These boots are made for walking...

Last weekend my Family came up to visit from Tennessee and brought me an early birthday present! Boots! Totally in love with these little bits of love. Sassy and fun. :) Thanks, Mom and Dad!

1 spice cake mix + 1 can of pumpkin = devine!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Sunday I made pumpkin spice cupcakes from a recipe I found online. They were a breeze to make. Take one spice cake box mix and add a can of pumpkin and mix in a bowl. Add about 3/4 cup water and bake as the cake box instructs. Ta-da! Add some cream cheese frosting and you have heaven. They were a hit at school today. Yum!

Lasagna...mmm!

Last week I set out to make my semi-famous Lasagna dish for a co-worker who lost her sister to cancer. I wanted to deliver her some comfort food to makes things just a bit easier. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

1. 3 cans Hunts tomato sauce
2. 1 box lasagna
3. 1 tub of ricotta cheese
4. 2 cups of mozzarella cheese
5. 2 cloves garlic
6. 1 lb italian sausage
7. 1 lb hamburger
8. salt and pepper

For a 13x9 pan:

-Boil a box a lasagna until it is "just about" all the way cooked. You want it to still be a bit hard, but not too much.

-In the pot on the stove, simmer 3 cans of Hunts tomato sauce with 2 cloves of minced garlic. 

-Brown 1 lb of italian sausage and 1 lb of hamburger. Drain and then combine with tomato sauce.

-In the pan, cover bottom with the sauce mixture. Layer with 3-4 rows of lasagna noodles. Cover noodles with ricotta cheese. Put sauce on top of the cheese and then top with mozzarella cheese. 

-Continue to layer up until you reach the last inch of pan. Cover finals noodles with sauce and then pile on the mozzarella! The more cheese, the better :) I also sprinkle salt and pepper over the top. 

-Cook lasagna at 350 for about 45-60 minutes. Cheese will start to brown on top. Because everything is already cooked, the cook time is just about heating the lasagna all the way through. Enjoy!

Spiced Squash with Brown Butter Glaze Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

Tonight's side dish being made right now:
Spiced Squash with Brown Butter Glaze Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

Curry Chicken Fingers

Tonight we tried out the Curry Chicken Tenders from Trader Joe's. For $6, we have enough for two meals. I thawed the chicken in the sink in cold water and then fried it on the stove in some oil. It turned a nice brown and the flavor wasn't too overwhelming.

I also made some garlic naan and butter noodles to go with. Have to love good frozen food. :)

Bertolli Chicken Florentine & Farfalle

Tonight we had a frozen dinner for two. In many cases, these are just NOT good. You have to add spices or cheese... some extra kind of flavor. The Bertolli dinners seem to be above the grade. This particular flavor had a great taste and browned up very nice. Add some garlic toast and you have a quick meal with lots of flavor!

Mahi Burgers

Tonight we had Mahi Mahi Burgers from Trader Joe's. They were fantastic! We toasted the buns and served with warmed-up mango peach salsa from the grocery store. Light, fresh and yummy!

Black Dog Smoke & Ale House

For some reason, Tyler really does not want to have the Mahi Burgers. Every time they come up on the menu, we end up going out :) Tonight we went to one of our very favorite local joints, Black Dog Smoke & Ale House. This place has unreal BBQ. We have never been disappointed. 

Tonight, the special was the pastrami sandwich. Tyler had to try it and wasn't disappointed. I went with my favorite, the pulled pork sandwich with georgia peach sauce. We both went with the twice-baked potato casserole for our side (it is a must!) The place is small, so get there early and try to have the burnt tips at least once. They are heaven on a dish! Love me some Black Dog!!

Overall Grade: A+

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

From the Pioneer Woman Blog

Tonight I cooked a dish from one of my favorite sources, The Pioneer Woman. She has such fantastic recipes and I just adore her zest for life. The pasta turned out to be a sweet-ish, but very yummy red dish and fit perfect for a Meatless Monday. Yum!

Link to the Recipe: Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

Spinach Ricotta Ravioli

After being sick back and forth all week, I finally came down with what the big guy had. Friday, I came home from work and felt like absolute death. Food was not on my agenda in any way, shape, or form. My head felt like it would burst. After trying to help me out, making me some tea, Tyler decided to go with the Spinach Ricotta Ravioli from Trader Joe's. He added a nice marinara sauce and it turned out to be quite delicious. Thank heavens for good freezer food!

Chinese Chicken Wings

Tonight we are going to do some Chinese Chicken Wings on the grill. I am excited to see how these turn out. Right now, they are marinating in the fridge. Here is the recipe for the marinade:

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 18 chicken wings
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together except wings. Place wings and marinade in a resealable bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat grill. Place on grill (a grill basket works great for this) and cook until done. Brush with remaining marinade about half way through the cooking process.

Yikes!

Sorry!! I have been a bad, bad blogger. My life gets flipped upside down when schools starts and needless to say, I have been a busy Gal! Trying to get back on the wagon here. Menu is done for the next few days. Looks like some good eats coming our way. 

Crabby Joe's Deck and Grill Review

Location: Daytona Beach, FL
Website: http://www.sunglowpier.com/index.htm

A long time ago, back in 2005, Tyler and I went to Ponce Inlet, just south of Daytona Beach, for the first time. We stayed for a week and during the week we stumbled upon a place to eat on a pier. Sounded good enough. We went the one time and ended up back about 3 more times in that week. Crabby Joe's became our happy place in a way quite like no other. Their crab sandwich is fantastic along with the cuban sandwich, shrimp po-boy and so much more. Now every time we go to FL, we have to go to Crabby Joe's at least twice, if not 3-4 times :) It is an extremely casual atmosphere with beer pitchers chilled with bags of ice and open windows complete with sea air going right on through. Last year, I tried the Crabby Joe sampler and was delighted with crab legs, steamed shrimp and muscles. I had never had muscles before, but I am a big fan now. 

This place does it right with good staff, fast food service and low prices. You never leave hungry and your wallet is only slightly smaller. If you ever get a chance to go to Crabby Joe's, I highly recommend it!

Overall Grade: A+

South Beach Grill Review

 Location: Crescent Beach, FL
Website: http://www.southbeachgrill.net/index.html

After staying in Jacksonville, FL overnight, we decided to drive down A1A to get to Ponce Inlet and our condo. We hit St. Augustine and started to get hungry. Moe's seemed to be a good destination, but on our way, I saw a sign for a beachside place and we pulled in. South Beach Grill seemed to be a good spot. The view was great, but the service seemed to lack. We were seated promptly, but it took awhile for someone to come for our drinks. We ordered and I had the Tuna Wrap and Tyler had the Blacked Fish Wrap. Both were pretty good with nice portion sizes. Not too little but not too big. We sat outside, which meant that we seemed to be forgotten a bit and we also didn't get a refill during the service until the check came. Go figure :) All in all, the food was good, but the service could be better. Not a bad spot for lunch on the beach.

Overall Grade: B

Taking the Work out of Pasta Sauce

One of Tyler's favorite places on the Intertubes is a site called Smile Politely. Today he sent me a link to homemade pasta sauce done easy. I haven't tried it yet, but it will be done this Fall. From what I can tell, this would be very close to a Bertoli Marinara, which we love to use in our savory dishes. Here is the link:

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Been Gone

I want to apologize for the lack of posting. It has been a bit hectic lately as we have been out of town quite a bit. We are also gearing up to head to the East Coast for the next couple of weeks. I will try to post on the road of the different places we like to eat. Thanks for Reading!

Tortilla Crusted Tilapia with Chipotle-Lime

I am a fan of my local Grocer's Deli/Meat Case. There you can find all kinds of "prepared" dishes that can be quite tasty when done right at home. A while ago, I picked up a couple of tilapia fillets and threw them in the freezer. Last night I did them up in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes on a lightly oiled cooking sheet. After that was done, the fillets were looking good, but needed to get crispy, so I put the broiler on while I made up a fettuccine alfredo side and seasoned peas for some added color. All-n-all, it made for a good meal.

Spicy Italian Pork Cutlets

Last weekend, I went through the freezer and jotted down all of the food I had stored in anticipation of having a mass freezer clean-out. So far... so good....at least when we are home. We have been out and about quite a bit with different out of town needs, but we do cook when we are home for the most part. Today's recipe is taken from AllRecipes.com. I basically looked up pork cutlets and looked for the highest rated recipe in order to use our cutlet supply. Here it is:

Spicy Italian Pork Cutlets - 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 boneless pork chops, pounded to 1/4 inch thick
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, and quickly sear on both sides. Remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat, and saute the garlic about 30 seconds. Mix in the tomato, chicken broth, wine, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes.
3. Return the pork chops to the skillet, and continue cooking 5 to 10 minutes, to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Serve pork with the tomato and broth mixture from the skillet.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 261 | Total Fat: 18.9g | Cholesterol: 38mg

Cheesecake Factory Review

We have a tradition that when we have to go to Indianapolis for different events, we have to eat at the Cheescake Factory. Many people tend to think that this wonderful eatery is only for dessert, but they are sooooo terribly wrong. The menu is gigantic. There is everything from Asian-Fusion to Salisbury Steak. The portions are beyond big, and the taste is ridiculous. We absolutely love it! This time we had the: 

Classic French Bread and Pumpernickel Bread
*This bread is to die for. It is so yummy. I have always been a white bread kind of girl until the pumpernickel really changed me. The subtle sweetness totally makes the bread!

Spicy Ahi Tempura Roll 

Fresh Raw Ahi Tuna with Green Onion, Spicy Soy Sauce, Ginger and Garlic.
Wrapped in Nori and Flash Fried Tempura Style.  
*I had to have a sushi fix and this did just the right thing.
The sauce was amazing and even the garnish was devoured. :)

Shrimp Scampi and Chicken Madeira
Shrimp is sautéed with garlic, white wine, fresh basil & tomato. Served with mashed potatoes; sautéed chicken breast topped with fresh asparagus & melted mozzarella cheese - covered with fresh mushroom Madeira Sauce.
*Fantastic combo deal with 2 wonderful dishes!

 Buffalo Blasts®

Chicken Breast, Cheese and Our Spicy Buffalo Sauce all Stuffed in a Spiced Wrapper and Fried until Crisp. Served with Celery Sticks and Blue Cheese Dressing.

 *Huge servings...big on taste!

Overall Grade: A

Make it at home (click the link): 
Shrimp Scampi
Chicken Madeira
Buffalo Fingers

Raspberry Chipotle Chicken

I am a big fan of marinades. We love to grill and marinades are a great way of switching things up. Last night we did up about 7 chicken breasts marinaded in Allegro Raspberry Chipotle sauce. This stuff has a great smell and has a great kick from the chipotle peppers. The flavor is excellent and you can't beat it on grilled chicken. Add some grilled asparagus, zucchini, sweet pepper and eggplant and it makes for a great meal.

Kamakura Dining Review

Saturday night with my sister and brother-in-law in town from Virginia, and my sister-in-law from southern Illinois, we found ourselves around the table of the teppan grill at Kamakura Japanese Restaurant. We were first put into the "waiting room" for almost 25 minutes past our reservation. That was a bit unnerving, as we had a newborn with us. After we were seated, things went well for the most part. Holly and I spilled some soup on us trying to cut mushrooms, but it was all good.

The grilling started and things were heating up. A grilled volcano was the show stopper. Our chef was pretty funny. I had the sirloin with fried rice. It was so good. Carrots, zucchini, onions, soy sauce = yum! I had never been to Kamakura before this, even though we have lived in town for more than 7 years :) I think we will definitely go back!


Overall Grade: B

Pierogies

One day while shopping, we discovered a box of something called Pierogies. They looked interesting. It said they were stuffed with cheese and potatoes.....2 positives already! Into the cart they went. Well after a few weeks, they hit their time on the menu and it was some good eats.

Tyler cut up some red potatoes, shallots and green pepper and fried all of the above with the pierogies, almost like a stir-fry. Lightly seasoned, it was really good! We weren't sure what to expect. I think we might just have to have them again!

Chinese Pepper Steak

I am always one who loves a good night with the Chinese takeout. Tyler is not. Little did I know that if I recreated one of these fabulous dishes, he would be completely down with it :)

I have found a new love: Allrecipes.com. I only changed it a bit by not including the mushrooms, adding a couple tablespoons of soy sauce to the sauce, and using the marinated steak (in soy sauce) from the kabobs. Here is the great Pepper Steak recipe I used tonight:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups julienned green bell pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 3/4 pound boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup cold water
• Hot cooked rice

Directions

1. In a wok or skillet, stir-fry green peppers and onion in 1 tablespoon oil for 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms; stir-fry 1 minute longer. Remove and keep warm.
2. Season the beef with salt and pepper. In the same skillet, stir-fry the beef and garlic in remaining oil for 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink; drain.
3. Combine the cornstarch, apple juice and water until smooth; stir into the beef mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minutes or until thickened. Return the vegetables to the pan; heat through. Serve over the rice.

Kabobs

Tonight was a great night for food. It was kabob night! Steak...check. Onion...check. Green Pepper...check. All on a stick?! Check! Throw on some soy sauce and a nice hot grill and you have good eats. Very easy! We also did some zuccini with sweet baby peppers in the grill bowl, topped with EVO, kosher salt and pepper. Yay!!

Strawberry Chicken Spinach Salad

Ingredients

• 2 bunches spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 4 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions

1. In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and strawberries.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, and toss to coat.

*I also added oven roasted chicken, red onion and a fresh pear to the salad for a little kick.

Pork Burgers on the Grill

We are in the Midwest and when it comes to different types of Burgers, pork ones are hard to beat. When we first moved to the area, we found some fantastic pork burgers in the local store. They were great, grilled nicely and took to BBQ sauce like a champ. Then the store got rid of them. Tears were shed. Others were tried and nothing was as good as the old. Well today was finally the day of a suitable replacement and we only had to look to our local butcher for the cure. Tonight we had Pork Burgers, Salad, and Crash Hot Potatoes. I will have to talk about those another day. Good stuff!

Grilled Salmon

After a stop at our local Schnuck's, a nice marinated Salmon was just begging to be grilled up and served with a veggie-pasta side. Can't get much simpler than this. All you have to do is slap it on the grill and make up the pasta. Nice and easy!

California Pizza Kitchen - BBQ Chicken

Tonight is another work night on the China Cabinet. We are so close to being done. With a disasterous try at Trader Joe's, Salmon has been put off and we will be having a good 'ol fashioned frozen pizza in its place.

Gourmet Pizza

Well it was an interesting task getting this pizza to be. We decided to take the grilled approach and use a pizza stone on the grill... one of the ways recommended on the Trader Joe's wheat dough we were using. As soon as we got the dough rolled out, the gas went out on the grill. No bueno. So we moved the stone into the oven. We put the pizza together by coating the dough with EVO, putting on sauce, onions, garlic, fresh mozeralla, pepperoni, and topping it with EVO, salt and pepper and fresh basil from the garden. It looked fantastic! And then came time to move it.....that didn't go so well. Our lovely looking pizza went into the oven looking like something out of the twilight zone.... but in the end it was delish! Next time I do want to push to grill the actual dough and then top it and heat it again. I think it should turn out great. We can hope at least!

Crab Cakes

Grilled Sandwiches and Mac and Cheese

Tonight we cheated a bit. Kabobs were on the menu, but we wanted to spend a good chunk of time tonight working on a home project. So instead of Kabobs, we did panini-like sandwiches and good ol' mac and cheese. Comfort food :)

For our hot sandwiches, we take 2 slices of white bread and butter one side on each slice. Slap a cold cut of your choice, or not, on the griddle and warm. Put the butter side of one slice down on the griddle. Top that with your meat and choice of cheese and top it off with the other slice of bread, butter side up. Let cook for about 90-120 secs for each side and you should be good to go. Always a great, easy meal and sometimes we need those!

To Die for Burgers

Tonight we had burgers and fries. Tyler had some "flu-like symptoms" today and it was slow going, but turned out great. Nothing a little hair of the dog couldn't fix, if he dared. :) Here are the recipes:

    

Grilled Sausages

Tonight we went to a co-worker of Tyler's and helped to celebrate her Husband's birthday. The theme of the party was Sausages. Unfortunately, the other boys got a little too wasted a little too quickly and Tyler was put on the grill. He loves to do that, but it was kind of awkward. :) The hostess kept apologizing, which was cute. We had never met any of these people, except for the hosts. Anyways.....the sausage came from a lovely hidden gem in the C-U area: The Illini Meat Room. This is a small retail place that sells the meat butchered by the Ag students at U of I who are training to be butchers. The meat is as fresh as you can get and is wonderfully cheap! Lots of good food. A little too much drink. And all is well.

Tacos

Tonight I made fresh home-made tacos for my family in town. Nothing gets my boys running like home-made taco shells. Throw in a bowl: eggs, tobasco sauce, oil, salt, corn starch, corn meal and some milk and you will end up with a fabulous corn tortilla, nice and warm. Add with that some seasoned beef, lettuce, onion, cheese and salsa, and you have a fantastic taco. I think this might be Tyler's favorite meal I make.

Grilled Ahi Tuna and Asparagus

Tonight we had the Ahi Tuna I picked up from Trader Joe's. It comes vaccum-packed and is already marinated for your convenience. We also had asparagus, as well. The veggie was already in a ziplock bag, so Tyler threw in some olive oil, salt and pepper and got it all nice and coated. Then he threw the tuna and asparagus on the grill and 10 minutes later, we had a great meal. This made me fall in love with TJ's that much more.

Chicken Caesar Salad

Tonight we had a great salad. I have come to the decision that for our family of 2, a packaged salad is the way to go to cut down on waste. So after a long afternoon at the pool, I stopped by the store to pick up a salad, chicken breast strips, french baguette and some dessert. 

At home, I took the salad package and put it right in the fridge. On the stove, I scrambled 2 eggs with a little milk and then mixed in the chicken breast. When heated through, I put the lettuce in a bowl, topped with chicken and scrambled eggs, added some romano caesar dressing, topped with parmesan flakes, crutons and salt and pepper.

I served this with a side of warmed french bread and butter and it was Delish! Nothing like a good salad in the Summer and so easy!

For Dessert, I picked up some angel food cake and fresh strawberries. I decored the strawberries, put a half cup of sugar on them and let them marinate for a few hours to get nice and juicy. Cut a couple of slices of the cake, put them on a dish and set up with a heaping of strawberries. Yum!

Spaghetti Carbonara

 

This recipe turned out to be great. I made a few adjustments due to what was on hand. Instead of buying bacon, I used Pancetta, which is an Italian Bacon. I also substituted Asparagus for the Peas. Yum!

Trying Something New

I am trying my hand at planning out meals instead of flying by the seat of our pants each night. My blog came to mind as a place to post what we were having and a place to post the recipes. We will see how it works out :)