crafts + recipes + existential dread
Yesterday after Jake got home from school I decided to throw together a batch of brownies. Without much thinking at all I just mixed everything together and threw the pan in the oven.
Goodness! They might be the best brownies I’ve ever made. I think I seriously could use some chocolate addiction treatment because it’s not even 8 AM and they are already calling out to me… Maybe just one teensy little bite?
So last Saturday we finally got passports for the boys. We don’t have anything planned, but there was a local “passport event” and since both parents need to be present for a minor’s passport, it worked out well for us and we decided to just get them and not worry about it for a while. So, since we’ll have them in six weeks or so, we’re contemplating going up to Quebec this summer. Maybe. Lord knows how much gas will cost at that point, and it might not be feasible, but we’re throwing the idea around. I’ve never been to Quebec, and Drew hasn’t been in years (that’s where his grandmother was from). If we do go, I will need to look around for some extra luggage because when we went on vacation in February I discovered that what we have is not enough for the four of us. I’m not sure I’m up for the drive, but… I’ll keep my eye on the prize, as they say. And that prize, of course, would be a big old bowl of poutine, made the correct way!
Last night I decided to play around with a turkey burger recipe and it turned out so well! I basically wanted to something along the lines of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner… only not so traditional. Here’s what I did:
Turkey Dinner Burgers
1 lb. ground turkey
1 box stuffing mix
1 jar whole cranberry sauce
hot waterIn a large bowl, add just enough hot water to the stuffing mix to moisten it. Add ground turkey and half the can of cranberry sauce. Mix well and form patties. Pan-fry in butter. When cooked, top with remaining cranberry sauce.
We put a little mayo on our burgers before we topped them with cranberry sauce and served them alongside french fries with cheese and topped everything with a little gravy. I also served green bean casserole, which for some reason I had in the freezer. I must have bought a box of it by mistake — I never buy it, LOL!
At any rate, it all was very tasty and carbilicious. I need to scale way, way back on the amount of carbs I’m eating because it’s been a lot lately. If it keeps up I’m going to need diet pills! LOL, okay not really (obviously), but still… Good for a treat, though or if you are looking to do something different with ground turkey.
As expected, I didn’t do so well sticking with last week’s menu plan, but it was a crazy week and sometimes that happens. We weren’t home at all on Saturday, so I am making the pork roast today, though with a different recipe. I have to say that it smells really good! I hope it isn’t disappointing. So on to this week!
Sunday: Shells with ham, peas, and alfredo sauce
Monday: Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast, buttered egg noodles, green beans
Tuesday: Turkey burgers, marinated mixed veggie salad
Wednesday: Pulled pork sandwiches, cole slaw, oven fries
Thursday: Cheesy chicken noodle bake, broccoli
Friday: Pizza, salad
Saturday: Leftovers
Next week will be light on cooking. Sunday Drew and I are going to see Rent, so we’ll get dinner in the city beforehand. Friday and Saturday we’ll be in Massachusetts. My grandmother’s burial is on Saturday. Depending on what time we leave to head back home, we will either grab McD’s on the way or else I’ll order a pizza when we get back home. Then Sunday is Easter (already!!!) and we’ll have Easter dinner at my mother-in-law’s. I think I am bringing dessert, so I’m hoping I’ll have time to make Coconut Lemon Mousse Cake. It’s such a wonderful Easter dessert — I made it a couple years ago and everyone loved it. Though I find it easier to make a boxed cake in two round 8 or 9-inch pans rather than cutting up the pound cake. Though, I suppose this would make an awesome trifle too. You could buy the pound cake and cut it up and layer the filling. Hmm… Maybe I’ll do that instead! Anyway, I have time between now and then to think about it.
For more menu ideas, check out Organizing Junkie, as always!
With Easter just on the way, I thought I’d share my favorite Easter cookie recipe with you. My good friend Kelly used to always bring back some of these delicious cookies after Easter break and we’d enjoy them with a cup of tea as we watched TV in our dorm room. They’re great to make with kids, too because it’s a no-bake recipe (and it’s messy, so naturally it’s fun!). Be sure to store extras in your refrigerator, otherwise the marshmallow will get too melty and goopy.
I hope you enjoy!
This week’s menu is highly subject to chage.
Sunday: Dinner out
Monday: Garlic roasted chicken breasts, steamed veggies
Tuesday: Chili & cornbread
Wednesday: Chicken-fried rice
Thurday: Running errands after school – probably grab take-out
Friday: Tuna melt, soup
Saturday: Cuban pork loin roast, black bean salad
The pork roast recipe is a new one. On the spur of the moment I bought a pork roast that was on sale a few weeks ago. I’ll shred some of the cooked roast for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches to have next week. Here’s the quick recipe from the March “Month of Menus” in Woman’s Day magazine:
Cuban Pork Roast
Rub pork with lime juice, ground cumin, oregano, salt and pepper before roasting.
And the salad to go with it:
Super Easy Black Bean Salad
Toss rinsed, canned black bean, red onion, chopped tomato, diced avacado, and chopped cilantro in oil and vinegar dressing.
For more menu ideas, be sure to visit Organizing Junkie!
Ages ago I saw Giada DiLaurentis make a sandwich like this on her program and ever since I’ve wanted to try it. Today I happened to have all the ingredients on hand and wanted to make myself something special to try to forget about the snow for a little while. So I whipped this together.
Delicious!
Here’s the general recipe:
Chocolate Strawberry Panini
— 2 slices of good quality white bread (I used one large slice of Italian bread, cut in half)
— Hazelnut-chocolate spread (such as Nutella)
— Sliced strawberries
— ButterButter one side of each slice of bread. On the other side, slather on the chocolate-hazelnut spread. Arrange sliced strawberries on one half. Top with other slice of bread (butter side out). Grill on panini press (I find my Foreman Grill works perfectly fine for paninis).
This is messy to eat, but it’s so good you won’t even care. I promise.
I had originally planned this for tonight’s dinner, but decided to make it for lunch instead. I grilled a London Broil that had been marinating, and set it atop some salad greens with blue cheese crumbles. I also roasted some cauliflower (a la Dara) and onions to go with it. Quite a yummy lunch. And just because I love you all so much, here’s the marinade I use. It was Drew’s recipe, which was his mom’s, which was her friend Connie’s. I imagine it changed a little along the way, but I wanted to credit everyone!
Marinade for London Broil Steak
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
Worstershire sauce
A few garlic cloves, diced (this week I used jarred, minced garlic because I was lazy)
PepperCombine all ingredients and pour over steak. Let the steak marinate for at least 24 hours. I’ve let it go two or three days. Grill on both sides, being careful not to overcook. Let steak rest for at least 10 minutes. Cut and serve.
I’ve been pretty lame with the menu plans, lately. Honestly, I’m just uninspired this time of year. I was recently telling a friend that nothing is really calling out to me, and cooking is more of a chore than anything else. I need to break out of my rut. Although, I’ve been reading over all my cookbooks and dreaming of all the fresh produce we’ll be getting this spring and summer. So many recipes to try! Alas, this week is pretty run-of-the-mill. Here you go:
Sunday: Eat out (Friendly’s)
Monday: Hawaiian pizza, oven fries, salad
Tuesday: Buffalo chicken salad
Wednesday: London broil, roasted cauliflower, salad
Thursday: White chili
Friday/Saturday: I’m not planning meals for these days because I will probably be heading up to/home from Massachusetts. My cousin’s baby’s birthday party is on Saturday, so we’ll be going to that, of course!
I’m hoping to start taking more food photos, so look forward to that soon (I hope!) For more recipe ideas, head over to Organizing Junkie.
Yet again, I’ve let several days lapse here. I was plenty occupied all weekend, I guess and barely turned the computer on at all — something I really enjoyed. In fact, I had to force myself to get some blog writing done today. I just couldn’t get into it. At any rate…
We had a lovely weekend and a fantastic brunch on Sunday morning! We went to one of our favorite local restaurants, Double-O Grille in Rhinebeck. Turns out that Sunday was the first time they were offering a buffet, and we were really excited to be one of the first people to try it. Oh, my goodness was it amazing! The selections were delicious: smoked salmon, bagels, and cream cheese; scrambled eggs; French toast; Chicken Marsala; pasta; a variety of salads; different pastries… It all was so good and we were so full when we left that we joked about gaining about five pounds from that meal, LOL. But if you live in the mid-Hudson Valley or find yourself passing through, you’ve got to head over there for brunch. You will *not* be disappointed!