As you saw, we were down with this delightful little cold that has been going around. There is nothing quite like a mucus filled illness to turn grown men into cranky babies. Food was up and down during that time. I will say, I have relearned the joy of Papa Murphy's Pizza. It used to one of those things we ate a lot of in college. A few days ago, Paul brought one over as a quick fix. I think we cooked it right, as the crust was that perfect spongy crunchy that I like in pizza and the flavors were great!
Shopping has been dismal, as I plain flat haven't had the energy to shop. That should change this week.
In amongst, though, I did get some cooking done. Albeit things were a bit more complicated during another busy and hectic work week than I like. The good news, the crazy with work is likely behind me. Now, I am faced with the task of cleaning up documents and implementing lessons learned. Its actually an enjoyable part of the job, as it usually doesn't fail a deadline or leave anyone hanging with important things.
So first let's recap from where I left off. With the past couple of weeks being what they were, these are more the highlights than anything else.
A creamy cauliflower soup (Thanks for the idea, Lisa!) was great during one of the first cold days of the season. I don't have any pictures, and it needs some tweaking for the crockpot, but it ended up being great. Couple that with a good loaf of bread from Stone Ground Bakery, which is just around the corner, and it was a very satisfying hearty meal.
The curried chicken salad was one that fed us for a suprising number of days. I visited lots of recipes on the web and concluded that its pretty much like any other chicken salad, but with the addition of curry powder. I did half and half to taste of Vindaloo curry from Market Spice and the stuff from the supermarket. I added the usual culprits of chives, raisins, almonds, and halved cherry tomatoes. I also used half and half sour cream and may for the base. I think the mayo is a must here as it adds a bit of sweetness that cultured dairy on its own does not.
The chorizo and peppers was a bust. If I were to do it again, I'd opt for a fajita. Something about a chili type thing on spaghetti didn't work for me.
Somewhere along the line, I found the dregs of a bag of chicken wings. So I decided to make wings and "rippin" chicken. The Popeye's ads have been tormenting us, as we both love their chicken, but unfortunately the nearest one that doesn't require a boarding pass is some 30 miles away. I also still had the peppers from the chorizo and peppers, so I diced a couple of those up in a pot with 50/50 sugar and vinegar, garlic, sliced ginger, a shot of Shriracha, and a bit of cornstarch to make a sauce:
I cut the chicken like this:
Up next was a find from Recipe Girl. It isn't kind to say, as I do like how she cooks, but she is mostly facebook fodder to inspire my own cooking. This Lemon Chicken Parmesan, in particular struck my fancy. The way the parmesan, lemon, and past come together, and the richness of the breaded chicken made for a fantastic meal. I made this one ahead, having everything in the baking dish ready to be finished. I did a few things a bit differently, the pasta, butter, lemon zest, and parmesan all got mixed in the baking dish. I had pre-breaded chicken breast fillets (which I paid less than I would have for chicken without the breading, mind you...my frugal sense hasn't gone completely out the window!), so I just deep fried those and generously sprinkled with lemon juice. I will add the lemon slices are an absolute must....it presents nicely, and if you cook the dish covered and then brown the cheese under the broiler, the whole dish gets perfumed with lemon. It was delicious! Here's a picture, I even did a bit with the plate to make it look nice :)
Last but not least was this Cajun Shrimp and Quinoa. Carl joined us for dinner this night. Along side was plenty of local beer and lots of great conversations. Read this recipe a few times before you make it. If you do it right, you'll only dirty an extra pan to make the quinoa. I didn't read it a few times and ended up destroying the kitchen with the prep. Again, I prepped this ahead, had it ready to go in the oven and then broiled it off at the end. I should also mention that cajun spice is really easy to make for a fraction of the price. Once again, Allrecipes.com comes to the rescue with this Cajun Spice Recipe.
This is how the dish looked on the plate. The picture in the article does it perfect justice for how it came out of the oven:
So now for the week ahead:
Chili! The weather is turning colder, so its a perfect time for chili. I adapted this White Chili Recipe from Pat and Gina Neely for the crock pot. I didn't have the peppers and didn't feel like going to the store, so I substituted some roasted hatch chilis I had in the freezer. I also used the ground turkey I picked up on sale instead of chicken. I also did half canned black beans and half peruano beans. I stayed true to the other seasoning and I'm glad I did. Its in the crock pot now for tomorrow and it tastes and smells delicious.
Meatloaf and mashed potatoes.....not much to say about this one. Its easy to prepare and great cold weather comfort food.
Veg 1 and broccoli. This is another staple in our house and I've written about it here. Start a pot of rice, a quick toss in the pan, and dinner!
Spaghetti and clams. This is one that husbear makes and I love it.
Pot roast. This Morrocan Pot Roast came across my facebook feed and it sounded good. I also just happened to score on couscous the other week. I'm going to substitute dried cranberries for the cherries, but I'm sure it will be good. This is one we'll just throw in the crock pot and enjoy.
I hope you all are healthy and well. If you haven't already done so, get your flu shot to ensure a healthy winter season!
Lotsa Love,
3Day
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