Why do I keep doing these things? Last week we were on our way home from a store near the Tennessee border, and on impulse I asked Michael to go by Scotts Orchard. After all, it is apple season. Michael made the mistake of sitting in the car while I “ran” in to get enough apples for a nice pie and just a few to eat. Nope, a full bushel is way cheaper. All 40 pounds of apples only cost 50 cents a pound.  What a bargain!  OK, here I go again.
This variety is called Arkansas Black. They are supposed to be good for cooking, good for eating, and keep well. The jury is out on all that. They are good for cooking. As to good for eating? The skin is tough and hard to chew. I guess if you’re in to peeling your apples before you eat them they would be OK, but why throw away all that nutrition? I don’t intend to keep those apples long enough to see if they store well or not.

The whole way home I was trying to figure out what to do with that many apples! First order of business was a Dutch Apple Pie , the reason Michael stopped at Scotts in the first place. I think a streusel topped pie is easier and tastier than it’s two crust cousin, and the oatmeal in the topping makes it healthier, right? In my book, apples plus oatmeal equals breakfast.
While I was at it, I made a batch of my Apple Pie Filling. That’s four more pies for the future. Just thaw and add the filling to a crust.  A side note: The filling recipe calls for fresh refrigerated apple juice, like the Simply Apple brand.  I hadn’t read the recipe before peeling and slicing  the apples and didn’t have any fresh juice on hand. I substituted bottled apple juice from the pantry. Although it was 100% unsweetened apple juice, the results weren’t the same. The filling got a little gloppy, but I’m sure the pies will still be just fine. I won’t do that again.

The next order of business was Apple Butter, made in the slow cooker. That recipe is so easy! The only hard part is peeling all those apples. Because I use my emersion blender to smooth the lumps out, I may just skip peeling the apples next time.  If you know me, you know there will be a next time, about this time of year.
Now that I had 9 cups of apple butter, I figured that some sort of apple butter breakfast rolls would be nice. I could make two pans, kind of like cinnamon rolls. Whoops! I wound up with two loaves of Apple Butter Swirl Bread. Just click on the link and read the recipe to find out why. I guess I’ll work on the breakfast rolls next week.

In my mind, the star of this week’s endeavors was my new recipe for Caramel Apple Bars. They turned out even better than I imagined. You don’t have to buy a bushel of apples to try them. The recipe only requires two large cooking apples.
After all that apple peeling, last week’s dinners were pretty simple.
On Sunday Emily, Kaij, and Kelton came for supper. Usually, when we have a family dinner I go all out. Not this time. I did manage to prepare a salad bar of sorts, kind of a deconstructed House Salad. Quick Chicken and Cheese Ravioli came straight from the freezer and were topped with Rosy Cream Sauce. I was pleased that even our picky eater ate his supper.

Dessert was that Dutch Apple Pie, as well as a Lemon Meringue Pie that was left from Saturday. While I was trying to link the pie to its’ recipe page, I realized that the lemon pie recipe wasn’t yet posted on this blog. The picture is of my Coconut Cream Meringue Pie. The lemon recipe is in now, and you have both recipes to try.
Since I cooked too many ravioli on Sunday, we had leftovers to finish on Monday. It’s a good thing, since I was up to my ears in apples.
Meatless Monday’s Vegan Red Beans and Rice slipped to Tuesday, and that change slid my frozen Meat Sauce all the way to next week. That’s The Sticky Menu Plan in action.

When trying to select items for my menus I frequently consult my Freezer Inventory and choose from what I call my Freezer Food. The inventory tells me what I have on hand and what needs to be used based on the date it went into the freezer. Wednesday’s freezer food was Spring Time Manicotti, a nice change of pace. Since I had used my Food Saver to package the manicotti, it was just a fresh as when I froze it. No, I don’t have any stock in the Food Saver company. I just believe in the product.
Since I was still playing with apples on Thursday, leftovers came to the table yet again. My red beans and rice recipe makes a large pot. I can always plan that it will make several meals.
Friday was my favorite grill man’s turn to go into action with Spicy Tuna Steaks. I can always count on Michael to perfectly grill what ever I ask.
It’s been a busy week, and an even busier week lies ahead.  Why do I get myself into all this? Because I love it!
Be thankful for what life gives you.

It’s just a fact of life; some weeks in the kitchen are better than others. This past week was definitely one of the better ones.
On Sunday Michael saw an ad somewhere for Chicken Marsala. It sounded good to him and he asked if I could fix it. Well, I’m always glad for requests, but I didn’t have a recipe for that. As I often do, I went to the internet. I research many recipes for a given dish and print out several. I then take bits and pieces of them all, add my own twists, and morph it all into a new recipe. This time the result was My Chicken Marsala. We both think the dish turned out well, so I’ll keep that recipe and share it with you.

Another morphed recipe was born this week, as well. Cinnamon Apple Squares are a tasty little snack cake, although just a bit messy. The cinnamon sugar topping wants to spill off when you pick the squares up. I’ll have to work on the topping texture.
Monday’s main meal was a bit of an adventure. It was Xander’s third birthday. We were supposed to attend his birthday party on Sunday, but because of Lizzie’s surgery we couldn’t make it. (see my last post) Instead, we all agreed to meet for a late lunch on Monday. Aaron selected a seafood restaurant in Birmingham, so we plugged the address into the Garman and off Michael and I went. After a few twists and turns, we finally found the place hidden up on a hill. Aaron, Jen, and Xander were parked outside. The darned restaurant was closed on Mondays! Plan B: Aaron did a search on his phone and came up with another place a few miles away in Bessemer. I’m not all that familiar with the Birmingham area and didn’t realize how depressed Bessemer is. When we arrived at the restaurant I was pretty skeptical of it’s outward appearance, but Aaron persevered, and in we all went. I was pleasantly surprised. The staff was friendly and accommodating, (remember we had a three year old in tow), the food was very good, and the prices were unbelievably low.  Michael enjoyed a scallop po’boy and I had my favorite combination of fried oysters and gumbo.   As they say, “A good time was had by all.”
Tuesday’s dinner was tasty, but that recipe also could use some work. Another Chicken Tamale Casserole makes a large 9×13 inch casserole, way too much for two people, even if you plan leftovers. The way the topping is blended and applied part way through the baking time makes it difficult to divide and freeze this recipe. The casserole is also one of those that is best fresh, not reheated. If you have a larger family, this recipe is fine as written, but I’m going to have to find a way to scale it back.

Michael also made a second meal request He thought it might be time for a pot of Kielbasa and Cabbage and I was happy to comply. Dinner doesn’t get much easier than that. All you do is chop, drop, and wait till it’s done. There is one problem with the kielbasa though. Each little two inch piece of sausage is over 100 calories, even the lite variety. Ouch! Those calories add up fast. Self discipline dictates that we only get three pieces each, then fill up on veggies. Really, that’s the way we should eat, less fatty meat and more vegetables, but that Kielbasa is so very tasty.
Friday’s dinner was inspired by our trip to Bessemer on Monday. I planned to make my own gumbo. While I was at the fish counter for shrimp the bay scallops looked good, too. Michael’s Bay Scallop Po’Boys seemed like a good idea at the time, but in reality were a poor decision. I got in a rush and didn’t follow my own recipe, so the scallops were a failure. My Alabama Coast Gumbo was another story. Ok, I’m patting myself on the back here, but I enjoyed that pot of gumbo as much as I’ve ever eaten in any beach front restaurant.

The secret to a good gumbo is the roux. It takes quite a bit of time and stirring to get the roux to the right color, like this. I could have probably taken it darker, and that would make the gumbo even richer, but I just got tired of stirring. Do the restaurants hire a dedicated stirrer?  I’m not going to apply for that job!
Be thankful for what life gives you.

Oh my goodness, was my patience ever tried last week! Lizzie, our King Charles Spaniel, has been getting really grouchy lately, in fact just plain mean. At age six, she was totally house broken but lately she’s been having “accidents” on the carpet, too. She finally started acting like she might have a urinary tract infection, so we took her in to the vet.  As it turned out, poor little Lizzie had developed a BIG bladder stone, 3/4 of an inch in diameter, which needed to be surgically removed. All her bladder problems necessitated some serious carpet cleaning, and that demands a good bit of patience if you do it right. It took me three days with a steam cleaner to get those carpets the cleanest and driest I could. I didn’t do much cooking for those three days.

Before the carpet cleaning began, Sunday’s supper was a simple but very good casserole, a Chicken, Spinach, and Mushroom Pasta Bake. That recipe makes an extra  large casserole, more than enough for three meals for the two of us.  Besides Sunday night, we dined on a second dish at the end of one of those carpet cleaning days and the last dish went into the freezer.
After pushing that steam cleaner around  two more days, Sausage and Ricotta Calzones were quick and easy. I scaled the recipe back to four servings and cheated by using the refrigerated pizza dough that comes in a tube like biscuits or crescent rolls.

By the end of the week, both Michael and I were ready for our Saturday Alabama football game and our “football food”. Michael always has his pizza, and I often splurge on a Reuben Sandwich. I earned all those calories this week!
Lizzie is better now and the carpets are cleaner. Be thankful for what life gives you.

Alternate title: Keep me away from the marked down produce bin!
Where to start? The carnival ride… I’ll explain the produce later.
I think Sunday was the only day I actually cooked what I had planned. Our favorite center cut bone in pork chops went on sale. Always looking to find a new way to cook pork, I came up with a recipe for Brined and Braised Pork Chops, a recipe I think would also work with chicken. I haven’t tested the chicken yet, but the pork was fabulous! Sometimes pork chops turn out dry, but not these. They were very moist and tender with an excellent pork flavor.  As a bonus, they were very easy to prepare.

The best quality bone in chicken breasts also went on sale, and since my freezer inventory was low, I couldn’t pass those up, either. I’ve been on a Fresh Ricotta Cheese roll and planned to make calzones on Monday, but poaching chicken breasts just jumped in. I divided the chicken up for two of next week’s dinners and turned what was left into Chicken Salad Salads for Monday’s not so meatless meal. The waiting calzone filling went into the freezer for next Monday. I’ll try again.
I had been waiting for chuck roast to go on sale and, along with the pork chops and chicken, it did. Why do all the good sales happen all at once? I’m sure the grocery stores have some devious reason! Oh well, I’m very fortunate to be able to take advantage of several sales in the same week, so my long awaited Eight Hour Pot Roast and Vegetables went into the slow cooker on schedule Tuesday.  That does make two meals that were cooked on schedule.

Best Beef Burgers were a good choice for Wednesday night. Why have a fast food mystery burger when these are in your freezer?
The left over pot roast was supposed to turn into pot pies for Thursday night. No way! My grocery cart had been so loaded up with all that sale priced  pork, chicken, and chuck roast that I didn’t notice a carton of chicken livers snuck in. Michael hasn’t been having a lot of fun lately, and chicken livers are a treat for him. I guess it was time to fix those livers.
Just as Monday wasn’t Meatless, Friday wasn’t Fishy. More of that fresh ricotta made an excellent base for Super Spinach Lasagna. Usually this is a meatless meal, but a little Italian sausage adds an extra depth of flavor. Does almost meatless count?

In Alabama, fall means football, so Saturdays are devoted to what I call “football food”. Michael has his personal pizza guy at Star Market. Ben always has Michael’s take and bake pizza ready for him before the game, no order need be placed. Half time calls for a snack. This week I made Jen’s Zucchini Appetizers in mini muffin tins. That takes me back around to why I should never be allowed near the marked down produce bin.
This week I hit the jack pot! Five pounds each of yellow squash and zucchini, a few red bell peppers, and some apples, all for $.99 a bag. There wasn’t a thing wrong with any of this produce, just a few blemishes, but not one bit that was unuseable. The only problem with getting a great deal on all of this stuff is…Once you get it home you have to do something with it. Ok, here we go.
The red bell peppers were easy. I buy those for our nightly House Salad anyway. The yellow squash was easy, too. Stewed Summer Squash is one of Michael’s favorite veggies, it’s easy to cook and freezes well.

A recipe for Blueberry Zucchini Bread was converted to Apple Zucchini Bread. That took care of most of the apples. We’ll eat the rest. As for the remaining zucchini,  after the appetizers and bread, there was only enough to make one shredded cup. Into the freezer that went. Yes, I got a real bargain on all that produce, but making use of it all kept me a little busier than I wanted to be.
So will I stay away from the marked down produce bin? Not a chance!
Be thankful for what life gives you.

The Sticky Menu Plan does that for me. Sometimes I have more menu ideas than I have slots on the calendar, and sometimes I have no clue past tomorrow, but I can always look at my pages of stickies and pull something out of the hat. This week was one of those no clue weeks. Nothing exciting was on sale at the store, there were no special events, and I honestly had no motivation. So, I just thumbed through my sticky options and my freezer inventory and got started.  No fast food for us. Here’s where we went.
After spending the weekend at Aaron’s, Simple Saturday’s football pizza baked into a simple Sunday supper at home. No frills there.
Relying on my weekly plan, I tried to make Monday meatless by pulling some Manicotti out of the freezer. Whoops! Although I often prepare my manicotti with just spinach and ricotta, this package was the chicken variety, and didn’t even have both sauces. Dinner was served.

Tuesday’s supper was more successful, but not of the international theme. Good old American Stuffed Peppers also came from the freezer. I have found that if I blanch the peppers before I stuff them they freeze very well. I also leave a hollow in the peppers’ stuffing for the sauce and add a little water to the bottom of the dish before I put them in the oven.
The freezer food continued with Baked Chicken Salad. The key to success with this dish is to leave off the toppings when freezing. After the casserole was baked covered until hot, I uncovered it and added crushed potato chips and cheese, then baked until the cheese melted. The potato chips also came out of the freezer. I save all those little pieces that are left in the bottom of the bag. Ok, I get a bit compulsive at times, but why waste what you’ve paid for?

By Friday I was finally back in the cooking mode. Browsing through my recipes I found another one for Shrimp and Grits that I haven’t used in a while. This recipe was inspired by the shrimp and grits that are served at Boss Oyster in Apalachicola, FL. This isn’t a diet dinner, but Boss Oyster’s shrimp and grits bring memories of dinner on the dock. It’s worth every creamy calorie.
I’m more excited about my dinner plans for the coming week, but let’s see if circumstances let me carry through.  There may be some busy days on the way.
Be thankful for what life gives you.

As hard as I try, I just can’t stick to a plan. For economy’s sake, I should be using what’s in my freezer and pantry, but some convergence of “good deals” or a mention of some recipe on TV gets me off track every time. This week I started off on a solid footing: Roast a chicken for Sunday dinner, then use that chicken for other meals during the week. Well, here I go again!
Sunday’s original recipe was Simple Roast Chicken. Could I keep it simple? Of course not. Sunday Roast Chicken sounded better, so off I went. There isn’t much difference in the final product, but the Sunday Roast Chicken is more work, so why did I change?

Michael had suggested we have a cauliflower dish, Low-Carb Mixed Potato Mash on the side. Nope! Cornbread Dressing goes with roasted chicken. Never mind the fact that I would need to bake a batch of both Iron Skillet Cornbread and Light and Flaky Biscuits to make the dressing, not to mention I had to stale them in a slow oven. Good thing the dressing came out well, because I wound up with four extra containers for the freezer. Why do I do this to myself?
Meatless Monday was supposed to be Vegan Red Beans and Rice from the freezer. Wrong again! I’d rather play with some of that roasted chicken. Kicked Up Chicken Enchiladas were the result. These enchiladas are on the spicy side, but easily toned down. Sometimes good things come from my impulsive behavior.

When the enchilada urge hit I had already thawed the red beans and rice. We did have them for dinner on Tuesday, so that freezer meal didn’t go to waste.
Wednesday night we were supposed to use up more food from the freezer, Stuffed Peppers. Well, I got a good deal on some marked down bell peppers in the produce department. Why should I take advantage of what I already have on hand when I can start on something new? Strip steaks and mushrooms were both on sale, too, so Pepper Steak for Two had to take the place of those boring stuffed peppers. I just slid that pepper sticky to next week. After all, they were already frozen, right?

Thursday I got back on track with individual portions of Two Chicken Pot Pie. I have several recipes for chicken pot pie, but I think this may be my favorite, at least for this week.
Friday did remain fishy with an old stand-by, Tuna Salad Salads, just a serving of tuna salad over a House Salad.  We try to have a salad before dinner most nights, so adding the tuna made Fridays dinner almost no work at all.
Today we will be going down to Aaron’s to watch the Alabama football game, so no cooking for me. ROLL TIDE!
Be thankful for what life gives you.

Both my calories and spending have gotten out of wack.  We’ve all been there.  Holiday weekends are a great excuse to over indulge, in quantities consumed as well as the caloric content, and all that food usually isn’t inexpensive.  Then, unexpected expenses hit, and you have no choice but to cover them.  Sometimes all these things simply happen at the same time. Well, it’s time for a little belt tightening, around the waist as well as the wallet.
Sunday we celebrated Labor Day as a family. All the kids and grandkids were here. The smoker was fired up for Smoked Ribs and Michael grilled hot dogs as well. While we were waiting for the main event, everyone did a bit of grazing on Southern Caviar and cream cheese with Pepper Jelly.

Not everyone in our family is a carnivore. I used Fresh Ricotta Cheese to make a batch of Spinach Stuffed Shells and topped them off with Rosy Cream Sauce instead of the usual Homemade Marinara Sauce.  Even the carnivores were pleased with these.

Sweet and Hot Cheesy Corn Muffins always go well with pork, but I did leave the peppers out of half a dozen of them.  Depending on the peppers you choose, my corn muffins aren’t really spicy hot at all, but some people, especially kids, assume they are just by the looks and the name.  Oh well, more for me!
Whenever we entertain picky eaters I make it my mission to sneak in nutrition wherever I can. With that in mind I offered a new version of mac and cheese, Butternut Mac and Cheese. (Sorry, no picture, but it looks just about like any other.) While not any lower in calories, this dish boasts lots of fiber and vitamins and packs 23 grams of protein per serving. It tastes pretty darned good, too, with plenty of cheesy flavor and almost no hint of squash.  No one knew the difference.
For a change, desert was a simple offering, my Father’s recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies.  That was plenty.

Aaron, Jen, and Xander live south of Birmingham and chose to spend the night. The next morning’s breakfast was modest, just a blueberry version of my Easy Cherry Almond Pastry and a  Hash Brown Breakfast Pie.  That was enough to fuel us for a hike at the Madison County Nature Trail on Green Mountain.  Xander was a good little hiker and seemed to enjoy himself, especially at the little waterfall and looking for turtles from the covered bridge.

The rest of the week, Michael and I tried our best to use up all the Labor Day leftovers. Gosh, was that a chore, but we were determined not to let it all go to waste. I know, I know, I always cook too much, but what if someone were to go hungry?
Be thankful for what life gives you.

I started out this week with a loss, of sorts. I spent the weekend trying to teach myself how to make Mexican Gorditas. I wasn’t very successful at trying a number of recipes from web cooking sites. I tried my old trick of taking bits and pieces from several of those recipes and combining them into one with mixed results. I finally managed to come up with a recipe I could live with, but even that one isn’t up to my standards and needs work. Frankly, I just got tired of trying.

If you decide to make gorditas, you have to stuff them with something. Grilled Chicken Fajitas were my choice on Sunday.  Normally, we grill those fajitas on a charcoal grill, but this Sunday it rained cats and dogs all day.  Grilling outside was not an option.  I pulled out my largest iron skillet instead and that worked just fine.  I did add a little hickory smoke salt seasoning to the marinade in an effort to add some grilled flavor.  Bottled liquid smoke seasoning would work too.

As a side dish, we had Spicy Brown Rice Pilaf. That dish is so simple to prepare, but tastes like it was a lot of work. I love recipes like that!
Tuesday the Mexican theme continued with Chiles Rellenos Casserole, another favorite of mine. The leftover pilaf didn’t go to waste, either.

I think the big win for the week was my attempt at Shrimp and Sausage Creole. It was saucy and spicy and just plain delicious. It’s another one of those dishes that is deceptively easy and yet company worthy. A small quantity of shrimp goes a long way, and andouille sausage really ups the Cajun factor. Once hard to find, andouilli sausage is usually in the same refrigerated case as hot dogs and other smoked sausages. Just one link is all you need to add that Cajun kick,so  freeze the rest for the next time.  I use it in Shrimp and Grits as well.
You’ll win some, and you’ll lose some, so always be thankful for what life gives you.

If you read my post a couple of weeks ago, (titled My computers were held hostage! ), you’ll remember that I was rather disappointed with my first attempt to develop a recipe for Chicken Divan over Porcini Rice. It wasn’t at all hard to identify the problems, most of which boiled down to technique. The timing of the individual recipe elements was off, leading to the fact that the casserole was just plain over-cooked.  The type of cheese I originally selected clashed with the other flavors as well.  I tried a re-make of the recipe this Sunday.  All those problems were succefully corrected, and the final recipe is a keeper.  The first photo below is my first attempt, and the second is the end result.  The difference is pretty obvious, don’t you think?

I’ve kind of jumped ahead of myself here. Last week’s batch of Fresh Ricotta Cheese was the base for another success for the recipe pages, Quick Chicken and Cheese Ravioli. These ravioli honestly are quick to prepare. They start with wonton wrappers from the produce department and precooked chicken.  Just fill, simmer, and sauce! The ravioli are light and delicate, and I wanted a sauce to match. I based a new sauce on Cooking Light’s Brown Rice Cream. My Rosy Cream Sauce has a velvety texture with just a hint of creamy tomato flavor at just 100 calories per serving.  Fast, light, and flavorful.  What more can you ask from a weeknight dinner? (I do wish I had a better photo for you.)

I tried to improve on my Light and Flaky Biscuits by adding a twist to the preparation. One of the things that contributes to the texture of Southern style biscuits is cold butter. The moisture content of cold butter sort of explodes in a hot oven, creating flakey layers. It is difficult to work butter into a recipe without it warming up. I tried to solve this problem with a new method.  I coarsely grated the cold butter directly into the flour mixture before tossing it lightly with a fork, then added cold buttermilk to form a tender dough. Michael was very happy with his breakfast biscuits.
I rarely break out the deep fat fryer, usually just once a year. This week was it. Last week’s pork loin trimmings were employed in my recipe for Mini Egg Rolls. Since I had already invested in all that canola oil to fill the fryer, I though I should put it to use. Michael kindly grilled steaks for Wednesday’s dinner, so I reciprocated with Beer Battered onion rings. Almost any firm vegetable can be beer battered and fried.  Mushrooms and zucchini are especially good.  I just dust them in seasoned flour, dunk them in beer batter, and let the excess batter drip off a bit before dropping into 360 degree oil.

Michael had also picked out some nice yellow summer squash at the store. OK, the fryer’s full and I’m in the mood to try one more recipe. Squash Fritters wound up on the dinner table. Pretty darned good!  Before I drain the fryer I want to try another recipe.  Some folks of Mexican heritage used to own a restaurant next door to my frame shop.  They made fried gorditas to stuff with various fillings, kind of like a Mexican pita bread.  I want to see what I can do with those, and I’ll let you know.
After all that fried food I thought a calorie correction was in order. Thursday I made that effort with a pot of Kielbasa and Cabbage. This one pot dish is full of vegetables in a delicious broth. I like to mash the potatoes with a fork and spoon the broth on like a gravy. A word of caution: Don’t be tempted to exceed the recipe with your portion of Kielbasa. A 315 calorie dinner can easily double in both cakories and fat. I try to limit my serving of sausage and potatoes, but fill up on the other veggies instead.

We finished out the week on Friday with Szechwan Shrimp. This dish is a bit on the spicy side, and we like it that way. The recipe calls for soba (buckwheat) noodles, which can be expensive and hard to find. I usually just substitute regular old spaghetti noodles out of my pantry. Brown rice noodles are also a good alternative and a bit more authentic.
By checking my calendar, I can tell that next week is going to be a doozer and no two days will be the same. I’m going to have to do some careful menu planning with an emergency substitute meal in mind. With all that will be going on I never know what may happen. It should be interresting to say the least!
Be thankful for what life gives you.

Not on your life!
This past week has been rainy and a bit gloomy, and up until Friday afternoon we had no obligations or appointments. Nothing to do? In my kitchen, that’s the perfect set-up for a little creative cooking.
Sunday Michael manned the grill for some of that Chattanooga inspired grilled Italian Meatloaf with Tangy Sauce. While he was at it, he grilled a few veggies. Red bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, and Vidalia onions were all doused in bottled Italian dressing and skewered before grilling.  So easy!   We intentionally grilled extras to be added to Wednesday’s dinner.

Michael’s preparing most of our dinner gave me the time to plot and play. I started by making a batch of homemade Fresh Ricotta Cheese. Fresh ricotta is so quick and simple to make, and children love to watch the curds magically separate from the whey. Actually, I get a kick out of that myself! Ricotta doesn’t require any special ingredients or equipment and only takes about half an hour’s time, if that. I love the fact that this ricotta is all natural with no additives or preservatives. The only down side is that without preservatives fresh ricotta has a short shelflife. It has to be used within four or, at the most, five days.
Monday’s Eggplant Parmesan for Two took care of some of that.  The rich and creamy fresh ricotta made this batch outstanding, and there was enough eggplant left for Thursday night, too.

Wednesday’s dinner was another new recipe, Ricotta Gnocchi. Traditonal potato gnocchi can be a little tricky to make, at least for me, but this ricotta version was surprisingly easy and went much faster than I imagined. Once again, several recipes were researched to write this one. Often I have to make changes after my first attempt at a new recipe, but not this time. I think what may have made the difference was the texture of the homemade ricotta. Almost no flour was required, only 1/4 cup in the actual dough. The dough wasn’t the least bit sticky, so very little flour was needed on the work surface to roll and cut the gnocchi, either. The gnocchi were light and fluffy, but held up well in my chunky Meat Sauce with the grilled veggies we saved from Sunday. While the recipe didn’t make a huge number of gnocchi, it was still more than the two of us could, or should, eat at one meal. I’m not sure how the leftovers will hold up, or if the gnocchi can be frozen. Time will tell.
For the sake of economy, I try to base my meat purchases and thus my menu choices, on the grocery store sales. I try to select only one item and buy that in bulk. A couple of different dishes are prepared with that one selection, and a portion is destined for the freezer. I almost always have cuts of beef, pork, and chicken available, all purchased at the lowest cost. This week it was boneless pork loin. I made another batch of Pork Carnitas and a pot of Grillads ready for Saturday. All I’ll need to do is stir together my Quick and Light Cheese Grits.

The trimmings from the pork loin will go for Mini Egg Rolls. Waste not, want not, in either food or money.
Be thankful for what life gives you.