What's for Dinner?

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week it was

Lemon Butter Salmon

with Creamy Barley and Zucchini Salad.

Yum!  I cooked it myself!

But I had some help.

After several months of thinking about it,

I finally decided to give Blue Apron a try.

I heard about Blue Apron a couple of years ago

when my friend Susan's husband gave her

a gift subscription as a Valentine gift.

Since, they have enjoyed culinary nirvana.

My first box came on Wednesday.

For the plan I chose,

three meals a week, each meal serving two,

the box arrived, via FedEx,

nicely packed in an insulated bag,

 with cold packs.

Since I am a family of one just now,

my box will supply me with six dinners each week,

AND, the bonus of only needing to cook three times a week

for those six meals!

Inside, everything is individually packed and labeled.

The produce included was farm fresh.

Two separate grains and a pasta will each complete a meal.

 Fresh meat and fish were all shrink wrapped and cold.

Each of the three meals also had a little brown bag 

of "Knick Knacks."

This was included for the dish I have already cooked. 

I haven't yet opened the other two little bags.

Finally, were the recipe cards.

One side shows the finished dish

and ingredients.

The other side shows a step-by-step 

instructions.

Each meal takes less than an hour to prepare.

Each meal is less than 800 calories.

And I will say,

I could not eat all the food for 

the salmon dish either night.

It was very filling.

I am very much looking forward to not having that

inner debate every day of

"what can I have for dinner..."

not having to do as much weekly grocery shopping,

and trying some new dishes I might not otherwise try.

What's for dinner tonight?

Chicken Piccata

with Fusilli Pasta & Garlic Chives.

Bon Appetit!

Dinner for One

Cooking for one can sometimes be uninspiring.

But not last night!

One of my knitting buddies, Ann,

is somewhat of an urban farmer.

She lives in a spacious neighborhood

which gives her plenty of space for

gardening, bee keeping (her honey is to die for),

and raising four chickens.

On Wednesday she brought a dozen eggs

from her own chickens to our knitting group.

We happily divided them among ourselves.

Last night I had a wonderful cheese omelet for dinner!

Do you make omelets?  

They are so simple and good,

I make them regularly.

Since Ann supplied me with two eggs,

I made a two egg omelet by whisking

two tablespoons of water with the eggs.

I use an eight inch, non stick pan 

for this size omelet.

Melt a small amount of butter in the hot pan.

You can tell the pan is hot enough

if you drop a small amount of water into it.

If the drop bounces and sizzles,

the pan is the right temperature. 

Add the eggs and let them cook.

Tilt the pan and encourage the uncooked egg on top,

to flow to the outside edges for cooking.

Once the eggs are cooked

add any filling you want to one side.

I just happened to have some 

pepper jack cheese

which was perfect.

Flip the other half over the topping...

...and slide the omelet onto your plate. 

Thank you Ann for a most excellent

"dinner for one" last night!

Bon appétit!

Caprese Garlic Bread

I haven't made bruschetta all summer long.

The reason is because of the

above recipe on Pinterest.

I used to post my cooking endeavors  
fairly regularly on my blog.

But since becoming an avid "pinner" 

I see there are so many bloggers out there

doing it SO much better than me.
(Believe me I know my photography limitations!)

So, I think I'd rather

try their recipes and link 

you up with them when I find a real winner.

THIS is the BEST recipe I have yet

discovered on Pinterest.

It's from Two Peas and Their Pod

and it is for

Caprese Garlic Bread

In addition to replacing your favorite bruschetta recipe

it's also a great replacement for take-out pizza.

What I think sets this recipe apart is a 

spread of garlic butter on the bread

and a finishing drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

The only change I have made is I am

no longer reducing the vinegar

as the original recipe instructs.

Instead I have purchased a mister

and am misting the balsamic vinegar on at the end.

With tomatoes in season

and basil plentiful in the garden,

there is NO reason not to give this a try!

A Nice Snack Cracker...

…you can make yourself!

   

Zesty Ranch Crackers

Mix together:

3/4 c. Orville Redenbbacher's Popcorn Oil

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dry dressing mix

 Add one large bag of small oyster crackers

Mix to fully coat the crackers.

Pour crackers onto a large rimmed baking sheet.

(I used the broiler pan from my oven.)

Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 250 degree F. oven.

Using a spatula, toss and turn the crackers every 10 minutes.

Allow crackers to fully cool then 

store in an airtight container.

These are a great little snack cracker!

Tuna Salad - Kick It Up a Notch!

As the weather starts warming I'm in the mood for lighter meals.

This recipes comes from  Martha Steward's HORS D'OEUVRES.

It is a recipe for a finger food I first served for a gathering several years ago.

There were a few left over after the party and the next day for lunch,

I put them in a pita and discovered it was a wonderful sandwich.

CURRIED TUNA SALAD

makes 40 hors d'oeuvres

Drain 1 7-oz can of tuna well and put it in a mixing bowl.

Add 1/4 c. currants

1/4 c. chopped toasted pecans

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1 T. red wine vinegar

2 T. chopped chutney

Curry powder to taste

I like Harry and David's Mango Chutney.

Mix well.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Martha then topped rounds of cucumber slices, for hors d'oeuvres.

I usually double this recipe, decreasing the mayo a bit,

 since I use it for sandwiches.

I'm trying to get more fish into my diet.

Do you think this will count?

You Can Do a Lot with a Cake Mix (Idea #1)



One of my "Kitchen Truisms" is

"You can do a lot with a cake mix."

Here is one of my favorite uses.

It's so easy, it's almost a crime.

This recipe comes from my sister(in law), Terry,

and it's absolutely the best thing she ever gave me.

I use it a lot.

It's one of those recipes passed by word of mouth

and I'm not even sure of it's name.

I call it

Fruit and Cake Crumble.

You'll only need three ingredients.

Coat a large baking dish with cooking spray.

Spread two cans of pie filling in the bottom.

You can use any flavor you like.

I've tried them all, and they're all good.
In addition to cherry, I also favor
blueberry and apple.

Sprinkle a box of yellow cake mix over the fruit.

Cut a stick of butter into chunks...

...and dot the top of the cake mix with them.

Please, DO NOT use anything but butter here,

it just won't be as good.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve, hot or cold,

with ice cream, on top or bottom.

It's a gift from the gods....

Other than indulging in this dessert,

I really like it because you can always keep

the ingredients on hand.

It makes a great dish when you want

something to take to a neighbor or friend.

Put the coffee on, I'll bring dessert...

Coconut Macaroons



The current issue of REAL SIMPLE magazine

has an incredibly easy macaroon recipe.

Just in case you missed it, here it is.

Coconut Macaroons

Five ingredients are all you need.



Heat your oven to 325 and

line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together 3 large egg whites,

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

1/4 t. kosher salt

until glossy and the sugar is almost dissolved.

Fold in

1 14-oz. pkg. sweetened, shredded coconut

(about 5 cups)



Using a small ice cream scoop,

I'm using a new one I got for Christmas...



...drop the batter in mounds

(about 2T. each) 1-inch apart on

the prepared baking sheet.

Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through,

until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Let cool completely.

The macaroons will keep for up to

5 days at room temperature

in an airtight container.

Makes 16 cookies.

Enjoy!