On tap this week

The weather this past weekend was perfect!   It's weekends like this that give you hope spring is really here or at least on her way.....

It was G's bday so Nana & Grampy came up to help celebrate.   The big boys played golf while Nana and I hung out with the wee one and then we all met for lunch.  Pickle does not take well to sitting in a high chair these days which makes life interesting to say the least.   Hopefully this phase will pass soon.

We are lucky enough to have a park within walking distance to the house and we spent the afternoon down there.   Pickle wants nothing more than to be outside and he had a blast at the park and made some new friends to run around with.  I love it that he is not shy around people - I think one reason is because he is in daycare and is just used to be around others and playing.

Sunday I took a nap when Pickle did and as a result the afternoon was rushed - which I hate.   G was outside working on a project with converting the kennel and so I was trying to cook for the week and keep a toddler happy.  Not a whole bunch of fun but it all worked out and we even slipped in a walk around the neighborhood. 

Here's what on tap this week......

Cheese & Spinach Tortellini w/ Alfredo sauce.  I discovered after I was cooking the pasta that there wasn't going to be enough for two meals so I cooked some chicken as well.   Going to basically play it by ear and see what happens.

I also made a Shepard's Pie which I've never done.  I looked at a lot of recipes but I basically patterned mine after here - since I work with a bunch of engineers I think its only fitting.

Here is basically what I did.....

1 lb ground beef
Olive Oil
1 onion diced
1 can corn - drained and rinsed
1 1/2 tablespoons flour (would use more next time)
1 1/4 cup beef broth

7 small pototoes
butter
sour cream

butter
paprika

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Butter/spray a 9 inch glass pan

Cook you potatoes sans skins and then smash them. Add butter and sour cream to your liking for a smooth  creamy mixture and put aside.

Basically you brown the ground beef and drain it.   Then you cook the onions in some olive oil until the are tender and the corn and let it simmer with the onions for a minute.  Then add the beef back in and sprinkle the flour over the top.  Let cook for a couple of minutes and then add the beef broth.  Start with a cup and cook for a minute or so until the "gravy" forms.  You may or may not want to add more broth at this point.  Mine was a little soupy.....

Pour the meat mixture into your pan and spread the potatoes over the top.  Put some small pats of butter on the top and sprinkle the whole thing w/ paprika.

Into the oven for 30 minutes. 

G and the Pickle both liked this and so it will probably be put on rotation. 

Ah April.......

To say that I'm happy to see March go would be a major understatement.  This month has been a complete roller coaster ride that I am more than happy to get off of.  No need to rehash the details here but I'm glad its Spring and I time of fresh starts and new beginnings.

Spring is such a great time of year.....the flowers are blooming in my yard.   So fun to see the new bulbs I planted and to remember all the existing ones.   The trees right now are beyond wonderful and even though it doesn't last for long its so lovely to drive into work and see all the blossoms lining the drive.

Yesterday seemed to be a busy busy day.  I must not move as fast as I used to or I am easily distracted by a very cute pickle that lives with me.   So hard to find the balance on the weekends of getting stuff done and still spending time with him.   Luckily he will happily play with him self if his dad and I are are busy with other things and this I believe is healthy and it will benefit him in the long run as well.   I also know that by doing the prep I do on the Sunday's the week goes a lot smoother and I am able to spend more time with him during the precious hour or so that I get with him in the evenings.  The juggling act of a mother is one I struggle with constantly and and try to be open to trying new things that will make it easier for all.

I have to say also that I have mastered what I believe to be the perfect recipe for making your own refried beans at home.   I've looked at a lot of recipes (sorry folks but I'm NOT putting lard in them) and this is what I have come up with.

2 lbs pinto beans - rinse and pick out the ugly ones
1 small onion diced
1 - 2 cans of green chilis
Cumin sprinkled over the top of everything.
4 cups water
2 cups veggie broth
Salt

Put all of the above in your crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

I break the cardinal rule of never opening the lid of every recipe.   This is no exception.  I stir the beans about 4 hours in and check the level of liquid.  I then stir and check them about every hour or so after that.   I usually end up added another 1 - 2 cups of water.

When its done you need to take out some of the liquid.  You won't want all of it in there.  I take out the majority of it and put it in a bowl in case I need to add some of it back in.   This is where your hand emulsifier comes in handy and if you don't have one you need to get one.   You just blend away until you have the consistency you think your family will like.  Then taste it and add salt and cumin as needed.

I kept some out for Pickle to eat and to put in the Enchilada's I was making for this week.  The rest goes in freezer bags to lay flat in the freezer.

Super easy and really much cheaper than all those cans!

Also, on tap this week I made this......felt like some white trash food was in order so why not a good ol' chicken noodle casserole. 

Chicken Noodle Casserole

I kinda divided this in half.   You could make the whole thing and freeze or give away the other half.  Also, I just used two chicken breast which was plenty.   I also used Ritz Crackers for the topping since that's what I had on hand.   It was good but next time I will put in some water chestnuts, use milk not half and half and might had a dash of curry or a bunch of some fresh herbs.  I might also bake the chicken tossed in some spices.  All in all a crowd pleaser for the boys.

soups on

I recently made a new soup recipe and although the recipe needs some altering it turned out great!

Here's the recipe.....
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili Mac

Here's the goods.  I got everything prepped and ready to go early that day.  Then when I went to put everything together later that afternoon it was kind of like being on my own little personal cooking show.......bubba was my audience.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 diced Anaheim Pepper  I used a couple of cans of diced green chili's
• 2 cups sliced zucchini - I used the mini's from TJ and then they could be in rounds.
• 3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 3 cups cooked shredded chicken breast ( I just used a rotisserie chicken from the Costco)
• Three 15 ounce cans white beans
• 64 ounces reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 ounce package Ranch seasoning mix
• 3 limes, juiced
• 1/4 cup ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups small dry pasta (I used macaroni)
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 avocado, diced

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in Anaheim peppers, zucchini, green bell peppers, chicken and beans. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring often.
2. Transfer to a large crock pot over high heat. Add broth, Ranch seasoning, lime juice, cumin, garlic salt, salt, pepper and pasta. Close lid and let cook for 2 hours on high. Reduce heat to low or warm. Right before serving stir in cilantro and top each individual bowl with diced avocado.

Ok so like I said I love the recipe but I'm not sure how she thinks all the chicken broth (along with everything else) is going to fit in a normal crockpot.  Because guess what - it doesn't.   Which is totally fine.  You can get enough in there to cook everything.  I then I just added more later.  I made this on Sunday for dinners for the week.   It made enough for two meals, some for the freezer (which would of been great if I didn't leave the freezer door open- but that's another story for another time) and a quart to give the parentals.  I just put the whole thing in the fridge and then took parts of it out and added some chicken broth when I reheated it.   Parentals said it was good so it freezes fine.

Pictures you ask?  Well I took them with my phone - and will they are lost along the way somewhere......

Uh oh......

Spaghettios.....

Depending on your age you may or may not be very familiar with our dear chef Boyardee and this lovely concoction......  

image

And when looking for an image I am reminded of the time a rodent was found in a can but I digress....

There were many things I longed for as a small child but did not get which I understand why now and many of these things fall under the catagory of processed foods:   Pop Tarts, Icees, various sugared cerals.......  There also was not a lot of Chef Boyardee in our family cupboard.   And like any child you want what you cannot have and sadly no of my other friends had these things as well so it wasn't like I could go to their house to get them.   Amazingly enough I survived childhood without these things and most of them I will not give to J either.   But when I came across this recipe I just couldn't resist!

 

Recipe found here 

I made this on Sunday and G's response was - that taste exactly like spaghettio's.   Then he proceeded to tell me he wasn't a big fan of them.  Sigh......   Shows he doesn't pay attention when I discuss the week's menu with him.   Needless to say he ate a big whooping portion of it so I guess it all worked out ok.

I pretty much followed the recipe but used ground beef (about a pound) instead of chicken.   This makes enough for a family of 20 growning boys.   Well maybe not exactly but geez it seemed to expand in the pan as I went.   Needless to say plenty for two meals as well as some to go in the freezer for later and it couldn't be any easier to through together.   Bonus was that J had it for dinner Monday night and loved it as well.  Try to ignore the amount of butter and remember there its for a pound of pasta.   You will have left over ranch dressing mix and so I sprinkled that over the califlower and carrots I was roasting in the oven and it was perfect!  Definetly a fall meal with the pasta and veggies straight from the oven.

Bon Appetit! 

Now I remember why I don't make stuffed shells.......

.....because when the cook the shells they break up and stick to the bottom of the pan so you have to cook the whole box and then you only get about half of the box with shells that you can still stuff and use which is just beyond frustrating and wasteful.....

But I digress.....

I had the TV on one morning while I was doing stuff and J was sleeping and one of Paula Deen kids was on (apparently only she got axed not them) and he was making stuffed shells.   This prompted me to wonder why I didn't ever make those.  So off to Pinterest I went looked at a couple of recipes and came up with this.......

1 jar your favorite red pasta sauce (don't judge I have a baby and limited time)
1 12 oz can tomatoe sauce
1/2 a container ricotta cheese
1 cup or so of mozzarella cheese
1 lb chicken italian sausage
1 box pasta shells
handfuls of your favorite Italian herbs fresh or dried
sprinkle of sugar
splash of red wine

Brown the sausage and add the sauces.  Twik the sauce to your taste with sugar, wine, and herbs.   Let simmer for about an hour or so if you can but if not move on to the next step

Cook the shells - cook all of them.....just in case they break or stick to the bottom of the pan (I know I'm ranting and repeating - I can its my blog - hee hee). Once cooked place the ones that aren't stuck to the bottom of the pan on a towel to cool. 

Spray the bottom of a 9x13 or two 9x9 pans (I did two 9x9 and put one in the freezer for a rainy day)

Spread some of the sauce in the bottom of both pans - enough to cover the bottom and make a "nest"

Into the remaining sauce add the ricotta and a handful of the mozzarella cheese.  Add more or less of the ricotta as you see fit - this to me is a personal preference thing.   Also the traditional thing to do would be to add some cooked spinach at this point but I opted not to this time.  This is your "stuffing".  Stuff the shells and nestle them on top of the sauce.

Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the tops

If you are freezing stop here - double wrap and save for another day.

If you are eating now......Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 - 45 minutes depending on your oven.

The last 15 minutes I put some leftover french bread wrapped in foil next to it to have some warm bread to go with it.

You win some.......

......you loose some

So last week I said I was going to make Sloppy Joes and I did and they were inedible.   This does not happen to me often when I try a recipe.   I can usually "fix it" as my husband says.   This however was not fixable.   The first time I try a recipe I basically do what it says for the most part.  Even though a little voice told me that vinegar was a bad idea I did it anyway.   It tasted ok on Sunday but when I took it out to reheat on Monday.......wowza on the vinegar.   Not to worry I thought this is fixable so I added some sugar and then some more sugar, and then some ketchup, and then some tomato paste, and then basically I decided to quit wasting things throwing them in this pot.   I wasn't really hungry and G was late so I ate some sauteed zucchini (YUM!) and fixed G a sandwich when he got home.   Now most things are better with a big slab of Tillamook cheddar so I slapped one of those on the sandwich.   Didn't work.   G struggled and I said - I know its no good just have a bowl of cereal.   He was sweet and said no problem and that he figured I would fix it for us to eat later.   I told him I'd already tried that and it was a lost cause.   Oh well maybe I should of just used Manwich - wonder if they still make that?

In the winner circle however is this chicken.   It's super simple and what I would call a Pantry Dinner. However, I did half Dijon and half yellow (I know I know that's not following the recipe - I did say most times) as G is not a huge fan of Dijon mustard.   I would however recommend less vinegar.  I had to "fix" with more mustard and syrup after I added the vinegar.

Maybe I have bad vinegar?  Is that possible?   Is there a shelf life on red wine vinegar?

Perhaps I should look into that......

This is in the refrigerator as we speak waiting for me to get home and put it in the oven.  However, I halved the recipe and didn't use onion, pepper, or jalepeno's but did use some mild green chili's.  Oh and I didn't have biscuit mix so I used biscuits in the can on the bottom.   Maybe I don't always follow a recipe the first time afterall?  I seem to be contradicting that right and left now don't I?

Stew

Last week I made a departure from the plan and threw together a stew one day.

G will eat this but I forget he is never truly thrilled with eating it twice in one week.  No worries as I divided the leftovers into small containers and put them in the freezer for lunches.

No picture - sorry I forgot....you will just have to take my word it was tasty!


Beef Barley Stew

2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1/2 cup water
1 onion rough cut
3 carrots finely chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup barley (I would maybe add a cup next time)
1 lb beef stew cut up in smallish pieces

Throw everything in the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours.   Yes you could brown the meat first but lets be honest here part of the joy of slow cooking is only having one pan dirty.   Also, who has the time for browning.  

Served with a salad and some rolls fresh from the oven!

Bon Appétit 

Recipe Recap

Here's a brief update on the new recipes we tired last week.

First up the Clam Chowder
This was pretty much a home run hit with G.   He said it was "restaurant worthy" and "if he had a facebook page he would post a pic and say how great it is".   I'd never made clam chowder before and definitely will again being that A - G loved it and B - it could not be more simple,  We had a salad of greens, tomatoes, and a little feta to go with it.

Next up Stuffed Beef Crescents
These were a hit as well and not only did I get two dinner I also have some in the freezer for another day.   My advise if you are going to make this and there is just two of you - divide the meat in two.   I did it "fresh" both nights.  By this I mean I only used on roll of crescent dough per night.   You just need to reheat the meat the second night before you roll it in the dough.  Also, the second night G decided he wanted a sauce on the side so he had his with a side of salsa.   These little pockets are very rich so you definitely want a veggie of some sort to balance the whole thing out.  I will keep this recipe but it won't be one that I will pull out all that often.  That's roasted broccoli - if you missed it my post on roasting veggies can be found here

Bon Appétit!

Eggy

So apologies to start off as there will be no pictures for this post.  I didn't have my phone by me - as it doesn't really ring right now ( a whole other story)  - and the camera was off somewhere else as well.

This is super easy though and could be breakfast lunch or dinner.

1 bunch of asparagus - trimmed and cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 large red onion - rough chop
7 eggs
splash of milk
grated cheese  - handful

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Start by cooking one large red onion until soft.   Add the asparagus and cover the pan to help cook it until just past the crunchy stage.   Spray/butter a 8x8 or 9x9 pan (I prefer glass).   Dump the veggie mixture in the bottom of the pan.   Grate whatever cheese you have on hand - I used a handful of cheddar and Parmesan and sprinkle on the top of the veggies.   Next scrabble the eggs and add a splash of milk.   You should salt and pepper at this point as well but I forgot.   Pour the egg mixture over the veggies and cheese and set in the over to bake for about 25 -30 minutes.   I checked on the whole thing at 20 and decided it needed about 8 more minutes.  

This is going to be my new spring/summer standard and I hope to make one every Sunday.   The possibilities are endless!  What veggies I put in will just depend on what I find fresh at the market.  I will say this isn't very "eggy" but I like it that way.  If you more of an egg type dish I would add more eggs because this way the veggies are really the star of the show.   You could even add meat if you wanted but as I've mentioned since J started growing in my belly meat doesn't always appeal plus you are getting plenty of protein with egg and cheese.  Had this for dinner last night, breakfast this morning, and will probably have for lunch tomorrow.  It warms beautiful in the microwave and actually wouldn't be half bad cold either.

Ole!

We have Mexican food of some sort at least once a week - G loves it and so do I.   Most weeks we just have taco's but sometimes we have enchilada's - recipe posted here.   Have to say not such a fan of the enchilada's in my knocked up state.  But I must have Taco Del Mar on the weekends.   Yesterday I had an unexpected trip to the Dr.   Everything is fine but those little visits always wear me out and I love my Dr and the clinic I go to but I am always a little shop worn after.  Luckily I got to work from home the remainder of the day but I needed dinner to be easy.  G had BBQ pretty much every night this week so it was time to move on from that.  So I went to my go to......TACO's!

Took some pics for you as well

All the veggies and cheese~we have salsa and sour cream as well

Pick your protein.  I am not such a fan of the meat in my current condition but G does both meat and beans

My finished product!  G does his in flower tortilla.

 And the even better news is I had leftovers for lunch!   So that made this morning packing process much easier.   Just need to remember to leave off the onions next time for the lunch.  Feel like I have dragon onion breath on everyone - oh well.

And as an extra bonus the sun is shining today - has been all week - and the rain is not coming until Monday.  Today is a good day energy level - have to say all in all I love being knocked up - its the journey of a lifetime and I would not trade it or J growing in my belly for anything in the world Maybe just maybe I will get the garden planted this weekend..........

Pizza Pasta

This is the only picture I took.  But doesn't it look yummy!

I have to say I was beyond tired when I got home last night but this recipe was just what I needed.  Homemade comfort food and enough for two dinners.

I got the idea from Sweet Happy Life and I pretty much followed it.

I took one bag of frozen cheese ravioli's ( I used the 365 brand from Whole Paycheck) and one jar of marinara sauce (no clue what kind - it was what I had on hand) and grated a bunch of mozzarella cheese and a little Parmesan.   Cook the raviolis, toss with the sauce and layer with the cheese in a dish.  Bake at 425 for about 20 - 30 minutes.  I left the dish covered for the first part which of course made it saucy - didn't think that through - but it turned out ok in the end.  I can see all kinds of variations with this.  Different ravioli and different cheeses.  And it a great Meatless Monday dish!   Also, if you have wee ones I think this would be a hit.

Quick and Dirty

As I have mentioned before I like to take the morning on Sunday's and do as much food prep as possible for the week ahead.  Today was that day.  Going with the idea of cook once eat twice (very doable since there are only two of us) here is what I made this morning.

In the slow cooker as we speak.....

Before picture.....

Chuck roast
Large white onion - rough chop
Lipton onion soup mix
Dashs of L&P Worcestershire sauce
1/4 can of chopped tomatoes (left over from spaghetti sauce)

Throw it all in the pot on low for 6 - 8 hours.  Will serve with mashed potatoes and either green salad or spinach.

The other thing I made was spaghetti sauce.   Not from scratch mind you but with a little help

Muir Glen organic pasta sauce
1lb mild Italian pork sausage
Mushroom (no clue how many - the brown paper sack was 1/3 full)
One large white onion - medium chop
One can black olives - all sliced in half
2/3 of a can of diced tomatoes
A couple of handfuls of halved small plum tomatoes
Sprinkle or two of sugar ( as needed)
Crushed dried Italian herbs

I brown the mushrooms and then add the onions.   Remove them from the pan and then cook the pork sausage in the same pan.  Once the sausage is cooked drain the excess fat and then add back in the onion/mushroom mixture and add the olives.   The add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low for a while.  Add sugar as needed.   You can add a little red wine if you have some open as well but I didn't have any open so I didn't. 

This will be dinner for Monday and Wednesday and I bet there is enough to freeze some for another night as well.

Not sure which pasta I will serve it with yet.  But will do a different one each night. 

Another post coming soon with what I did for my lunch and breakfast for this week

Cooking catch up

So I know I have been MIA for a while but life so far this year has been busy and I've been fighting this stupid cold.   So to make up for my absence you get an extra long post!

First up is a veggie soup I made for lunch last week but I'm just now getting the pictures downloaded.  Just used what I had on hand which was the following (if you want exact measurements you aren't going to like this but this is how it came together):

red onion
5-6 - might of been more - they were skinny
couple of hand fulls of mushrooms
half a bunch of purple kale (warning - this will turn the soup a mucky color)
cabbage - a big slice
corn from the freezer that I put in there for just this reason (gave it a nice sweetness)

Just put it all in the big pot on the stove and let it cook away and then I added a quart of chicken broth and a little dill seed and let it simmer for about an hour.   G's comment as he walked in the kitchen "that looks healthy - what's it for?"  I think he breathed a sigh of relief when I said it was for my lunch.

I also have beets roasting in the oven.   Just peel and cube and toss with some EVOO and put in the oven  at 350.  And let them bake, and bake, and bake.   They are great on their own or in a salad of anything really.  They almost become sweet.

Also, Friday I made a wonderful new one pot meal that I will share here as well.
It's called Spiced Chicken and Rice and the original recipe can be found  here on the Williams Sonoma blog.
I made some modifications based on what I had in the pantry.   This is the kind of meal you can tailor to what you have on hand which I love.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs. canola oil
• 2. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• Ginger sherry* as needed - maybe 1/4 cup
• 1 bunch scallions (green and white parts)
• about 8 mushrooms
• 1 cup long-grain rice, such as basmati
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 half lemon
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Brown the chicken
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and most of the scallions and continue cooking until mushrooms are browned as well.  Transfer the chicken mixture to a plate.

Make the rice
Add the ginger and curry powder to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, scraping up any browned bits from the pan bottom, and bring to a boil. Add the rice, raisins, lemon zest and juice, and 1 tsp. salt.

Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and the chicken is opaque throughout, about 20 minutes. I will be honest that I had to add more chicken broth and some ginger sherry here to have enough liquid to cook the rice. Add the rest of the scallions cover and let stand for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the parsley and almonds over the rice, stir to combine and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

 

*Ginger sherry - cooking sherry that I keep in a jar in the fridge with peeled and sliced ginger in it. 

 

Great thing about this meal is that is was more than enough for two meals.   I served it with steamed spinach which I thought was perfect to take away a little of the heat that comes with the dish.  

Sunday prep

So since I posted so many pictures of the trip in yesterdays post today will be photo less.

Just a quick update of the food prep for the week.

Sunday cooking:

• This week in the crockpot- a whole chicken. Thus will yield at least two meals. Will use the bones later to make some stock.
• Veggie spaghetti sauce (tomatoes, olives, onion, garlic, mushroom, t sauce, t paste, fresh & dried herbs)- one night with turkey meatballs and one with cheese ravoli
• Apple spice bread - TJ box mix spiced up with some orange and lemon spice and almond extract
• Lunch mush - I roasted cauliflower with a couple potatoes and onion. Then mashed it together with some garbonzo beans with the immersion blender. Also added some curry and paprika. All divided up and ready to throw in my lunchbox
• Also baked some eggs for grab and go breakfast to be wrapped in a flour tortilla with some laughing cow cheese

Later I'm going to stuff a little sugar pumpkin with some bread and cheese. Need to find the recipe however. I will take pictures and post if it turns out to be good.

Last Weekend

Computer problems last weekend and just too busy to download the pictures this week so this post is a little delayed.....

Last weekend was the first of June and really the first nice weekend we have had this year - sigh - so we were excited to see it and welcomed it by BBQ'ing every night!   I love this of course because it means less cooking and less clean up for me.

Friday night G wanted hot dogs - I try and avoid hot dogs as much as possible.   I'm not saying I don't enjoy a good ol' Costco dog every once in a while or have one at a game but there are better things to have in the comfort of my home.   At this point the treadmill was still broken and I had a prescription I needed to pick up so I decided to walk down to Haggen's, pick up my px, and a little something for dinner.   As luck would have it they had salmon burgers so I picked myself up one of those along w/ a red velvet cupcake, some buns for G, and a couple of other things and headed back home.   I didn't get a picture of the salmon burger but it doesn't really matter because I won't be having it again.   The ones at Whole PayCheck are muuuccchhhh better - lesson learned.   The walk was great but I really wish I had my bike - would of made the 2 1/2 mile trek go much faster.  The cupcake was delish!   Red velvet with cream cheese frosting made me think of my friend Jackie.

 Moving onto Saturday.   Spent some time in the yard battling the weeds in the flower beds.   We didn't have time to mulch but hopefully we will next weekend if the weather holds.   Did a little more planting in the garden (pics to be posted soon) and ran to the store again to get something to BBQ for Saturday and Sunday only this time we went to Whole PayCheck.   We got a NY steak - delish!  And I made a fresh salad and G had some Texas toast on the grill.   Tasted just like summer!   Which is appropriate being it is June.   Some pics of the dinner as follows.  By the by the salad is in a salad bowl I got at Ikea that was like $5  dollars or something equally ridiculous.

I almost forgot one of the highlights of Saturday evening.   What does one deserve after a long day of working in the yard.   A nice cool and refreshing and fun cocktail!

Here's my new favorite: 

I know the picture is going the wrong way but I can't figure out how to fix that and I think it's kinda funny for the drink to be on its side.   Anywho Smirnoff Mojito cut w/ a little passion fruit Skye and some Le croix sparkling water is my new fav - delish!   A little fresh mint from the garden and you are good to go.

In other news - G was able fix my treadmill - yeah!  But I still want a bike - something like this....

via here

Dinner

I have to say this is one of my favorite recipes.  Mainly because it's thrown together w/ whats on hand.

1 can diced tomatoes (I like to use ones that have basil & garlic or somthing like that)

1 red onion

A couple of good squirts tomate paste (depends on the thickness you want)

A couple of handfulls of chopped parsley

Combine everything into a pan and cook until its all melted together.  I usually put the parsley in at the end.

Then add chicken sausage and heat through

Meanwhile you should be boiling whatever pasta you have on hand.

My personal favorite with this is a bowtie type.

Add caption