny bit of sea salt, optional
Each bowl serves one

Thoughts
This was my first time trying a Heidi Swanson recipes, and it is very good. In fact, is now my new favorite breakfast. I’ll be making it a lot from now on. It will also be a great choice for when I feel a bit hungry and want something that’s light and healthy. Quick, easy, and healthy. Seriously yummy!

I adapted this a bit by not using maple syrup, I used honey instead because that’s what I had on hand. I also cut up some extra avocado and blackberries to put on top.

I ♥ Cooking Club

Weekend Cooking

Italian Sausage Baby Broccoli Pasta
with Oregano Gremolata and Pramesan Cheese

recipes, weekend cooking

Oct 012016

Italian Sausage Baby Broccoli Pasta with Oregano Gremolata and Pramesan

9 oz Sweet Italian Sausage
6 oz Gemelli Pasta
6 oz Baby Broccoli
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
2 Cloves Garlic
1 oz Almonds
1/4 oz Oregano
1 Lemon
1 T Olive Oil

Wash and dry all produce. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Line up the baby broccoli
on your cutting board, and cut into 1-inch pieces. Discard the ends.
Roughly chop the garlic. Pick the oregano leaves off the stems.
Discard the stems.

Place the sausage onto a baking sheet. Cook in
the oven for about 15 minutes.

Add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook 9-11
minutes, until al dente. While the pasta cooks, add the baby broccoli
to the same water. Cook 3-4 minutes, until tender. Remove the baby
broccoli with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Meanwhile, place the almonds, oregano
leaves, and chopped garlic in a pile on your cutting board. Run your
knife over the mixture until finely chopped (some larger pieces of
nuts can remain). Check on the pasta, drain when ready, then return
to the pot.

Heat a large drizzle of olive oil in a large pan
over medium-low heat. Add the gremolata mixture. Cook, tossing, for
3-4 minutes, until beginning to turn golden brown. Season generously
with salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat. Zest about 1 teaspoon
lemon directly in the pan, and stir thoroughly to release the lemon oils.

Thinly slice the sausage. Halve the lemon. Toss the
sausage, baby broccoli, gremolata, half the Parmesan cheese, and
a drizzle of olive oil into the pot with the pasta. Reheat over medium
heat if necessary. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in
a squeeze of lemon, to taste. Divide between bowls, serve with the
remaining Parmesan cheese.

Thoughts
I really liked this and thought it had a nice flavor. My son Anthony liked it but didn’t think it had enough flavor. After sprinkling with garlic salt he was satisfied with the taste.

The recipe was easy to do and didn’t take that much time, about 30 min.

Weekend Cooking is hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

Weekend Cooking: Hello Fresh

weekend cooking

Sep 242016

I signed up for Hello Fresh about a week and a half ago, have made two of the recipes so far, and really liked both. I like that you can choose from 3 different plans, Vegetarian, Classic or Family. I chose Classic, 5 meals, for 2 people. You can click on their link and check out the plans and recipes.

Some of the recipes are not what I would try on my own, but so far both my son and I are enjoying them.

The first recipe I made was Dukkah-Crusted Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes and Lemony Greens. I loved everything, but my son isn’t a fan of lemon and thought the greens were too lemony.

The second one I made was Rockfish Piccata with Sautéed Spinach, Israeli Couscous, and Lemon Caper Sauce. We both liked it all, and since I don’t like fish much I was surprised that my favorite thing was the fish.

I like that they include prep and total time to prepare, allergy alerts, cooking level, and nutritional values. As far as I can tell for the classic 5 day plan, they give you six different recipes a week, and you get to choose the five you want.

Weekend Cooking is hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

Ham, Turkey, & Sharp Cheddar Panini

recipes, weekend cooking

Sep 202016

Ham, Turkey, & Sharp Cheddar Panini
2 slices bread
2-4 slices each of ham and turkey
1-2 slices deli sharp cheddar cheese
butter

Butter one side of each of the bread slices
Place one piece of bread butter side down on a panini press
Layer the ham, turkey and cheese on top of the bread
Top with the other bread, butter side up
Close the Panini press and let grill until bread is golden brown

I enjoy a good Panini once in a while, and this is a good one for when you don’t have a tomato or avocado on hand. I definitely would have added them if I’d had some, but this was still a yummy Panini. Sometimes it’s good to go simple.

Souper Sundays is hosted @ Kahakai Kitchen

How To Clean Burnt Pots & Scorched Pans

weekend cooking

Sep 102016

082696ae35b00b68debde43052da4fc10e431b64

(Image Credit: Sarah Starkey)

This article showed up in my email and I thought it was worth sharing. I think anyone who cooks has burnt a pan or two over the years.

Here’s the link to the article @ Apatrtment Therapy. I don’t live in an apartment, but since I’m moving to a house that’s only about 800 sq. ft., I subscribed to this because they have all kinds of information for living in a smaller place.

What You Need:
1 cup of vinegar
2 tablespoons of baking soda
1 cup of water (give or take depending on the size of your pan)
A burnt stainless steel pan that was left empty and unattended on a heated hot plate. oops!.
A scourer, because I can’t find any way to avoid it entirely

1. Fill the bottom of the pan with a layer of water.

2. Add the vinegar.

3. Bring the pan to the boil. It should be looking a bit cleaner already.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda. Expect fizz!

5. Empty the pan and scour as normal; if necessary add an extra bit of dry baking soda.

6. If there are any super stubborn marks that don’t come off with scouring, make a paste of baking soda and a couple of drops of water. Leave the paste on the marks for a while and return to clean as normal.

7. Ta-da! Now you can put your feet up and enjoy the many hours you saved yourself standing over the sink.

Weekend Cooking is hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

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