Last summer, the first with me working from home and Maya being here all day for most of the summer, I thought one fun way of keeping her from getting TOO bored would be to cook lunch together every day.  We would learn how to make new things, she would get some mad skilz in the kitchen, and it would be fun.  We cooked two, maybe three things (one of which was mac and cheese from the box).  The problem was that she is indeed my child, and also Ted’s child, and she LOVES to sleep in.  Also, being my child, breakfast when she first wakes up doesn’t really appeal…

Last Monday, Cherry and Eric decided they’d rather have dinner at our house than be on their honeymoon in Hawaii.  OK, maybe that wasn’t EXACTLY how the decision was made, but nonetheless, we invited them over for dinner, and they said they might come…Cherry was feeling a bit puny, and wasn’t sure that she would be up to it.  So, what to cook?  We were out and about, and needed to get groceries before we would know the answer.  If they could come to dinner, we would want a lot of filling food, because Eric has a super fast metabolism.  Also if they could come, we should make something with red…

If you’re the type of cook who doesn’t like to cook, doesn’t really know HOW to cook, I’ve got an easy-peasy recipe for you today. This is the kind of recipe that you open a jar, pour it out, pop in the oven, and dinner’s ready. You can sit down with a glass of wine, and watch Take Home Chef, or whatever, while you wait…So, here goes. Green and Black Olive Chicken 2 – 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 jar Barilla brand Green and Black Olive Sauce Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking dish with foil (makes clean up easier, and we’re going for easy, right?). Wash and…

It’s been quite awhile since I posted a recipe around here, and by posting these, I’m clearly cheating, because I saw them over on Fancy Toast last week. But I don’t know how many of my loyal readers also go look at her hilarious (and gorgeous) food blog, and I do want you to try these yummy recipes. If you peek at her site, you’ll see that she wrote the post tongue in cheek, as though she were cooking parrots rather than chicken. She has some mighty loud and annoying wild parakeets in her neighborhood, and is hoping to scare them off with dangerous sounding recipes. I totally understand, having…

After meeting Curtis Stone on Saturday, I was inspired to try one of his recipes, one that Ted has been talking about on and off since we saw the episode on TV. It was mighty darned tasty, so I thought I’d share it with you. Here goes. This recipe isn’t in his book, but you can find it here. Pan Fried Halibut with Sautéed Black Beans and a Cilantro and Chili Salsa Serves 4 Ingredients: For the cilantro and chili salsa: 1/4 cup/60 ml extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons/25 ml red wine vinegar 1/3 cup/15 g chopped fresh cilantro 3 serrano chilies, seeded, finely chopped 1 shallot, finely diced…

This is a truly yummy recipe. Yes, you have to make the sauce yourself. If you’re not willing to do so, go to your local grocery store and buy a can of the green enchilada sauce. But if you’re going to do that, why not just open a can of chili, too? The Greens Black Bean Chili deserves the homemade sauce. And it’s pretty easy, really. BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS WITH TOMATILLO SAUCE 1. Make the Tomatillo Sauce 1. pound fresh tomatillos 1/2 small red onion, very finely diced 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 2 serrano or other hot green chilis, seeded and finely chopped (I use 1 jalepeno…easier to find)…

I’ll get this right out there, I love Mexican food. It’s not like we eat it all of the time or anything, but I like to make soft shell chicken tacos, crunchy tacos, enchiladas, taco salad, burritos, fajitas, and chili. I like to eat in Mexican restaurants, be they authentic like the place in Stockton where you would NEVER dream of going at night, because you might get killed (even though it’s only a few blocks from the police station), or be they crap Mexican food like Taco Hell. (That’s what we used to call it, but hey, I’m not above running for the border now and again.) I love…

I saw this recipe on Barefoot Contessa the other day, and it looked so yummy, I decided I had to try it. We had it for our New Years Day dinner, and it was very good. We had it with good hearty bread, and a salad. Very nice. This time of year, corn on the cob is clearly not in season, so I used frozen. Also, since there are only 3 of us, and we didn’t want to be eating this for a month, I halved the recipe. Easy to make, and very tasty. Enjoy! Cheddar Corn Chowder 8 ounces bacon, chopped 1/4 cup olive oil 6 cups chopped yellow…

I’m thinking one post on Saturday afternoon is enough, and I’ll take tomorrow off.  🙂  I posted every day in November, and I’m ready for a break.  So, here we go…a recipe.  Do you like Chili?  I do, with lots of beans, and some cornbread on the side, which I then crumble into the chili.  Mmmm.  This recipe is for Turkey Chili, but we made it this week with Smart Ground, which is some kind of soy substance, and it was good.  So either way is good.  By the way, this is a pretty quick recipe, too.  Maybe 45 minutes from start to finish. Turkey Chili 2 cloves garlic, minced…

Ted heard some folks talking about this recipe on NPR, and he asked me if I would make it instead of the candied yams that I usually make for Thanksgiving. So, trying my best to be a good wife, I said yes. Guess what? They were a HIT! Everyone loved them, with the possible exception of me, since I don’t like sweet potatoes, but I liked them more than any other sweet potatoes I’ve ever had before, so that’s saying something. It was decided that I will be bringing this recipe from now on. So, if you make sweet potatoes for Christmas, grab this recipe. If not, grab it and…

A few weeks ago, I was talking to my step-mom on the phone, and she was telling me about a yummy recipe she has, for pistachio crusted cod filets. Hmmm, I thought, that sounds pretty good. So she mailed it to me.2 days later, Ted came home from the grocery store with a bag of pistachios. What? We NEVER buy pistachios. I swear, I’ve known him almost 20 years, and I don’t think we’ve EVER bought pistachios before. I’m not dissing pistachios. I love them. But they’re addictive and if there’s a bowl of them in front of me, I’ll eat the whole bowl, and I have witnesses who will…

Last year, in the clearance section of Barnes and Noble, I was tempted into buying a muffin cookbook. Tempted by the beautiful pictures and the yummy sounding recipes, like cranberry muffins, spiced carrot cake muffins, etc. What I forgot in the heat of the moment was, I don’t really LIKE baking. One little thing goes wrong, and the recipe is ruined. Blech. I’m much more of a cook. One section that I found especially intruiging was the section of savory muffins. Hmmm. Sounded good. Leek and ham muffins. Bacon and cornmeal muffins. I tried one recipe, for Spicy Chicken Muffins. Ted and Maya thought it was good, I thought it…