Penne with Squash and Prawns

When my mom was visiting, she used this recipe to make a delicious meal. It is so different and flavorful. We made a few changes. We mashed the squash right in the pan witn a potato masher instead of pureeing it. We used chicken stock instead of vegetable stock and didn't needed to use milk since we used about two cups of stock. We omitted the basil and it was still delicious. We used penne instead of rigatoni and two pounds of shrimp rather than one. This was a great meal!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Okay, so I know BBQ chicken pizza is nothing new but I thought I'd post this because I was so happy with the change in regular pizza and the ease of prep for this meal. I made crockpot bbq chicken sandwiches earlier in the week (chicken breasts plus a bottle of bbq sauce). A few days later, I rolled out a pizza dough, spread on a small amount of bbq sauce, then topped the pizza with mozarella and the leftover bbq chicken. The pizza was scrumptious!

Sweet Potato Ravioli

I came across this recipe in Cooking Light magazine and thought it sounded delicious. I loved using the wonton wrappers (after much searching and the help of great Wegman's employees, I found these in the produce section). We all loved these as a side dish and Jack and I had them for our lunch the next day. The filling is similar to a sweet potato casserole filling, sweet and fragrant. I didn't make the sage butter but just drizzled a little melted butter on top. Very good and different!

Baked Acorn Squash

I adapted a recipe from this website for an easy and delicious Fall side dish:

Baked Acorn Squash

1 Acorn squash

1 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 T Honey

Preheat oven to 400. Cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to end (It's easier if you zap it in the microwave on half power for a few minutes). Scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff in the center of each half. Score the insides of each half several times with a sharp knife. Place each half in a baking pan, cut side up. Add about a 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the baking pan so that the skins don't burn and the squash doesn't get dried out. Coat the inside of each half with 1/2 a Tbsp of butter. Add a Tbsp of brown sugar to the cavity of each half. Drizzle the honey on each half. Bake in the oven for about one hour, until the squash is very soft and the tops are browned.

Back to the Blog with Chocoalte Cake!

Oh my goodness, I've been the biggest slacker on my blog lately. It's been over a month since I've posted anything. I have made a few new things in the past month so I'm going to get a lot of posts done right now. First up, a fabulous dessert! Thanks to Taryn for this recipe for a chocolate cake. I made it for Matt's birthday and it was delicious and so easy!

Chocolate Cake to "Dah" For:
1 box chocolate cake mix (any kind of chocolate, I used Devil's Food)

3 oz. milk chocolate instant pudding (must be instant pudding)

8 oz. sour cream

9 oz. chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet)

1 cup oil

1/2 cup water

3 eggs

Mix cake mix and pudding, then add all other ingredients. Bake @ 350degrees for 60 minutes. (Check @ 50 minutes) Do Not Overcook.

I baked the cake in two 9-inch rounds and put a layer of chocolate whipped cream in between the layers. Then, I frosted the cake with plain, sweetened whipped cream. Delicious! Taryn suggested chopping up your favorite candy bar to add in between the layers and sprinkle on top.

Cocoa Chimichanga

What a delicious, easy, and different dessert. Try this recipe. Adding whipped cream probably ruins the whole "healthy dessert" idea but I couldn't resist.

Chicken with Tomatillo and Cilantro Sauce

Okay, I don't blame you when this picture does not entice you to try this recipe. But, this chicken is actually delicious! If you like cilantro, you will love it! The tomatillo and cilantro make such a fresh, tasty sauce. I cut back the onion to about a quarter and it was still delicious. Try this for a new take on chicken breasts!

Rosa Mexicano

A few Saturdays ago (well, maybe it was about two months ago, time flies!) we drove into DC to walk around and find some place to eat. We ended up in the Gallery Place/Chinatown area. We stumbled upon Rosa Mexicano and decided to try it out. It was great! Matt had the carne asada tacos al asador and the steak was delicious! I had the Budin de Pollo and the dish was excellent. The sauce was fantastic! We ended the meal with the Paraiso de Chocolate which was a very rich, dark chocolate souffle. Very decadent. I recommend it only to those who love dark chocolate. I do so I loved it. And, the sweet tomatillo sauce that accompanied it was very different! We saw that the most popular item on the menu is the guacamole that they make at your table in big black stone dishes. We didn't think we would be able to eat it all ourselves but next time we go we'll definitely try that. We really liked the fancy twist on mexican food at this restaurant. It was excellent! To top it off, Jack was so good and the waitstaff was very friendly to him. What a great evening!

Black Bean Stoup

I love this soup recipe from Rachael Ray. I like to serve it with grilled cheese. Yum!

Cajun Flounder Caeser Salad

This is a quick and easy meal that we always love. Dust fish filets (I have used salmon and flounder but I think this would work with just about any fish and would also be great with shrimp) with Cajun seasoning. Put into oven to broil. Meanwhile, make and dress a Caesar salad (I keep it simple with romaine, tomatoes, bottled dressing, and shredded parm). Divide salad between plates and when fish is cooked, place on top of salad. I like serving this with garlic bread.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with White Beans

I came across this recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine and was surprised at the short ingredient list and even more surprised that I had all the ingredients (this rarely happens for me with a Martha Stewart recipe). I used boneless, skinless breasts and had a little bit of a hard time making the pocket for the bean mixture, I haven't tried that before. This chicken was delicious! It was so flavorful and different. I used kalamata olives which gave the bean mixture a nice strong flavor. I found the cooking time on the recipe to be a little too long but I did have the rack on the lowest level, so that might have been my problem. This is a really tasty way to dress up a chicken breast. I'll definitely be making this again.

This Week's Menu

Monday 9/22:
* Stuffed Chicken Breasts
* Spinach Salad
* Rice

Tuesday 9/23:
* Mexican Lasagna
* Corn

Wednesday 9/24:
* Cajun Flounder Caeser Salad
* Garlic Bread

Thursday 9/25:
* Stuffed Shells
* Steamed Broccoli
* Garlic Bread

Friday 9/26:
* Black Bean Stoup
* Grilled Cheese

Saturday 9/27:

Sunday 9/28:
* Chicken Enchiladas
* Salad

Caramel Banana Cupcakes

Thank you to Erin for sending me this recipe for this amazing cupcakes. If you like bananas and caramel, you will love these. Oh my goodness, the frosting, I can't even tell you how good it is (probably because it's pretty much pure butter, but really, if you're going to have dessert, you might as well really have dessert!). These cupcakes take a lot of work so if you do make them, be sure to have a good amount of time set aside, and know that you will be washing your mixing bowl a few times throughout the process (I don't think I would have made these without my stand mixer). I made the full batch and came out with 16 cupcakes. For the frosting, I cut the butter to 1 1/2 sticks and still had extra frosting. I also needed to cut the cooking time down by about 5 minutes (probably because I have a hot oven and was using a dark, non-stick pan). After you make these you will probably want to stick a caramel in the middle of all of your cupcakes. I loved biting into them and finding the gooey caramel! Let me know your secret if you're able to restrain yourself from sneaking a few caramels while your making these. I certainly wasn't.

Chicken Stir Fry

My mom suggested this recipe. It is really simple and delicious and a new way to prepare chicken. She used broccolini and sliced red pepper and I tried that combination which was great, especially since we're not the hugest fans of mushrooms. You can really use whatever vegetables you want; It's the sauce that makes the dish good. I recommend doubling the sauce and slicing your chicken very thinly. I served this with chow mien noodles.

Baked Ziti

I adapted the recipe on the back of the pasta box to make this baked ziti which turned out really well. You can cut down the ricotta so you only have to buy a 15-oz container. I really like using a bit more, though.

1 pound ziti, cooked and drained

1 28-0z can marinara sauce (TJ's is the best!)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T dried basil

1 T dried parsley

1 t oregano

20 oz low-fat ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozarella cheese

1/3 cup shredded parm

Adjust seasonings to taste and combine all ingredients besides 1/2 cup mozarella and the parm in the pasta pot until all fully incorporated. Transfer to greased 9x13 pan. Top with remaining mozarella and parmesan. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 10 minutes.

Feta Chicken with Zucchini

I normally don't love the recipes from Real Simple but since I had all the ingredients on hand, I tried this one. I used on zucchini and one yellow squash. The lemon is really strong in this dish so don't make it if you don't like lemon. The best part is the warm feta cheese on top. The feta I used had herbs and spices mixed in and that added a lot.

Basil Burgers

A yummy twist on turkey burgers: Add chopped basil and Wochestershire sauce (to taste) to the meat before forming into patties. After grilling, top with mozzarella and sliced tomato. Spread hamburger buns with basil-garlic mayo. Yum!

This Week's Menu

Monday 9/15:
* Basil Turkey Burgers
* Fries

Tuesday 9/16:
* Feta Chicken with Zucchini
* Rice

Wednesday 9/17:
* Baked Ziti
* Caesar Salad
* Garlic Bread

Thursday 9/18:
* Chicken Stir-Fry
* Lo-Mien Noodles

Friday 9/19:
* ?????

Saturday 9/20:
* Dinner out?

Sunday 9/21:
* Baked Dijon Salmon
* Boiled Potatoes
* Broccoli

Broiled Sea Bass with Pineapple-chili-Basil Glaze

Thank you to Shireen for sending me this great recipe. She used it with Salmon and loved it. I tried it with Tilapia and it was great. I think it would work well with most fish. It is such an easy recipe and tastes wonderful.

Broiled Sea Bass with Pineapple-chili-Basil Glaze (from Cooking Light)
3 T Pineapple preserves

2 T rice vinegar

1 tsp. chopped fresh basil

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 garlic clove

3/4 tsp. salt

4 (6 oz) sea bass or other firm white fish

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Preheat broiler

2. Combine first 5 ingredients and 1/4 tsp. salt in small bowl

3. Salt the fillets with 1/2 tsp. salt and black pepper. Place the fish on a broiler pan lined with aluminum foil (easy cleanup!) Broil 5 minutes. Remove from oven brush fillets evenly with glaze and broil an additional 5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Sweet Bruschetta

Thanks to my mom who told me about this delicious sweet bruschetta. She had it at a little Italian restaurant and told me how good it was and how the restaurant made it. It is so delicious and different. The restaurant drizzled the bruschetta with olive oil but I tried honey which really made it sweet and a dessert bruschetta.

Italian bread, toasted (I used TJ's Tuscan pane)
Mascarpone Cheese
Fig Preserves
Thinly sliced apple
Honey

Spread cheese over toasted bread. Add preserves over cheese. Top with apple. Drizzle with honey. Yum!

Erin's Roasted Vegetable Salad

Thank you to Erin for sending me this wonderful recipe of hers. This salad is delicious! Have you ever seen a more colorful salad? I omitted red onion and used balsamic vinegar to dress the salad. I accidentally picked up the Feta cheese with Meditteranean herbs and spices but it was great on the salad!

Erin's Roasted Vegetable Salad
1 carton grape tomatos, halved
1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut into thick strips
1 orange pepper, seeded and cut into thick strips
1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
handful Kalmata Olives, sliced
Feta cheese
Red wine vinegar
Garlic powder or chopped garlic
salt and pepper
olive oil

Move oven rack to its highest setting. Turn oven to Broil on High. Brush Peppers, Zucchini and Squash lightly with olive oil (both sides) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place veggies on baking sheet and place in oven to broil aprox 10-12 min, until spotty brown. Flip veggies once at about 5 min. Remove veggies from oven and let cool. Place tomatos, onion, olives, cheese into a large bowl. Once roasted veggies have cooled, cut into bite sized pieces. Place cut veggies in bowl with other ingredients. Add garlic powder, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper to taste and toss to incorporate.

Eggplant and Tomato Pasta

This is a really wonderful sauce for pasta. The eggplant makes it so hearty and flavorful. The recipe does take some extra time so make sure to plan ahead and do your chopping earlier in the day. Also, it took me about 30 minutes of cooking the eggplant to where it was as browned as I wanted. I used four large chopped fresh tomatoes, served the sauce over rotini (Jack loves this curly pasta) and topped it with grated parm.

This Week's Menu

Monday 9/8:
* Cheese Enchiladas
* Refried Black Beans
* Steamed Corn

Tuesday 9/9:
* Mexican Lasagna
* Salad

Wednesday 9/10:
* Eggplant and Tomato Pasta
* Garlic Bread

Thursday 9/11:
* Erin's Roasted Veggie Salad
* Falafel with Cucumber Sauce

Friday 9/12:
* Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
* Sweet Potato Fries

Saturday 9/13:
* Dinner out?

Sunday 9/14:
* Pan-Fried Tilapia
* Rice
* Steamed Broccoli

This Week's Menu

Sorry for so many repeats on this week's menu. We took a last-minute road trip this weekend so I have a lot of unused food in the fridge that I bought for specific meals. As far as the food on the road trip, I think the funnel cake (at Hershey Park) was the best part. But, the delicious Pennsylvania Dutch meal was excellent, as well. The raisin bread they served with the meal was so good!

Monday:
* Day off from the kitchen, too!

Tuesday:
* Chicken Enchiladas
* Refried Black Beans
* Salad

Wednesday:
* Slippery Shrimp
* Rice
* Broccoli

Thursday:
* Chicken Katsu
* Rice
* Cucumber Salad

Friday:
* Italian Baked Pastina
* Caeser Salad

Saturday:
* Turkey Taco Salads

Sunday:
* Baked Dijon Salmon
* Rice
* Broccoli

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Try this recipe that my friend Taryn posted on her blog. These cookies are delicious! I had no will power when I made these!

Calzones

To make two big calzones using store-bought pizza dough this is what you need:

One store-bought pizza dough
2 T olive oil
2 cups sliced vegetables (zucchini, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, onions, whatever you have on hand)
1 clove minced garlic
1 cups marinara sauce
One cup mozarella cheese

Saute vegetables in olive oil about 8 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and marinara sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes. Divide dough and roll out into two circles. Spoon vegetables onto one side of the circles, top with chees, fold dough over and pinch closed. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes.

This Week's Menu

Monday 8/25:
* Chicken Chilaquiles
* Steamed Carrots

Tuesday 8/26:
* Tomato-Caper Flounder
* Pasta

Wednesday 8/27:
* Buffalo Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese

Thursday 8/28:
* Veggie Calzones
* Spinach Salad

Friday 8/29:
* Chicken Katsu
* Rice
* Cucumber Salad

Saturday 8/30:
* Eggplant Parm Sandwiches
* Caesar Salad

Sunday 8/31:
* Slippery Shrimp
* Rice
* Broccoli

Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream

One box Devil's Food Cake Mix and required ingredients
One Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted

Bake cake in two round cake pans. Let cool and slice off any mounds if necessary. Whip cream and add powdered sugar to taste. Spread 1 cup whipped cream on bottom layer and add top layer. Set aside 3/4 cup whipped cream and mix melted chocolate in with remaining cream. Spread chocolate whipped cream on top and sides of cake. Add remaining plain whipped cream to top of cake. Yum!

Easy Empanadas

This is what I came up with for lunch on Saturday. We liked them so much we had them again for lunch on Sunday and I had to post them. We had leftover taco meat but I didn't want tacos. We also had a pizza dough but Matt didn't feel like pizza and whala . . . empanadas. I rolled out the pizza dough, sliced it into six rectangles, mounded taco meat and cheese on one end, then folded the dough and pinched the packet closed. They took about 15 minutes to bake in a 400 degree oven and they were great. This week I'll try calzones with the dough.

Chicken Katsu

This was such a good meal! Chicken Katsu is one of my favorite Japanese foods. I used this recipe for the chicken. It was easy and really good. I made a Tonkatsu sauce to dip the chicken in which although not authentic, was good and easy to remember: equal parts (I used 2 Tbsps) Soy sauce, sugar, katsup, and Worcestishire sauce. For a side I made a cucumber salad that I love: slice one cucumber add three tablespoons rice vinegar and two tablespoons sugar. Toss together and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.

This Week's Menu

Monday 8/18:
* Italian Baked Pastina with Zucchini
* Caesar Salad

Tuesday 8/19:
* Double Decker Turkey Tacos
* Spinach Salad

Wednesday 8/20:
* Chicken Katsu
* Cucumber Salad
* Rice

Thursday 8/21:
* Tex-Mex Salad

Friday 8/22:
* Chicken Chilaquiles
* Steamed Carrots

Saturday 8/23:
* Baked Flounder
* Broccoli
* Rice

Sunday 8/24:
* Chicken Picatta
* Pasta
* Spinach

Red Potato Salad with Blue Cheese

I tried this recipe for a different potato salad that I could take to a barbeque. I didn't have buttermilk so I blended some whole milk with some greek style yogurt to make about 1/2 cup of dressing. I then added the dijon mustard and blue cheese to the yogurt mixture. The tang of the yogurt was great in the salad. I omitted the vinegar and bacon. The salad turned out great. I think it will be my new favorite potato salad for a while.

Brown's Black Bean Salsa

This is a fantastic recipe! Thank you to Erin for sending it to me. I took it to a party and it was gobbled up in record time. I wish I had taken a picture; it's so colorful and looks as delicious as it is.

Brown's Black Bean Salsa

1/2 tsp crushed cumin
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 (15 oz) can corn, drained
1/2 red pepper, minced
1/2 purple onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup lime juice
1/8 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Toss all ingredients together. Cover and store in refrigerator. Serve with tortilla chips. Makes about 3 cups

Peach Blueberry Crostata

This is one of my favorite summer desserts. I should have posted it earlier since blueberries and peaches will soon be out of season. Here is the recipe. I don't have a pizza stone. I just cook it on a lightly floured cookie sheet and it turns out fine. I love this dessert!

Crispy Breaded Shrimp with Garlicky Beans

When I was going through some of my old magazines, I came across this recipe in Real Simple. I love Real Simple but I've never been too impressed with their recipes. After reading one of the reviews I was inspired to use panko for breading the shrimp and I opted for not using the rosemary. So really, I totally changed the recipe. But, I still made the shrimp. This made for quite an interesting combination in the meal. The beans were okay, I wouldn't make them again. The shrimp, though, was really tasty. All I did was dip them in panko, spray them with olive oil cooking spray and then cook them for about 10 minutes at 400. I had some plum sauce that we dipped them in and it was a great combination.

This Week's Menu

Monday 8/11:
* Cobb Salad

Tuesday 8/12:
* Cheese Enchiladas
* Spinach Salad

Wednesday 8/13:
* Crispy Breaded Shrimp with Garlicky Beans

Thursday 8/14:
* Fake Jerk Chicken
* Rice & Peas

Friday 8/15:
* Chicken Tostadas

Saturday 8/16:
* BBQ

Sunday 8/17:
* Turkey Loaf
* Sweet Potato Fries
* Steamed Veggies

Fake Jerk Chicken with Rice & Peas

Here is a quick version of unauthentic Jerk Chicken. It's spicy and flavorful and a different way to cook chicken breasts!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
juice of one lime
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 Tablespoons Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

Shake all ingredients in container or plastic bag. Refrigerate at least one hour. Grill! I used my indoor grill pan and grilled the chicken breasts about 5 minutes per side.

A traditional Jamaican side dish is rice and peas, which is really rice with kidney beans. It's delicious because you cook the rice with coconut milk. This is the recipe I used but I made some changes. Use whole green onions (scallions), not a regular onion. Just put two scallions in the pot with the liquid and when the rice is done you can remove them or eat them if you'd like. I didn't use the liquid from the can of beans. I added enough water to the coconut milk to make five cups of liquid. I didn't add the tablespoon of oil, and I used a jalapeno because I couldn't find a scotch bonnet. After I added the rice to the boiling liquid, I put the lid on the pot and turned the heat to low. It took about 20 minutes to cook. This is a good almost-Jamaican meal.

Tex-Mex Salad

Check out the picture and recipe for this salad here. It looks great in the trifle dish and would be fun to take to a potluck or party. I don't have a trifle dish but it still looked and tasted delicious. The cornbread adds such an unexpected and tasty sweetness and texture to the salad. For three big servings, I used one and a half romaine hearts, one and a half cans of black beans. I used only cheddar cheese, didn't use Sazon seasoning and didn't miss it, and I also added a sliced avocado. The salsa tomato mixture adds a lot to the salad. I made my own dressing that I adapted from the Cafe Rio Salad dressing. The dressing turned out fantastic:

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

1 pkg Ranch Dressing dry mix

3/4 cup milk

1 cup mayonnaise
5 tomatillos, peeled and halved

2 cloves garlic
1/3 bunched cilantro
juice of half a lime

Blend ingredients together in a blender.

Baked Dijon Salmon

This salmon is so delicious! A big thank you to Erin for sending me this recipe. We loved it! The pecan breadcrumb mixture with the dijon and honey--so good! Try this recipe!

¼ CUP BUTTER--MELTED
3 TBS DIJON MUSTARD
1 ½ TBS HONEY
¼ CUP DRY BREAD CRUMBS
¼ CUP CHOPPED PECANS
FEW DASHES OF DRIED PARSLEY
4 SALMON FILETS

PREHEAT OVEN TO 400. IN SMALL BOWL, MIX TOGETHER BUTTER, MUSTARD AND HONEY--SET ASIDE. IN ANOTHER SMALL BOWL, MIX TOGETHER BREAD CRUMBS, PECANS AND PARSLEY.- BRUSH EACH SALMON FILET WITH HONEY MIXTURE THEN SPRINKLE THE TOPS WITH THE BREAD CRUMB MIXTURE--LIGHTLY PAT THE TOPS TO COMPRESS TOPPING. BAKE SALMON FOR 12-15 MIN OR UNTIL FLAKY.

This Week's Menu

Monday 8/4:
* Chicken Enchiladas
* Steamed Veggies

Tuesday 8/5:
* Baked Dijon Salmon
* Rice
* Steamed Broccoli

Wedensday 8/6:
* Tex Mex Salad

Thursday 8/7:
* Slippery Shrimp
* Rice
* Marinated Cucumbers

Friday 8/8:
* Fake Jerk Chicken
* Rice & Peas
* Spinach Salad

Saturday 8/9:
* Cobb Salad

Sunday 8/10:
* Fry Bread Turkey Tacos

Chicken Parmesan

After watching Food Network the other day, I used this recipe to make chicken parmesan. I followed the recipe exactly but I did not make my own bread crumbs. The chicken was delicious.

Falafel

I don't know what made me decide to try to make falafel but I'm glad I did. I really like falafel and this turned out well.

I know falafel isn't really a Greek food but I always had it at this Greek place in San Diego. So, there's my segue to make a plug for Mamma Mia! (it's set in Greece) Go see this movie! I know a lot of people who have loved the musical. I haven't seen the musical but the movie was great. I saw the movie last night and I've had the music stuck in my head all day and I want to go see it again! You will laugh so much and have so much fun. The music is great, the plot is fun, the cast is excellent.

Okay, back to food. For the falafel I used this recipe, to which I made a few changes. I doubled most of the ingredients but just used one onion. I microwaved the beans for a few minutes and they were then quite easy to fork mash. I didn't have fresh parsley so I used a couple of Tablespoons of dried. I didn't have coriander either. I used baking soda instead of baking powder. Instead of putting all the bread crumbs into the mixture, I mixed in half and set the other half aside. I formed the balls, flattened them into patties, then dipped them into the bread crumbs. This worked really well. I don't think the mixture would have been moist enough if I had mixed in the entire amount of breadcrumbs. Also, dipping the patties in breadcrumbs gave them a great crust when I fried them in a little bit of olive oil. I put the patties in warmed pita bread, topped them with tomatoes, and a dcucumber yogurt sauce:

8 oz Greek (Mamma Mia! is set on a Greek island!) style yogurt (plain)

1/2 cucumber, chopped

1 t dill

1 t salt

Process all ingredients in a food processor.

Steak Sandwiches

Thin cut beef bottom round steaks were on sale a couple of weeks ago and I decided to use them for steak sandwiches. I pounded the steaks even thinner and cut them into strips. The sandwiches turned out really well. I grilled some onions for my sandwich, and that addition was fabulous! I love steak sandwiches. I need to plan a trip to Philadelphia so I can get a real one!

Quick Steak Sandwiches

1 pound thinly cut steak, sliced into strips

Marinade:

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1/2 t paprika

1/2 t chili powder

1/2 t onion powder

1/4 t dry mustard

1/4 c Wocestershire sauce

4 steak rolls

Provolone Cheese

Grilled onions

Sliced tomatoes

Lettuce

Mayo

Mix all ingredients for marinade and pour over steak strips. Marinate at least 30 minutes. Add steak and extra marinade to hot skillet and saute until completely cooked. Pile steak into rolls and add desired toppings.

This Week's Menu

Monday 7/28:
* Italian Baked Pastina
* Steamed Broccoli

Tuesday 7/29:
* Steak Sandwiches
* Spinach Salad

Wednesday 7/30:
* Falafel Pitas
* Cucumber Sauce

Thursday 7/31:
* Chicken Parmesan
* Pasta
* Caesar Salad

Friday 8/1:
* Slippery Shrimp
* Steamed Broccoli
* Rice

Saturday 8/2:
* Rice & Beans
* Sliced Avocado

Sunday:
* Tilapia
* Zucchini Ribbon Pasta

Strawberry Pie

I thought I'd take advantage of strawberry season and make a strawberry pie. I stumbled across this recipe for strawberry pie and was sold on the idea of a shortbread crust but I didn't want to make a filling requiring gelatin. So, I tried this recipe for the filling. As I was reading the reviews on the filling recipe, I read something about spreading melted chocolate on strawberry pie crusts so they don't get soggy. Strawberries, chocolate, and a cookie crust? That seemed like a fantastic idea to me. I doubled the crust recipe and I was glad I did. It was difficult for me to even cover the pan with the doubled amount. I baked it and then spread on melted chocolate. I followed the filling recipe exactly and it turned out okay. It just seemed too jammy for me. I think this is a preference thing. If you like a jammy strawberry pie, the recipe seems great. Maybe I should try one with gelatin next time. Don't think I didn't eat the pie, though. I couldn't get enought of that crust! The chocolate makes the pie really rich and I think it might be too rich an addition for a lot of people, but I loved it. The combination of the cookie crust and the melted chocolate . . .my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Lasagna

I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of this lasagna because it always looks (and tastes) delicious. And, it's easy! I haven't been as on top of my blog lately because during all my recent spare time I've been reading The Host (thanks Carley!) by Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight saga. The book is really good, not as good as Twilight, but it's an easy read and extremely gripping. I haven't been able to put it down the last few days. I finally finished it today so here I am on my blog! Here is an easy version of meat lasagna that I always love.

Easy Meat Lasagna

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz can Marinara sauce (Trader Joe's canned Marinara is excellent)
1 tsp dried basil
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles (12 noodles)
1 lb small curd, low-fat cottage cheese
1 egg
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups mozarella cheese

Brown turkey, adding onion and garlic after a couple of minutes of cooking time. Drain grease. Add Marinara sauce and basil to turkey. Stir and let simmer about 5 minutes. Combine cottage cheese, egg, and parmesan cheese. Grease a 9x13 pan. Layer:

Sauce
4 Noodles
Cottage Cheese
Sauce
Mozarella Cheese
4 Noodles
Cottage Cheese
Sauce
Mozarella Cheese
4 Noodles
Cottage Cheese
Sauce
Mozarella Cheese

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

This Week's Menu

Monday 7/21:
* Chicken, Rice, Tomato Dish

Tuesday 7/22:
* Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas
* Guacamole

Wednesday 7/23:
* Lasagna
* Caesar Salad
* Garlic Bread

Thursday 7/24:
* Black Beans & Rice
* Sliced Avocado

Friday 7/25:
* Chicken Enchiladas
* Spinach Salad

Saturday 7/26:
* Beef Fajitas

Sunday 7/27:
* Tilapia
* Steamed Broccoli
* Boiled Potatoes

Tilapia with Balsamic Browned Butter and Creamy Farfalle

I saw an episode of 30-minute meals (I love that it's on when Jack is taking his nap) where Rachael Ray made this meal. It looked really good and I gave it a try. The tilapia turned out great and was so easy. I burned the balsamic sauce, I think my pan was too hot when I added the butter, but I don't think the fish needed anything at all. The pasta was pretty good. I used San Marzano tomatoes but I'm not sure that they were worth the extra money. I thought using the mascarpone cheese to make the sauce creamy was a great idea and it seemed to help the sauce a lot. Trying this recipe has induced me to try tilapia more often.

This Week's Menu

Monday 7/14:
* Mexican Lasagna
* Spinach Salad

Tuesday 7/15:
* Tilapia with Balsamic Browned Butter
* Creamy Farfalle with Bacon and Peas

Wednesday 7/16:
* Rice and Beans
* Sliced Avocado

Thursday 7/17:
* Grilled Chicken and Ratatouille

Friday 7/18:
* Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Saturday 7/19:
* Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

Sunday 7/20:
* Slippery Shrimp

Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce

This recipe is great. It's easy and delicious. I used bacon instead of pancetta and didn't have mint to use in the cheese. I also used low fat ricotta. The bacon, garlic, and red pepper really adds a lot of flavor to the marinara. This was a great meal!

Chicken Tostadas

I was inspired by this recipe to try making chicken tostadas. I followed the recipe's instructions for frying the tortillas and they were so good. I made my own topping. The tostadas turned out so well. We had them again the next day. Here's what I used:

6 corn tortillas

1/2 cup oil

1 can refried beans

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/2 cup salsa

shredded spinach

corn

chopped tomatoes
chopped avocado

shredded cheese

Fry tortillas, about 30 seconds per side in hot oil, and drain on paper towel. Heat refried beans. Mix salsa and chicken together and heat. Spread refried beans on tortillas. Add chicken then top with spinach, corn, tomatoes, avocado, and cheese.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

This is a pretty good pasta casserole. I doubled the recipe and added one sliced zucchini but it would have been better with two. The parmesan bread crumb topping is good. Jack loved this dinner. He had so much fun picking up the curly pasta.

Roman Style Chicken

This recipe is so good! I used four boneless skinless chicken breasts, and bacon instead of prociutto. This meal was a great new way to make chicken.

This Week's Menu

Monday 7/7:
* Turkey Sloppy Joes
* Steamed Broccoli

Tuesday 7/8:
* Mozarella Chicken Sandwiches
* Spinach salad

Wednesday 7/9:
* Roman Style Chicken
* Boiled Potatoes

Thursday 7/10:
* Italian Baked Chicken & Pastina
* Salad

Friday 7/11:
* Chicken Tostadas

Saturday 7/12:
* Chicken Club Wraps

Sunday 7/13:
* Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce
* Spinach Salad
* Garlic Bread

Chicken Enchiladas from Real Simple

I found this recipe while I was browsing the July issue of Real Simple and I though it would be a good alternative to the chicken enchiladas I normally make. I grilled a lot of chicken earlier in the week and used 4 shredded chicken breasts for the filling. I used half of a can of corn, chopped vidalia onion instead of red onion, flour tortillas instead of corn, and a can of green enchilada sauce instead of making the green salsa. I made the enchiladas earlier in the day and when they were ready to be baked, poured the sauce over and cooked them for 20 minutes at 400. I really liked the filling for these enchiladas especially since it incorporates a couple of vegetables. It was a little more time consuming than my regular enchiladas but still easy.

Chicken Club Wraps

I found delicious looking spinach and garlic pesto tortillas at Wegmans (Thank you to Taryn for giving me the tour of this awesome grocery store!) and I had to find some way to use them. After Andrea introduced me to Brianna's Rich Poppy Seed Dressing (thanks Andrea! It is now my favorite salad dressing), I decided I absolutely needed to use them together. I loved this dinner. Here's what I used:

4, 10" Spinach & Garlic Pesto Tortillas
4 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped
1 heart romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
Brianna's Rich Poppy Seed Dressing
1 avocado, sliced
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Shredded cheddar cheese

Combine chicken, lettuce, and tomatoes in large bowl and toss with enough dressing to generously coat. Split salad between four tortillas. Top with avocado, bacon and cheese. Roll wraps and enjoy!

Grilled Salmon

Well, this dinner turned into grilled chicken. I was going to use this recipe to make salmon last night but the seafood department at the grocery store was out of the salmon filets that were on sale. I thought the marinade sounded really good, though, so I made it and marinated four chicken breasts and then grilled them on the grill pan. It was tasty on chicken but I bet it's even better on salmon. I served the chicken with garlic bread and spinach salad.

Fry Bread Tacos

The food court at BYU had a place that served these. They were always so good. I was thinking about them the other day and decided I'd give them a try. I used this recipe for the fry bread and then just made my regular taco filling (ground turkey, can of black beans, packet of taco seasoning). I doubled the recipe for the fry bread. The dough was so sticky and I added about another cup of flour. But, since I added it a little at a time and was mixing it with my hands, I over-kneaded the dough and it became a little tough. Still, though, the fry bread was really good. I followed advice of other reviewers and put a hole in the middle. So next time I will add extra flour up front and let my mixer knead the dough. These make for a delicious taco. We ate the extras with honey and powdered sugar. Yum!

Click here for a better recipe for the fry bread.

This Week's Menu

Monday 6/30:
* Fry Bread Turkey Tacos

Tuesday 7/1:
* Grilled Salmon
* Spinach Salad
* Garlic Bread

Wednesday 7/2:
* Chicken Club Wraps

Thursday 7/3:
* Chicken Enchiladas

Friday 7/4:
* Turkey Burgers
* Fruit Salad

Saturday 7/5:
* BBQ w/friends

Sunday 7/6:
* Rice & Beans
* Salad

Erin's Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Thank you Erin for sending me this recipe. This was a perfect dinner for a hot summer day. I grilled the chicken on a grill pan earlier in the morning so assembling dinner was a cinch. I added some tomatoes and used baby spinach instead of spring lettuce because that's what I had on hand. The combination of the blue cheese dressing and the spicy hot sauce is great. Here's Erin's recipe:

Buffalo Chicken Wraps
Chicken Breasts
Packaged Spring Lettuce Mix
Blue Cheese Dressing
Frank's Buffalo Wing Hot Sauce
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Wheat Wraps (or tortillas)

Cook chicken breasts and chop into large chunks. While chicken is cooking, place lettuce in mixing bowl, add blue cheese dressing and toss salad to coat. Lay wrap on plate and place desired amount of lettuce mixture on top. Sprinkle desired amount of shredded cheddar cheese on lettuce. Once chicken is done and chopped, place pieces in same mixing bowl. Add enough wing sauce to coat, toss chicken to mix well. Place desired amount of chicken on top of lettuce and cheese. Roll wrap and enjoy!

Pavlova

Are you not drooling just looking at this picture? I am. If berries and real whipped cream aren't enough, they are covering delicious, cruncy yet chewy meringue. We had a day camp for the 8-11 year old girls at church. There was an international theme to the camp and I became the Australian expert for the day. Well, I made the Australian dessert, Pavlova, to accompany the Australian presentation and craft. I made individual size Pavlovas. Traditionally, I think it is strawberries and kiwi on top but I had strawberries and blueberries. I used this recipe and I had to make it twice. The first time, I didn't beat the meringue long enough and it just kind of ran together. The second time I beat it really really well (I love my KitchenAid mixer!) so the meringue was nice and thick. I forgot to put the vanilla, cornstarch, and lemon juice in the second time and it turned out fine. I wish I had taken a picture of the meringue without the cream because it is so pretty. I put about a half a cup of meringue and pressed a spoon in the center of the mound. I did follow the advice about crumpling the parchment paper which made it easy to remove the meringues from the cookie sheet. This dessert is really, really good and the possibilities are endless! The crunchiness, chewiness, creaminess. Yum!

Cajun Chicken Caeser Salad

This recipe changes up a classic Caesar salad. I added avocado and I think tomatoes would have been a good addition, as well. I served this with some garlic bread. It was an easy summer meal. I liked the spicy Cajun chicken with the cool lettuce and Caesar dressing.

This Week's Menu

Monday 6/23:
* Rice & Beans
* Sliced Avocado

Tuesday 6/24:
* Cajun Chicken Caesar Salad

Wednesday 6/25:
* Chicken Enchiladas
* Spinach Salad

Thursday 6/26:
* Mom's Chicken, Rice, Tomato Dish

Friday 6/27:
* Erin's Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Saturday 6/28:
* Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato Sandwiches

Sunday 6/29:
* Fry Bread Turkey Tacos

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

When I made Chicken and Ratatouille earlier in the week, I grilled double the amount of vegetables to use for this sandwich later in the week. Here was the makeup of the sandwich:

Pesto mayo
Grilled vegetables (zucchini, summer squash, red pepper, tomato, onion)
Muenster Cheese

I brushed the bread with olive oil and grilled the sandwiches on the grill pan. Yum!

Grilled Chicken and Ratatouille

This recipe was great for a healthy dinner. I couldn't find Japanese eggplant and I had a yellow summer squash on hand so I used that. This was also oven-free! Great for a hot day!

Red Potato Salad

This recipe for potato salad is easy and I love that it is mayo-free. I didn't have olives or celery and it still tasted good. I didn't have Seasoned Salt so I added onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, and a little bit of chili powder. I think I'm going to have some of the leftovers right now!

Country Style Pork Ribs

This week Safeway had country style pork ribs on sale for 99 cents/lb so I thought I'd given them a try. I had never cooked them before and this is the recipe I found for them on Food Network. Emeril's marinade for the ribs is really good. The kitchen smelled so good when I was grating the ginger. The recipe turned out well but I'm not sure I would use country style ribs again because they are pretty fatty. I think this marinade would be so good on steak. I served this with a red potato salad and cornbread. A hearty meal for sure!

Slippery Chicken

Yesterday I had Slippery Shrimp, one of my current favorite dishes, on the menu. When I opened the freezer to pull out the shrimp, I discovered I had only about ten. Well, ten shrimp will just not fill us up, so I cut up a couple of chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks and prepared them the same way as the shrimp, coating in cornstarch then lightly frying. I added the chicken and shrimp to the sauce together. Dinner saved! It was great!

Shepherd's Pie

I used this recipe from 30 Minute Meals to make Matt's Father's Day request of shepherd's pie. I used ground turkey, sour cream rather than cream cheese, and I added a little whole milk to the gravy. The dish was pretty easy and it turned out okay but it seemed to be missing something. It just wasn't as flavorful as I expected. It did look really good, however. Next time I try shepherd's pie, I think I'll try this recipe, from Paula Deen, or, if anyone knows of a great one, let me know and I'll give it a try.

This Week's Menu

Monday 6/16:
* Slippery Shrimp
* Rice
* Steamed Broccoli

Tuesday 6/17:
* Pork Ribs
* Potato Salad
* Green Beans

Wednesday 6/18:
* Grilled Chicken & Ratatouille

Thursday 6/19:
*BBQ at the park

Friday 6/20:
* Grilled Veggie Sandwiches

Saturday 6/21:
* Cajun Chicken Caesar Salad

Sunday 6/22:
* Preschool Chicken
* Rice
* Mandarin Salad

Chicken Mozarella Sandwiches

Yum, yum, yum! This was such a good dinner! I'm getting hungry just looking at the picture. This is what I did:

4 chicken breasts
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil

Marinate chicken in a mixture of the vinegar and olive oil. Grill chicken until done. (Since I don't have a grill, I used my grill pan.)

8 slices of bread (I used Trader Joe's Tuscan Pane, which also makes good French toast)
3 Tablespoons Mayo
1 Tablespoon Pesto
Roasted Red Peppers
8 slices fresh Mozarella
Olive oil

Mix mayo and pesto, and assemble sandwiches: mayo, chicken breast, red pepper, mozarella. Brush one side of sandwich with olive oil and place down on grill pan. Grill about 3 minutes (while it is grilling, brush top of sandwich with olive oil) and flip and grill on other side.

Chicken Piccata

I had some capers to use and found this recipe for Chicken Piccata that I thought I'd try. The My Recipes site is a pretty good recipe source. They have recipes from Southern Living, Real Simple, Cooking Light, and other magazines. The Chicken Piccata recipe was really easy and a great recipe if you like lemon. I didn't pound my chicken breasts since they were pretty thin already. I doubled the sauce so there would be plenty to go on the pasta. I subsituted chicken broth for the white wine and this might have been the reason that the sauce was a bit soupy and I'll add some cornstarch next time to thicken it up. I really loved the lemon flavor and the tanginess of the capers. I cooked a couple of extra chicken breasts when I made this meal and used them to make a hearty cobb salad during the weekend.

This Week's Menu

Monday 6/9:
* Chicken, Rice, Tomato Dish
* Steamed Broccoli

Tuesday 6/10:
* Grilled Chicken Mozarella Sandwiches
* Spinach Salad

Wednesday 6/11:
* Beans & Rice

Thursday 6/12:
* Chicken Enchiladas
* Steamed Veggies

Friday 6/13:
* Vegetable Fried Rice

Saturday 6/14:
* Dinner with friends

Sunday 6/15:
* Shepherd's Pie
* Salad

Asparagus Tomato Salad

I had some tomatoes, asparagus, and green peppers that needed to be used and this recipe popped up when I did an ingredient search on All Recipes. I didn't have any mushrooms and I didn't miss them in the salad. I served the salad with the rice and beans and in addition to adding color to the plate, it rounded out the meal as a cool, healthy, refreshing side. A squeeze of lemon juice might give the dressing more flavor.

Rice and Beans

Well, to change things up a bit I thought I'd try a meal of rice and beans. This wasn't as low cost a meal as it could have been since I used canned beans instead of dried and, I also added a can of RoTel, but this was a satisfying, meatless meal. This is what I did:

1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 onion, chopped

2 T olive oil

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can RoTel (diced tomatoes with green chilis)

Cumin

Chili Powder

Heat olive oil on medium heat in skillet, add garlic and onion, and saute until onion softens (about 3 minutes). Add beans and saute about 5 minutes more. Add Rotel, a couple of shakes of cumin and chili powder, stir and heat through. Serve over rice.

When I made slippery shrimp on Wednesday, I made extra rice and served the beans over the rice. I topped mine with some cheese and would have added guacamole, but I had an unfortunate run-in with a knife while making guac earlier this week so I'm avoiding avocados at the moment (Reminder to self: Put the avocado on the cutting board! Do not hold it in your hand, Ashley!) There are so many ways to make rice and beans. If anyone has a favorite, post it or send it my way!

Le Bon Cafe

Le Bon Cafe is a tiny eaterie on Capitol Hill. I first read about it a few years ago in a Southern Living magazine article covering cheap eats in DC. I then came across another review in a guidebook. One afternoon a few months ago, after we had finished a Capitol tour, I remembered about Le Bon while we were trying to figure out where to eat. I couldn't remember exactly where it was so we asked a Capitol Police Officer if he knew where it was. He responded jokingly, "Do I look like a guy who eats at a place called Le Bon Cafe?" Then he got out his cell phone and called someone who googled the cafe and gave us directions. It was so nice of him! When he realized where it was he said that he did remember the cafe because he and the other officers frequent Pete's Diner, just next door. I'm sure that is good, too. We'll have to try it sometime. But, back to Le Bon. It's a tiny place where you walk up to the counter and order and wait for your food. They have a few tables inside and a few outside. We've been there twice for lunch and have really liked it. The sandwiches are substantial and not expensive. My favorite has been the Turkey Curry Salad Sandwich. It has only a hint of curry flavor but is delicious. I also really like the bread they use for the sandwiches. Perhaps the best part of the lunch is the little cup of red potato salad that comes with the sandwich. It is a vinegar-based salad (as opposed to mayo) and so yummy! I've heard Le Bon's pastries and breakfasts are great, too. Le Bon Cafe definitely has my vote for a tasty Capitol Hill lunch.

This Week's Menu

Monday 6/2:
* Dinner at Orioles Park (they're playing the Red Sox)

Tuesday 6/3:
* Crock Pot Fajitas

Wednesday 6/4:
* Slippery Shrimp
* Rice
* Broccoli

Thursday 6/5:
* Rice and Beans
* Asparagus Tomato Salad

Friday 5/30:
* Chicken Piccata
* Pasta
* Steamed Veggies

Saturday 5/31:
* Cobb Salads
* Cornbread

Sunday 6/1:
* Turkey Loaf
* Sweet Potato Fries

Caramel Frosting

I used this recipe for caramel frosting that my mom sent me to top some from-the-box chocolate cupcakes. Yum! The frosting is somewhat a mix between icing and frosting. Different and very good.

This Week's Menu

Tuesday 5/27:
* Chicken Parmesan
* Garlic Bread
* Steamed Broccoli

Wednesday 5/28:
* Chicken Enchiladas
* Black Beans

Thursday 5/29:
* Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
* Spinach Salad

Friday 5/30:
* Preschool Chicken
* Rice
* Steamed broccoli

Saturday 5/31:
* Pizza
* Salad

Sunday 6/1:
* Cafe Rio Pork Salads

Chocolate Cookies 'n' Cream Towers

When you see this picture that accompanied this recipe, you will want to make this dessert, too. A friend of mine saw the picture in an old copy of Food & Wine magazine and asked me to make this dessert. Well, I was just as enchanted by the picture so I followed the recipe exactly to see if this dessert tastes as good as it looks. Well, it does! I loved it, Matt loved it, my friends at girls night loved it. As you can tell from my picture, I lack in fine motor skills and need a little more practice piping cream out of pastry bags! But, my cookie towers tasted as good as the one in the picture looks. The best way to eat these is to just take the cookies apart. The chocolate pastry cream is delicious and when mixed with some of the whipped cream to make the light chocolate layer . . . oh man! It is to die for! That would make an excellent dessert in itself. Needless to say, Jack and I loved cleaning up after I made this dessert. He was thrilled with that sugary snack! Hopefully, I can improve some of my cooking skills and next time I make this dessert, my towers will be as pretty as the others!

This Week's Menu

Monday 5/12:
* Chicken, Rice, Tomato Dish
* Salad

Tuesday 5/13:
* Joelle's Chicken and Pasta
* Salad
* Garlic Bread

Wednesday 5/14:
* Mexican Lasagna
* Steamed Mixed Veggies

Thursday 5/15:
* Balsamic Chicken
* Mandarin Salad

Friday 5/16:
* Etiquette Dinner with 8-11 year old girls at church

Saturday 5/17:
* Chicken Stir Fry

Sunday 5/18:
* Country Captain Chicken
* Salad

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

Thank you Jenni, for sending me the recipe for Cafe Rio's Pork Barbacoa. I decided to take a stab at it this weekend and this is what I did:

3-5 lb Pork Roast
1 ½ cans Dr. Pepper (or Coke)
½ c. sugar
7oz can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 tsp dry ground mustard
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp minced garlic

Remove the chilies (save for future use, you can freeze them) from adobo sauce. Blend Dr. Pepper, sugar, adbobo sauce (rinse the can with some of the dr. pepper to get as much sauce as possible), mustard, cumin, and garlic in a blender until well mixed. Place pork in crock pot and pour sauce over it. Cook for 4-6 on high or 7-9 hours on low. Carefully turn roast over halfway through. With about an hour left (when cooking on low) shred pork and let finish cooking in sauce.

The pork turned out delicious. I can't say that it was very much like Cafe Rio's but it was very sweet and tasty. I served the pork in salads with the lime rice and creamy cilantro dressing that I used for Cafe Rio Chicken Salads.

Sweet Mango Cafe

This weekend we tried a Jamaican restaurant in DC called Sweet Mango Cafe. Before we even got into the restaurant we could smell and see the smoke from all the meat being grilled. The Jerk Chicken was excellent--juicy and so spicy with a lot of extra sauce. I wouldn't really know if it tasted like "real" Jerk Chicken but Matt, who lived in Jamaica for two years, gave it his approval. The rice and peas were really good, too. I also happen to love the cabbage dish that is served as a side with Jamaican meals and Sweet Mango's was good but I have to say that the cabbage dish at Island Spice, the excellent Jamacian place in San Diego, is my favorite! I also missed the fried plantains that come with the meals at Island Spice meals so next time we go to Sweet Mango, I'll have to order some on the side. The food at Sweet Mango is also really reasonably priced--they are really generous with the portions. I ordered the large, white meat Jerk entree. It was $12 and fed me three times! If you want to try some great Jamaican food, or just want a unique dining experience, head to Sweet Mango Cafe, located directly across from the Georgia Avenue/Pentworth metro stop in NW DC. And, if you happen to be in San Diego, give Island Spice a try.

Pretty in Pink

Giada De Laurentiis' recipe for these cupcakes is amazing and so easy! The mascarpone cheese makes the cupcakes so moist and dense. The glaze is especially good after it soaks into the cupcakes a bit. I used a regular sized muffin pan. I don't think I drained my strawberries well enough because my glaze didn't get as pink as Giada's. Oh well, they were delicious!

You've got to love it!

Because I knew I wouldn't have much dinner-prep time yesterday, I put pizza and salad on the menu. I make pizza using Trader Joe's 99 cent pizza dough. It takes 7 minutes to cook, you can top it with whatever you like, and it is absolutely delicious! It takes about 5 minutes to roll out the dough and add the toppings. It's my go-to meal when I know I don't have a lot of time. Well, yesterday I was making a Costco run and the rotisserie chicken display lured me in. The chickens are currently $5.49, up from $4.99 just a few months ago. So instead of pizza and salad for dinner, we had chicken, just rotisserie chicken. Well, Matt and Jack shared an avocado, too. Not a well-balanced meal, I know, but very tasty and exactly zero minutes in prep time (which is what I had yesterday). I'm not sure what Costco puts in their chicken but it is so juicy and flavorful. I just used some more of the chicken for my filling for tonight's chicken enchiladas. They are bound to be tasty!