Pot & Cover

It is one of those nights that I could have just had a lovely cocktail (think vodka and really good berry juice with a splash of lime) and called it a night...but a night without dinner is not what Scott would think is lovely...so he suggested chicken lettuce wraps.  He went to the store for ingredients (as he does 9/10)  so how could I argue?  He even made me a cocktail and chopped all the vegies.  Well he really cooked the whole thing, with a tiny bit of tweeking from me. Here are some onions and mushrooms sautéing. Scott cutting some water chestnuts ground chicken browning (we drained the extra liquid) added all the vegies to the pan, with fresh basil and Yoshida's to taste ( here is the original recipe if you don't have Yoshida's Chicken Lettuce Wraps recipe we didn't have crispy noodles, so Scott made croutons...I did not partake because I think it's crunchy enough...but they were tasty all snuggled in a crispy piece of lettuce.

It was our first attempt at homemade deep dish pizza...we bought pizza dough from Papa Murphy's...very good and easy for $3. It was the only ingredient we needed...we had all the rest in the freezer, pantry and garden...love it when that happens.   I buttered/olive oiled the bottom of pan & dough and let rest in cast iron skillet for about 5 min while the oven pre-heated to 500 toppings our homemade pesto marinara cheese & turkey pepperoni thin sliced tomato more cheese monterey jack cheese half with chicken/ham half more pepperoni and jalepenos on all parmesan baked at 500 for 18 min, then on the stove top for 2 min to crisp the bottom.  Next time I'd do it at 475 and see if that works more evenly.  Topped with fresh basil look at the crust!  I brushed it with butter when it came out of oven used a serrated knife to cut YUM!  

Scott proposed his idea for dinner while we were chillin' on the couch.  I was enduring teacher pro devel courses online while he was watching golf.  He cooked last night, me the night before...now for tonight.  He told me his idea and then I was reminded of the sandwich Adam Sandler made in Spanglish and showed him the video.  They were very similar.   Video of Thomas Keller best sammie ever .   So he started with bacon ( we had a stash in the freezer...as anyone should!) but fueled by a must needed margarita..I was enduring CE courses after all...but to the fragrance of bacon my bacon fat stash that remains in my fridge at all times.  it mostly goes in beans and chile verde...but I can't imagine throwing away bacon drippings...I was raised right! See that hand sneaking in!  Five perfectly rendered pieces of thick cut bacon...the trick is to cook slowly to render the most fat and have a balance of crisp and chew.  Un-rendered bacon fat is repulsive... t

We started the day with a frittata and toast...one of our favorite weekend breakfasts.  We had about and ounce of jalepeno cheese sausage from Tyler's BBQ in Amarillo...so Scott suggested a fritatta.  He chopped up the sausage, and we added smoked gruyere, parm & spinach.  YUM!  whisk it all together,  with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add a 1/2 tsp of baking powder and flour, whisk in.  Add to a hot 8 inch pan that has hot melted butter in it....then after about 2 minutes add to a 350 oven for 15-20 min.  Check often and pull out when just set...you can show it to the broiler for 30 sec or so if need be.  Serve with buttered toast and jelly..Scott likes salsa too. We finished the day with Scott's beef tips and taters. We got Yoshida's   Yoshida's website  in Cali and used that to marinate, with an extra dash of ginger, ground garlic powder,  basil and pepper flakes.  If you can't find Yoshida's...I'm so sorry, but use this substitute.... Yo

Our first real meal home....and it was decided it would be risotto.  After our delicious risotto in Morro Bay, we were inspired to make one with bacon and spinach....a little mushroom and chicken too.  I was needing to stay busy, so I made snicker doodle blondies from a pinterest recipe and then toffee sauce.  My pictures are all backwards and out of order, but it's tedious to change...so bear with me.  It's like a food flashback episode.     Toffee sauce: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 stick butter (1/2cup) and heavy cream (about 1/4 cup).  Slowly melt the butter in a sauce pan, then stir in sugar.  Over medium heat, stir until brown and bubbly and about 310 degrees (hard crack).  Remove from heat and stir in cream...add enough to make it liquid.  Store in a heat proof container. Our dessert...snicker doodle (cinnamon/sugar) blondes, with a scoop of vanilla and drizzle of toffee sauce Risotto Saute a shallot in about a TBS of olive oil.  S&P to taste as you

Steak Quesadillas Quesadilla recipe Hot dog fixin's Speghetti Works spaghetti recipe Time for a meal inspired by our trip to San Antonio...from Maria's Taco Express Eaton beans Eaton bean recipe fixins for devil rice July 6th chicken enchilada's inspired by Maria's Taco Express Maria's Suza de Pollo enchiladas: we did about 12...use whatever amount of filling desired La Tortilleria brand corn tortillas or other fresh corn tortillas chicken breast-roasted-shredded monterrey jack cheese tomatillo sauce:recipe below Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa: by Tyler Florence 1 pound tomatillos, husked 1 white onion, peeled, sliced, quartered or whole 4 garlic cloves 2 jalapenos 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves 1/2 lime, juiced On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes at 400. Transfer the roasted