Pot & Cover

I've made a version of this a few times, but not lately...I've made it with bacon/pancetta instead of sausage...and sometimes with mushrooms and even mushroom soup. I was on a roll yesterday, inspired by the Christmas spirit...wanting to get the apt cleaned up so I could decorate. I changed out my potted garden on the patio...planting pansies, crocus bulbs & a few ornamental cabbages...the purple and green ones. I couldn't bring myself to buy the big ones, so I got little 99 cent ones and we'll see how much they grow. I worked on laundry, and a little organizing in the kitchen...which inspired cooking...beans to begin with. Scott went to the store for me to get chicken breasts...sausages were in the freezer. We had red and yellow bell peppers that needed to be used...so they seasoned the beans and the etouffee. ez etouffee 2 sausage links, already cooked like Earl Campbell, cut into chunks 2 chicken breasts, sliced into large chunks (like small chix fingers) 1

the basil was looking bad...it was do or die time to make this years pesto.  the house smelled so strong of basil, it was almost medicinal.  I follow Ina Garten's recipe for pesto...in her Barefoot Contessa Parties book 5 cups packed basil leaves (when I was cleaning mine, a lady bug flew out and landed on my pink mixer :) 1.5 cups good olive oil 1/2 cup walnuts (she has half walnuts, half pine nuts) 1 cup fresh grated parmesean 9 cloves fresh garlic 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper I use my cuisinart... process nuts & garlic for 30 seconds add basil, s&p, process while slowly adding olive oil, blending till pureed add parmesean, process 1 min. I freeze most of it in a ice cube tray and then put the rest in freezer bags, flattened out and all frozen to be used all winter long.

 It was time for our favorite chix soup...always a little different, depending on what's in the kitchen.  The recipe is already on here...but our adjustments were to serve tortellini instead of soup noodles.  We've grown fond of homemade croutons too...a fresh sourdough loaf, cut into chunks and fried in a skillet of olive oil till crisped.  They soak up the soup, but still remain a bit crunchy...so good! buttered & sugared ramekins  I wanted something sweet, cake like...and Scott loves the Ghirradelli brownies (double choc)...so I used half the brownie mix...and seperated the egg, whisking the white and folding it into the batter...I buttered and sugared four ramekins...put the oven on whatever temp the brownie box called for and baked it for 15 min...I think I baked 1 for 15 min and the other 3 for 5 min more...they turned out better....so 20 min total. They were soooo good!  whisked egg white boiling the tortellini (use cheese) ez chix soup croutons an

more calamari steak...with wasabi dipping sauce and cucumber and tomato salad dressed with a little of the wasabi sauce

Scott's fav...Scalloppini di pollo pilaf (my favorite) capellini...Scott's fav the recipe is already on here...I've been fighting with these pictures...they don't organize ezily once they are on here!  so I'm moving on...but it was yummy :)

dredging station...egg, panko and calamari, lemon and ginger soaking in milk and seasoning calamari tentacle and yummy wasabi sauce roasted taters and calamari we discovered calamari steaks at Gold Class cinemas...they have really good calamari...and when they changed the menu for fall, changed it to calamari steaks...Scott loves them and they are inexpensive.  We made a dipping sauce out of Food Network mag..

our favorite meat sauce...Bartolli pasta sauce with addition of sauteed onion and browned chuck....over our frozen ravioli we had left over from our ravioli lasagna

crispy fried tilapia lots of oil, s&p (on one side), soaked, drained, dried...hot oven (400-450)...30-40 min, turning once..Deeelicious!  It's 6:30pm on a Sunday night...Football is on in the living room.  The oven has oven fries "chips", whatever...GOODNESS in and roasting with salt, pepper (fresh ground black please....I do not understand white pepper at all)...canola oil, and a few dollops of bacon rendered fat..YUM!  Scott has oil on to heat to sear..okay FRY tilapia, which was dredged in a mix of sourcream, milk and such, and Panko....we were out of eggs, so we'll see what happens.  I pestered him to dredge it twice, which might not have been the best idea, but we'll see.  We had our fav cheap wine at the ready...cheap wine, Mikasa wine glasses!  We partied at the Arnold's house last nite for a birthday to remember...and the wine was waiting for tonight...although the food from last nite can't be topped.  When excellent food (filet, w

There is wine in my glass.  The Rangers are playing to go to the World Series.  There are steaks & calamari ready in my kitchen...and pedicures & manicures were done well today.  God is so good.  I am humbled by Him bringing appts my way, keeping me busy and blessing my little business. Tonight feels like a celebration, even tho it is just a regular Fri night.  We had a 20 buck GC to Central market, which Scott went and redeemed on Filet Minon and Calamari steaks tonight...they are all prepped and ready for cooking.  The Filet on the grill then the oven, the seafood for the frying pan.