Eating Dinner With My Family

I have my own odd food prejudices that I believe always apply even thought my husband delights in pointing out every time I enjoy one of those taboo foods.  One of those issues is with BBQ sauce.  Now I know there are a multitude of varieties of BBQ but I just kind of have an innate dislike of them.  If I am to eat BBQ, the sauce must be tomato based and a little sweet and a little spicy.  I really did like these sliders.  I took a BBQ sauce I "enjoy" and the addition of the whiskey was really great.  These weren't hard and they are great as dinner or party snacks.  Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders 2 pounds Ground Meat (beef, Bison, Turkey) Salt And Pepper 4 Tablespoons Butter 1 whole Large Onion, Diced 1/2 cup Whiskey 1 cup Barbecue Sauce 1/4 cup Jarred Jalapeno Slices (more To Taste) 12 whole Slider Buns Or Dinner Rolls, Split Form the meat into 12 (or so) miniature patties and salt and pepper them on both sides. Melt the but...

Ok, I didn't pick the dessert this time, my husband did.  I don't like a recipe that starts with a box of anything.  The fact it said half a box was annoying too.  I doubled the recipe so I used the whole thing.  I also melted some currant jelly to fill some of the cookies rather than make them all caramel.  Despite my distrust of the box and my somewhat indifferent attitude towards sweets, I liked these.  The rest of the family, who do not share my prejudice, loved them.  Cheesecake Cookies 1/2 a Box of White Cake Mix 1 Egg 4 oz. Cream Cheese 2 tbsp. Melted Butter 1 Cup Caramel Sauce 1 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs A cupcake pan In a medium bowl mix together the Cake mix, melted butter, egg & cream cheese.  use a spoon to really smear it and blend it well into a dough-like consistency! Scoop some batter into a cupcake pan .about 1/4 the way up the sides… Bake them at 350 for about 15 minutes, just until they’re...

This recipe took some time but it was oven time so inactive time.  It was a nice take on a chicken soft taco.  It had some heat, but not too much.  If you have kids or diners that are really sensitive to spicy, you could half or eliminate the chipotle, but the sauce won't be nearly as good.  On a personal note, I think I am now half way through my back log of posts, and am feeling extra good/lazy so another short post :) Chicken Tinga Tacos 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 1/2 pounds trimmed, skinless, bone-in chicken thighs Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large onion, thinly sliced 3 large garlic cloves, minced One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes 2 canned chipotles in adobo, coarsely chopped 1 cup chicken broth 24 corn tortillas 2 ounces Cotija cheese, crumbled  (I used feta) Sliced scallions and chopped cilantro, for garnish 1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Season ...

Ok here is a place you will really see the slacking. :)  We liked it and it was easy.  Company worthy? No.  But just because it wasn't an OMG doesn't mean write it off.  It was a snap to make and I thickly sliced some zucchini and broiled it right along with the salmon and the meat and veg was done at the same time.  I did use the thinner wild salmon and we like our veggies crisp if any of those don't apply to you, that would alter the cooking times.   I think I got it from allrecipes.com and you can feel free to grill the salmon like the recipe says, but I recommend following my instructions I added at the end.  Easier and faster clean up that way.   Grilled Salmon 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets lemon pepper to taste garlic powder to taste salt to taste 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup water 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garli...

I got a craving for beer cheese soup.  I know I have had it in the past, but can't for the life of my remember where.  (or much about the soup itself for that matter)  So to the internet (insert your own batman music here).  I found this recipe and thought I would give it a go.  I have put off the post for so long, my recollection of the dish is vague.  Perhaps that is the best way to judge a dish, does it stay with you?  Well I do remember liking it, and I believe the rest of the family did too. Beer Cheese Soup 3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped 1 sweet onion, finely diced 1/2 red pepper, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons flour 2 cups of your favorite beer (I find that lighter wheat beers work best) 1 cup half and half 4 ounces sharp white cheddar, freshly grated 4 ounces extra sharp yellow cheddar, freshly grated 4 ounces colby jack, freshly grated fresh herbs (I like ci...

I am not a huge sweets person.  I do enjoy a sugary treat now and then, but savory is what I crave.  There are certain flavors of dessert that do strongly tempt me: Salted Caramel, Coconut, and Lemon!  Oh lemon just might be the biggest temptation of all.  (Lemon and Key lime that is;)  So when I saw this drool worthy pin for drenched lemon loaf cake, I knew that was a sweet I had to make.  It was worth every minute of work and calorie consumed.  That was just my opinion, my husband liked it even more!  Considering that I am a idiot when it comes to baking, and that I pulled it off, I think it is safe to assume that it was easy to make:)  I have a bit of a confession.  Check out that lovely picture of my lemon loaf cake over there to the right.  Check out the bottom of the post to see what it really looked like if you saw it from the other end :) Lemon Loaf Cake 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/...

While I can't say anyone was wowed by the dish, it wasn't bad, and it seems like it would be pretty healthy and waistline friendly.  I love savory bread puddings, but I would switch up the fillings next time and see if it was the ingredients or perhaps it is just the lack of egg yolks:).  This recipe is worth doing just to learn the basic savory bread pudding technique because it is a great way to use up a bunch of cooked meat or veggies and because it makes a great (and easy) breakfast. Arugula & Chicken Sausage Bread Pudding 4 large egg whites 4 large eggs 1 cup skim milk 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup sliced fresh basil 4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices) 5 cups chopped arugula, wilted (see Tip) 3/4 cup chopped artichoke hearts, frozen (thawed) or canned 1 cup diced cooked chicken sausage, (5 ounces) 1. ...

So this was the next dinner I made for my family that's visiting.  It was a cold weekend and  I thought something like a stew cooked for a long time in the oven sounded like just the thing to make.  It was more laborious than I would ordinarily do (that is if I wasn't craving something or having guests:) but I wanted something nice for my parents.  It was a good stew.  Even the people who didn't like mushrooms were pleased with the dish.  I think for most people, this would be a special occasion kind of dish because of the time and the bit of work involved, but stew is not an "impressive" meal despite how tasty it might be, so this dish may fall in to a small niche for most, but don't et that dissuade you from trying it.  I served it with noodles but I would have preferred mashed potatoes to put it over. Beef Stew with Port and Porcini 3 pounds beef chuck roast, fat trimmed, meat cut into 1-inch pieces 2 large onions, coarsely chopped...

I decided to try this soup because ti was cold out and my parents ere coming in town and I knew black beans are always a crowdpleaser.  I have made black beans many times, but never a black bean soup.  This was good and fast and liked by everyone.  I am really slacking on the blog and phoning it in when I actually work on it, but I have a plan.  I am deciding on new parameters on posting.  Until now, I was posting ever night.  (you know to keep on track with not repeating etc...)  I think now I will post only one or two a week.  So until I know just what the heck I'm doing and I have caught up with the unfinished posts, expect me to be a slacker and mostly just have a recipe:).  And I totally forgot to take a picture, but I think it doesn't tax the imagination too much to imagine a bowl of black bean soup ;). Black Bean Soup with Sherry 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 1 medium green be...

This salad is a wonderful side or main dish.  The chorizo chips are a great change up from croutons or bacon bits.  The Spanish flavors are delicious! It is, like all salads, super fast, and despite the sausage, not too fattening :) Green Salad with Chorizo Chips 6 ounces dry chorizo, very thinly sliced 1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar 1 tablespoon minced shallots 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Salt Freshly ground pepper 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced 4 large radishes, thinly sliced 3/4 cup Spanish green olives, sliced 4 ounces mesclun 2 heads baby Bibb lettuce, leaves torn 1. Line a large microwave-safe plate with paper towels. Arrange half of the chorizo slices on the plate and cover with a paper towel. Microwave at high power for 1 minute; the fat should be rendered and the chorizo slightly browned. If it is not yet browned, cover and microwave at 20-second intervals until done. Transfer the cooked chorizo to a plate to cool; it will cr...

My darling husband chose a lamb tagine tonight. It was great. I did have some trouble with the chestnuts; I assumed they were peeled and they weren't. Yeah, big pain in the butt!  I also have issues with the woody parts of pomegranate arils, but despite that, it was wonderful. My husband liked it at first, but with every bite, he grew more and more enamored with the dish.   If you haven't tried Moroccan food, you just have to!  Put it on your menu right now, I'll wait, go on, do it. :). Moroccan food does have a lot going on flavor wise, but it's magical how all the pungent, salty, sweet flavors just work.  Now that I have built it up, I'm going to add a but...  But, since I have set your expectations so high, it can't meet them right?  And, but, you also need to be mindful of how our minds deal with new flavors. New flavors are interpreted often as bad. An unexpected boon from doing all these new recipes was that we are training our brains to have new mea...

Another Pinterest recipe. This recipe is very good and pretty simple to make. I strongly suggest you choose your wine carefully and pick a pretty good one. The flavor of the wine strongly represented in the final dish.  The chicken was tender and juicy. I am still calling in fixable because I want to play with it. It is missing something that is just keeping it short of stellar. My husband thinks it should be green and somewhat herby. Scallions was his final vote for what to add. I think adding some scallions at the end  would be very nice.  Mushroom Asiago Chicken 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (about 2 large) 2 cups mushrooms, cut in half 1 clove garlic, minced 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 1/2 cups dry white wine 1/2 cup seasoned flour 2 tbs butter 2 tbs olive oil 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4-1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste) 1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste) seasoned flour: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp salt ...

I used the latke recipe on the blog , so no recipe tonight, just an admonishment to switch out some of your potatoes (or any time you can for that matter) for the healthier versions of  it like the sweet potato.  I tried this because I had a bunch of different potatoes (sweet, purple sweet and Yukon golds) and was determined to not orthodox them go to waste. We all do love a good latke (which in a moment of what could only be madness, I induced my daughter to eat them by calling them Hanukkah fries and has now stuck:) so latkes were what we decided to make with all these odds and ends. Now raw, these guys looked awesome and kind of like coleslaw.  Unfortunately they didn't look as cool once all golden brown from cooking. We topped them with an over medium egg because a runny yolk makes almost anything better.  The end result?  These were the best latkes we have ever had!  They didn't taste totally like a sweet potato, but they were infinitely...