Kenny Rodgers’ and Dolly Parton’s song is so right. I discovered this week that I haven’t been making enough effort to enjoy the old friends I do have. I had the pleasure of going to lunch with three old friends, all whom I’ve known for at least 35 years each, and one new friend. We were the kind of “ladies who lunch” that restaurants hate to see. We sat around the table until all of us were floating in iced tea before we moved out to the parking lot for another hour. There was a lot of catching up to do!  We need to do it more often.
Be thankful for what life gives you.

My freezer, that is.
This week I’ve been updating my freezer inventory and doing a little house keeping. I’m rather proud of the fact that out of all my stash, (I could stock a small grocery store), only one package had been left in the freezer too long and needed to be pitched in the trash. I’m trying to whittle my inventory down a bit, rather than add to it, and for me that’s a hard thing to do.
Sunday we celebrated Kelton’s eighth birthday at, you guessed it, a Mexican restaurant. He must be Michael’s grandson!
Meatless Monday I prepared some fire roasted mushroom ravioli from the freezer. I didn’t have any set recipe, just sauteed a few veggies and made a sauce with a little ricotta. To be honest, the whole dish was rather bland but I don’t know what it needed.

We celebreated Mardi Gras on Tuesday with a big bang of flavor. I used my recipe for Almost-Famous Bang-Bang Shrimp to make Shrimp Po’Boys. Creole Bread Pudding with Hard Sauce was a delicious and traditional ending to the meal.

I thawed some Quick and Light Cheese Grits to go with the Po’Boys, but at the last minute decided not to serve them. With a House Salad, Po’Boys, and dessert to boot there was just too much food for one dinner. Instead, we used the grits as a base for another Creole dish, Grillades on Wednesday. When deciding how to utilize a pork loin I often simmer a pot of Grillades. A little lean meat goes a long way, and Grillades freeze well for a quick meal.
Thursday was another “Doctor Day” and planned dinner out.
That brings us to Friday, and more Freezer Food. Artichoke, Shrimp, and Mushroom Casserole is one of my favorites. I keep saying I’m going to fix it for Aaron, but somehow that has yet to happen. Maybe I will the next time they come to visit. It just seems that there is always something else going on. I often serve this shrimp dish over brown rice or pasta, but rarely the same way twice in a row.

Oh, I almost forgot, Carol shared her recipe for Georgia Granola. It’s almost too tasty to be healthy! I couldn’t resist turning the granola into a Georgia Granola Yogurt Parfait . That was the perfect blend of protein and carb. I was full and satisfied well into the day.
The weather is perfect here today, so I need to go do some yard work.
Be thankful for what life gives you.

And that’s perfectly alright with me.
Please note that “quiet” doesn’t mean “boring”. For me a quiet week is a productive week, and also a creative week. It means that I have time to cross the to-do’s off my list earlier in the day and have time leftover to play, either in the kitchen or on some project that I’ve postponed because of other demands on my time.
Sunday I made an effort to refine my recipe for Raspberry Chipotle Glazed Chicken Breast. I don’t generally care for sweet meat dishes, but this one has just enough kick to off-set the sweetness. I also took the time to stir up some Vegetable Risotto  with asparagus, peas, and Parmesan. It’s a side dish that I really like, but it does require quite a bit of hands on time. The reward is that it makes 6 generous servings and freezes well, so I now have 2 extra side dishes for later. While these two dishes are delicious on their own, they did not go together well at all. What was I thinking?

Meatless Monday truly was meatless. Quinoa Confetti Stuffed Zucchini got another test drive, and I think it’s a keeper. I’ll have to play with quinoa some more. The zucchini I bought to stuff were larger than I wanted, so I trimmed a chunk off of each end and saved it to perk up my meat sauce later in the week.
Tuesday’s dinner was a resounding success in Michael’s book. He’s such a fan of Mexican food. I served him Chicken Fajita Quesadillas with Green Chili and Sour Cream Rice and Simple Refried Beans on the side.  It’s a good thing the quesadilla is on the light side, because the rice is a caloric bomb!  Well, I just can’t be good all the time!

Remember last week’s Rib-Style Pork Tenderloin? I trimmed the tapered ends from the tenderloin to square it off and make it cook more evenly. The trimmed off ends became Pork Stir-Fry with Sugar Snap Peas on Wednesday.

Repurposing also came into play in Thursday’s meat sauce. Michael surprised me by suggesting we visit the DaVinci Exibit, so I just threw the cubed up zucchini end pieces saved from Monday and red bell pepper ends left from the quesadillas into a crock pot along with a package of meat sauce from the freezer. When we got home dinner was almost ready. All I had to do was make a House Salad and throw some of my new favorite pasta, Italian Gigli, on to boil.  Italian Gigle isn’t really high on the nutritional scale because it’s just white flour, but I love the way sauces nest into its little scoops.  Did I already mention that I just can’t be good all the time?
Friday presented me with a new section to include in this blog. I’m calling it “Lessons Learned“. These rolls are the initial page, Trust Your Nose.

Luckily, I did learn my lesson before baking these Blueberry Breakfast Rolls.
Actually, Friday night’s dinner also presented another Lesson Learned, Don’t Rush the Crust. In a rush to get dinner on the table, I ignored all the rules and the Crusted Sea Scallops were soon crustless. Ah well, live and learn.
Be thankful for what life gives you.

I’m sitting here writing this post on Wednesday afternoon, and it’s 68° outside. Last week at this time we were waiting for the snow to start. Go figure! That’s North Alabama for you!
By Sunday it was already grilling weather. I figured out a new way to grill pork tenderloin. We love ribs, but the bathroom scale does not. Problem solved…Rib-Style Pork Tenderloin. Gosh, it was good, if I do say so myself. No fat, no bones, just flavor and under 200 calories per serving. It does help to have a husband who is great at the grill.

The stickies on my calendar just can’t sit still. Monday I had planned to try to come up with a new recipe using quinoa. Well, that didn’t happen. We got a call early in the afternoon to tell us that Kaij was at the hospital with a suspected case of appendicitus and we needed to get Kelton.  (It wasn’t appendicitus, Kaij is fine.)  Luckily, I hadn’t started cooking yet. When we got home that leftover pork sure made a tasty sandwich.
Now it’s time to slide Meatless Monday to Wednesday, so I’m off to play with the quinoa. I expect some resistance from Michael, who doesn’t quite buy into meatless meals, though he tries. A little cheese usually helps. We’ll see. I’ll be back with the results, good or bad.
I’m back to report that the quinoa experiment was a surprising success. After much slicing and dicing, Quinoa Confetti Stuffed Zucchini became my newest recipe. Michael even asked me to make it again! I think I will try it again on Monday to test the way the recipe is written. If any of you try the recipe, please let me know if you run into a problem or if something is unclear. Actually, I would appreciate the same feedback on any recipe I post.

Friday was still grilling weather, so Michael did his usual great job of preparing Grilled Ahi Tuna Steaks. Tuna prerared this way is always light and flavorful. It’s one of the few ways Michael enjoys fish.
I hear the weather is going to turn around again on Wednesday. It may be one of the last days of soup season. We’ll see.
Be thankful for what life gives you.

Ours was pretty quiet, and considering the week that preceeded, that was a good thing. Let me start at the beginning, and you’ll see what I mean.
Sunday went according to plan. Before we went to Aaron’s I made a big pot of White Chicken Chili. I knew I wouldn’t want to cook after our little trip, and eating out wasn’t an option because of the rest of the week’s calendar.

When it snows, some build snowmen. I cook. We spent the day Wednesday waiting for the snow to start. I made a batch of my father’s Peanut Butter Cookies in anticipation. We were supposed to take Michael’s mother to the doctor on Wednesday, but after Tuesday’s little snow the weather guys were predicting a heavy snow. Since his mother lives north of us, Michael had her reschedule that appointment. As it turned out, the snow didn’t start until late, but dinner out with his mother didn’t happen. Leftovers came in handy.
Thursday morning we did wake up to a beautiful sight. We got about 4 inches of snow. The snow closed the interstate between our house and Emily’s, so her birthday luncheon had to be resceduled, but it melted off quickly on our local roads and we were able to make a trip to the store for a chuck roast.

A pot of Rustic Beef Stew served in Mashed Potato Bowls was delicious on Thursday night.
That brings us back to Friday, Valentines Day.
Michael’s gift to me was a beautiful box of Godiva chocolates. My gift to him was a chicken liver dinner. I know, that sounds strange and really lopsided, but it’s our thing. I always share the chocolate with him, but the livers are all his! Individual Dark Chocolate Cheesecakes finished dinner off nicely.
Although nothing went as scheduled it was generally a pretty good week. Be thankful for what life (and Nature) gives you.

Just a little bit of snow,but now Huntsville is shut down, even Marshall Space Flight Center. I guess after the Atlanta/Birmingham ice a couple of weeks ago all the officials are being overly cautious.
We did go to the store and are fully stocked, but I have no clue what to cook. I guess it will come to me.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY!!!

I think I might try adding to my posts as I think of things.  Stream of mind?  Should I publish as I go or not?  Who realy cares?
We had a nice time at Aaron’s this weekend and Ragtime Cafe was pretty good. Michael had a Cajun chicken pasta that he liked and later requested that I make. Problem is, I didn’t pay any attention to his dinner, and have no clue what to make! I wish he had pointed out that he liked it so I could sample it.
The weather reports say we should have snow for the next couple of days. Do I believe them? Not! But just as soon as I ignore their forcast it will come to pass. I need to go make a list of needed supplies. Not much.

And we did!
We finished up all the “football food” I had stashed in the freezer…Spicy Sausage Balls, Spinach and Cheese Filled Triangles, and Hot Mushroom Turnovers were served in rapid succession. Michael’s Queso Dip never made it to the microwave, however. That’s probably a good thing!



Baked Potato Skins were the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Monday’s Broccoli and Mushroom Quiche helped make up for Sunday’s indulgence, but not by much. The plan is to serve the leftover quiche for Thursday’s dinner.  We’ll see what happens.
Wednesday we had to take poor Bella for a liver ultrasound in Decatur. She’s fine, they didn’t find anything, but she sure did get an ugly shave job in the process. While we were waiting we went to Mellow Mushroom for lunch. As usual, we got more than we could eat and brought the rest home. We actually did eat the leftovers for dinner! That rarely happens. Usually what we bring home sits in the refrigerator and dies.

Thursday was a blast from the past. I learned how to make Pepper Steak as a Girl Scout in about the fourth grade, and the recipe hasn’t changed much since then. It’s really a pretty economical dish since a small amount of beef is thinly sliced and you can utilize less expensive cuts. I used some flat iron steak that was on sale.
Friday wasn’t Fishy at all. We plan to meet Aaron and family at a seafood restaurant on Saturday and that will satify Fiday’s fish dish. Instead, I served Meatball Stroganoff.
Well, I guess I’m off to make Xander some Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins. I’ve got to double up on using last year’s blueberries out of the freezer before the new crop comes in.
Be thankful for what life gives you.

Let me do a little catching up before I get to this week.
Last week’s highlight was my Sunday Pork Roast. Boneless pork loin goes on sale frequently this time of year, and a solid portion of pork at $1.99 a pound can’t be passed up. At least not by me! I have plenty of recipes for pork loin, and many recipes that call for pork tenderloin that will work with a pork loin as well, thus the Sunday Pork Roast. I reserved part of the drippings from the roast to make au jus to serve with the leftovers in a pork version of French Dip Sandwiches, and the drippings that remained in the roaster made a mushroom pan sauce similar to that in my Braised Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Pan Sauce.

As a side item with the pork I served steamed broccoli that was topped with Cheddar Cheese Sauce. That sauce was developed as an off-shoot from my Low Guilt Mac and Cheese. Low-Carb Mixed Potato Mash made it to the table as well another night. I think that mixing a small amount of real potato in with a good amount of cauliflower improves both the texture and flavor of this dish.

Now, for this last week…
Sunday we went over to Emily’s to celebrate Kaij’s eleventh birthday. As Gretchen Rubin says, “The days are long, but the years are short.” Kaij is now a pree-teen!
Monday brought a new concoction, Butternut Squash Ravioli to the dinner table. I liked it, but Michael was ambivalent. I think it was a little on the light side for him to consider a main dish. He thought Aaron would enjoy it though. (Don’t try to photograph ravioli in a light sauce on a white plate!)

Wednesday I turned some Chili out of the freezer into Tamale Pie by topping the chili with half a recipe of Chili Cheese Corn Muffins . That’s really all there is to it. It makes a very filling meal, especially when preceeded by my house salad, and there was plenty to enjoy as leftovers the next day.
Friday was a major grocery shopping trip, so the planned Szechwan Shrimp was slid to Saturday, today. I’ve delayed this post until that dish is done and photographed, which I’m going to do now…Back soon.

OK, here’s the Szechwan Shrimp. If spicy foods bother you, cut back on the Oriental chili sauce. If not, go for it. You’ll be glad you did. We cooled off our palates with Key Lime Tarts. I cut My Key Lime Pie recipe in half and separated out the egg whites to make the meringue topping. The tart shells were store bought graham cracker shells. Easy!
I’m sure you all heard about the paralyzing snow/ice storm that hit Atlanta and Birmingham. Several people we know were trapped in that nightmare. All are now safe and sound, although justifiably traumatized by the ordeal. Sometimes its hard, but be thankful for what life gives you.

I know I’ve said it to myself before, but just like any other type of addict, I’ve got to get with the program! I’m not a food addict, I’m a cooking addict. If I get up in the middle of the night to go you-know-where, I get back in bed and start thinking about recipes. I anylize what I could do better, or what I could create with what’s on sale, or what I should do with the food in the refrgerator that needs to be used. I hate repetition, as well. I guess that’s why I have posted about 300 recipes on this blog in the last year and have over 1000 in my data base. The only one excuse I have to offer for my freezer over-load, other than my addiction, is that it is so hard to cook for two. At least half the servings of many recipes wind up in the freezer. Most recipes are written for at least four people and if you try to scale back your thinking, especially in baking, you throw the ratios off. How do you split an egg in two? I’m going to work on recipes for two as well.
First, let’s catch up a bit. Oh, did I mention another of my faults is procrastination?

Last Saturday was another meat marithon. Well, maybe a mini-marithon. Our little local grocery had chuck roasts on sale for $2.98. Now, who can pass up on that price, especially if you grind your own meat. (But that’s another story. Check out “My Meat Grinding Marithon“, 04/24/13). Anyway, I made a new batch of Krystal Style Sliders,  Saturday’s Best Beef Burgers, and six Stuffed Peppers.

Krystal Style Sliders                                            Best Beef Burgers

Stuffed Peppers                                                  Spicy Brown Rice Pilaf

Oh, I forgot, the mini-marathon also produced five meals of Taco Seasoned Beef, so on Wednesday we had Beef and Bean Burritos along with a new side, Spicy Brown Rice Pilaf with fresh tomatoes and jalapeno peppers.

Thursday’s dinner was a little decadent calorie wise. We had Chicken and Bacon Hoagies. Probably half of one of those would have been plenty, especially with a House Salad. I didn’t have any Swiss cheese on hand, so I used cheddar. I think Swiss is better.

Chicken and Bacon Hoagies                              Artichoke, Shrimp, and Mushroom Casserole

Friday’s dinner was as the result of my using The Sticky Menu Plan. I had planned to serve my Artichoke, Shrimp, and Mushroom Casserole last week, but as usual, life got in the way and that dinner just didn’t happen. I just slid the shrimp dish to this week’s Sticky Menu Plan and pulled soup out of the freezer for that night.

Back to my addiction…
My mini-marathon produced 6 lunches for two as well as 9 dinners for two for a meat cost of $15.00! That averages 50 cents per serving, pretty addictive, wouldn’t you agree? The only problem is that I can’t resist. I can’t resist a meat on sale when it really is a deal, or a truely good coupon deal, or fresh summer produce from local farmers. I can’t resist the challenge of seeing what I can create out of all this bounty, BUT we can’t eat it as fast as I cook it. Thanks to my Food Saver and organizational inventories very little gets wasted, but every so often I have to put myself into detox, and here I am. I’m going to see how long I can go without buying anything but perishables and shop my freezer and pantry instead of the store. I still have to give next week’s Sticky Menu Plan some thought. Check out “This Week’s Dinners” in the right hand column in a day or two to see what’s up. I certainly have plenty to choose from.

Be thankful for what life gives you.