Recipe Resolution - Use What You Have

Happy 2015!  I've been a little MIA (life, work, etc. get in the way), but am here now with a new resolution.  A few years back, I made a recipe resolution to make at least one new recipe every week. I held to it pretty well for the first 6 months, and even wrote down (most of) the recipes in a little notebook.  I tried to leave little notes in the notebook on how I would tweak the recipe next time.  Then I got pregnant again/life got in the way and I stopped recording my progress.  I still made an effort to try new recipes and have continuously over the last two years, resulting in some really delicious finds.  But I haven't been as diligent in recording and making notes about these new finds.  As a result, I think I find myself struggling to recall some of the things I made and how I would adjust.  I am hoping this forum will help document my resolution this year, so I have something to reflect back on.

All that being said, my recipe resolution this year is to make (at least) one new recipe each week from a cookbook (or magazine) in our collection.  I often find myself trying out recipes from online, which often turns out well, but occasionally results in a #pinterestfail.  We have a pretty solid collection of cookbooks that are way under-utilized.  These are among some of them, but by no means scratch the surface of all we have.

Since there is no such thing as a #williamssonomafail, we need to be tapping into these a little more frequently.  (Also please note that hideous wallpaper hiding back there, which will be coming down very soon in our mini-kitchen remodel).

A few bitter cold stay home days have helped me launch into my recipe resolution this year (and also helped me be able to sit down and write the first blog post in four months).  We happened to have all of the ingredients on hand here (use what you have), so yesterday, we dug into this one:

I'm not sure I have ever made anything from this cookbook (though we have had it for 3 years).  Anyway, with some help from Cooper, we decided on Blondies.

They were very delicious.  Once I started making them, I was very intrigued by the whole process.  I didn't use a mixer but just lightly mixed the ingredients by hand.  You also melt butter and brown sugar together before mixing with the other ingredients.  The result of this process starts to smell like my homemade toffee.  The other thing I noticed, upon tasting, was that the very sweet, sugary taste was highlighted by the salt coming through towards the end of the bite.  Here is the full recipe, courtesy of Williams-Sonoma:

Now I am a sucker for lasagna.  I have tried a variety of recipes, from chicken lasagna with a white sauce, to mile high lasagna pie, to my Mom's traditional lasagna recipe.  I have enjoyed most every recipe I have ever made (save for the #pinterestfail Crockpot Lasagna I tried which resulted in me throwing up in the sink because of the smell and not being able to even taste it; I was pregnant at the time, so maybe we can chalk it up to that but I'm not convinced - I never experienced sickness in either of my pregnancies).  Anyway, I saw a recipe for a skillet lasagna in one of my new cookbooks.

This recipe uses the same skillet to prepare and assemble the entire dish.  It was a little awkward at times (tomato sauce boiling over the side of the pan onto the stove), but the result was pretty delicious:

My husband and I had a few suggestions for change, including draining the tomatoes so the sauce is a little thicker (the picture in the book showed a thicker sauce, but mine did not develop as such), and perhaps using a bit more of the marscapone cheese (I have never used this before but it was pretty amazing!).  I've decided to start writing my notes in my cookbooks so I will remember them the next time I make it.

Find the full recipe here.

Since we were blessed with another bitter cold, stay home day, we ventured into the world of make-your-own pop tarts.  This recipe came from Food 52, a new online food network I have turned to to help strengthen my cooking skills.  

These strawberry pop tarts were pretty good.  We lost a lot of the strawberry jam in the cooking process since I didn't seal the sides as well as I should have, but on the whole, I'd try them again.  By the way, these won't go towards my recipe resolution, since the recipe didn't come from my cookbook collection, but I'm still hoping to expand my repertoire through online sources as well.  I am turning away from Pinterest and towards Food 52 to hope for more successful outcomes.  The  decorating style for these came from Cooper.  As you can see, both of my kids have been very helpful in the kitchen this year.

Here's to a new year full of new recipes from old sources.  I'm hoping to get on here every week or so to share recipes and document my journey.

Fifty percent

Right now I'm batting about .500.  My goal was to get on here once a week to share a recipe (or something fun), and I think the reality is it happens every 2 weeks.  Not too bad, but I promise (myself?), I'm working on keeping things moving along a little more regularly.  Part of my problem is we really aren't eating all that exciting these days.  Don't get me wrong, we aren't resorting to peanut butter sandwiches yet, but I haven't made too many things that seem extraordinary.  I have also made several things that came from someone else's blog.  At first I thought it wouldn't be fair of me to blog about someone else's blog recipe, but then I thought, why not?  As long as credit is given where credit is due, maybe it makes sense to share someone else's recipe with you too.  After all, it's not like I make up everything I cook up anyways.  Cookbooks, passed down recipes, etc. are all to thank for all of the goodness that we create.  So here it goes...

Tuesdays have become crock pot days in our house.  Cooper has gymnastics on Tuesdays, which means we aren't home until after 6:00 to even begin thinking about dinner.  We have been good about having something in the crock pot ready to go so that we don't have to worry about hurry scurrying to get something together in the witching hour.  This week's recipe came from You're Too Crafty.  She's not kidding when she says this is the Best Pot Roast ever.  Neither Ryan nor I are big pot roast fans, or so we thought.  But this little number is pretty good.  It's easy peasy, requires only a few ingredients, and delivers a pretty delicious meal.  I won't bore you with pictures (since I didn't take any since her pictures nicely depict the process), but know that you won't be disappointed if you try this out (even if you don't think you like pot roast!).  I added some carrots, onion, and fingerling potatoes to the bottom of the crock pot before putting in the meat and I think it made a very nice touch!  Also, don't forget to put your meat fat side up (if possible) to keep it moist and delicious.  Happy crock potting!

While You Were Out

Last weekend, I went up to Chicago for my good friend's bachelorette party.  And while I was gone, my husband (and the grandparents) did this:

This was some of the most amazing grilled chicken I have ever tasted.  There is a whole lemon, along with some herbs from the garden, stuffed up inside those bad boys.  I can't even share the recipe on here because this was the work of my dear darling husband (and he tends to fly by the seat of his pants - reading multiple recipes and using a medley of various ideas).  Now while I missed out on this action while it was fresh, let me tell you about the leftovers.  On Sunday night we enjoyed some very simple chicken sandwiches, with good 'ole white bread, a little mayo, a dab of stone ground mustard, and several slices of that savory, juicy, lemony chicken.  It didn't disappoint.  But seeing as how they cooked two whole chickens for five people, we had even more leftovers.  And since this week meant back to school for the kiddos, I took advantage of these leftovers and made them into a delicious lunch that I can grab as I walk out the door in the morning:

Most of my work colleagues are well aware of my habit to bring jarred meals to work.  Overnight oatmeal and salads in a jar are usually the only way I have nutritious and delicious meals at work.  Have you ever tried to get two small children up and out the door by 6:45 on a daily basis!?  My husband and I both have early work schedules so we have to be on the move EARLY.  If my breakfast/lunch is not 100% prepared the night before, then I find myself sipping on my chai all morning to tide me over until I make it to the drive thru line at Wendy's (or God forbid the local gyro joint) mid day.  So far that has only happened once this week (I know what you're thinking - it's only Wednesday, but that is progress for me from last year!).  And I have my breakfast and lunch all ready to go for tomorrow.  Here are two days of my salad in a jar:

1.  Chicken salad made from leftover grilled chicken (especially delicious lemony grilled chicken).  I just dice my chicken, mix with diced onion and celery and a bit of mayo and stone ground mustard.  I put the chicken salad down first, then diced tomatoes and a hard boiled egg and top with your lettuce (or arugula for me - my go to green).  I didn't bother with the dressing on these babies since the chicken salad was so flavorful.  I took half an avocado on the side to dice up and eat with the salad.  It was pretty good (save for the not so ripe avocado).

2.  Chicken, burrata, and tomato salad.  I started with my dressing in the bottom of the jar - just a little olive oil and a dab of some aged balsamic vinegar.  Then I added a layer of diced tomatoes and some diced chicken (from a can - shhhhh we didn't have any grilled chicken).  That's ok though, the layer of burrata (the next layer) will make up for it  I topped it again with several handfuls of arugula.  This gem is my lunchtime treat tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it turns out.

What are your favorite quick and easy but still delicious breakfast/lunch ideas?

Postscript

P.S. The blog name has changed.  The previous name was too long and easily confused with other blogs.  Our #dining408 started with a foodie post on Instagram several months ago and has continued over the months as we have shared our culinary experiences via photos.  The new name just seems to jive well with the overall intention of the blog.  Here's to the new name, new posts, and new culinary experiences!

Upgrade Your Caprese

Today's post is not so much a recipe as grocery store advice.  Earlier this week, I realized we had a local grown tomato and overgrown basil plants in the garden that I could easily turn into a great caprese salad for dinner one night.  The only missing ingredient was the mozzarella.  When I went to the store, I was overwhelmed with the choices for fresh mozzarella - small bite size pieces, cherry tomato size balls, your standard large mozzarella chunk, etc.  But my eyes were quickly drawn to the container next to all these labeled burrata.  My cousin is a chef (like, an amazing chef) and I remember the first time I heard about burrata while visiting his restaurant.  The waiter described it as a very wet mozzarella cheese with a creamy inside.  We, of course, loved it that first time, but that doesn't really say much since we love every bite of food we eat when we visit him.  I was somewhat leery about buying burrata in the grocery store (there's no Whole Foods or Fresh Market here, folks), but I gave it a whirl.  The result was the best caprese salad I have ever had (at home or at a restaurant).

This picture really doesn't do it justice.  The burrata looks like a poached egg there, but trust me, when you bite into that creamy deliciousness, you won't be disappointed.  So next time you go looking for some fresh mozzarella, think twice about finding some burrata instead to upgrade your recipe!!

Summer eating, had me a blast!

Why, hello there.  Yes, it certainly has been awhile.  I would tell you about how busy I have been, but I don't think you even want to hear that since I haven't been working since mid-June.  I really thought with summer would come nap-time afternoons full of free time - time for reading, blogging, napping, etc.  Instead, I just finished the same book I had been reading since before school was out, I haven't blogged since the kids' birthdays, and I have not napped at all ok I have snuggled up a few times with Cooper for nap time.  But on the whole, I am amazed at how busy we have been and how the days have just flown by.  Today may be the first day all summer we do not have anything on the agenda (I can't shake this feeling that I am missing an appointment either...).

As a reintroduction to the blog, I thought I would share a few summer favorites for each meal.  Summer cooking/eating is oh so different around here.  Instead of planning out the meals for the whole week and going to the store on Sundays, I mosey to the store 2-3 times a week with the kids (and also try to hit up the farmer's market or local produce stands) to pick up whatever seems the most fresh around here.  Things aren't nearly as thought out as they are during the school year, but we still manage to have some pretty delicious tasting things.  And the best part is, I actually get to make/eat breakfast since I don't have to be out the door before 7 am.

My new favorite breakfast dish:  Avocado Arugula Toast

I realize this is really trendy right now and I do not claim to have made this up, but the important thing is, it's delicious!  The idea for this came from a combination of Williams-Sonoma IG posts (Do you follow them? You should!) and my July Birchbox (which included 12 challenges for improving yourself, one of which was to incorporate more vegetables into breakfast).  I just use a sourdough bread (or any bread, bagel, english muffin) and lightly toast.  I top with sliced avocados, arugula and finish with a little oil (I use a delicious truffle oil) and sea salt.  So easy and oh so tasty!

For lunch, we usually have leftovers from dinner the night before and I have been happily enjoying them (and keeping our refrigerator relatively clean).  One of my favorite dinner options, though, that doubles as a great lunch option is Chicken Salad with Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato.

I have been getting daily emails from allrecipes.com with recipe ideas and this was winner, winner, chicken dinner for us one night.  We have tried it more than once, using grilled chicken once and roasted chicken the other time, and it was delicious both times.  The grilled chicken does add a little bit more flavor (tip: While grilling something else for dinner the night before, throw the chicken on the grill; after it is cooked and cools, put it in the refrigerator and it is ready to go whenever you want it!), but is not necessary.  I have also made with real bacon and packaged bacon bits, and while the real bacon may be a bit tastier, it is not necessary (and so much easier to just use the prepackaged pieces!).  The key things for us on this is using a good butter lettuce as the base for the salad.  We also like to drizzle some truffle oil over the top as a finish.  I'm looking forward to making this again soon with fresh local tomatoes as they are starting to surface around here.

One of my all-time favorite summer dinner meals is Five-Herb Grilled Chicken with Green Aioli.  

I found this gem while browsing Food & Wine magazine last summer.  It appealed to me 1. because I love good, grilled chicken with the skin on (I always prefer thighs to a breast, quarters or whole chicken) and 2. because I always have most of the herbs needed on hand in the garden.  The most amazing part of this meal, though, is the grilled bread that goes on the side.  Trust me when I say, the chicken, bread and aioli will be a complete and satisfying meal together; no additional sides needed the only additional thing needed is a glass of crisp sauvignon blanc to go with it.  Sorry for the poor photo on this one but we usually aren't wasting any time once this meal comes off the grill.

Happy Monday, friends.  I hope these meals give some inspiration to your meal planning this week.  And my goal is to try to share at least one recipe per week going forward from here - feel free to hold me to it!

Birthday Twins

Tomorrow is a very special day around here.  It's the anniversary of the two best days of my life - the day my kids were born.  And we spent the weekend celebrating with our wonderful family and friends.

Since the kids share a birthday, we had to come up with a theme/scheme that appealed to both genders.  Which basically means we didn't have to steer Cooper away from a cheesy theme like Disney Princesses or Doc McStuffins.  We went with a bright colored, general party theme with multi-colored balloons and sprinkle cupcakes.  

I spent the day making 40 cupcakes, of which we still have 20 left.  Good thing we are on spring break this week.

And of course Camp had to have yellow cake with chocolate icing, as Wilson men typically do.  And he really had no interest in eating it. Just putting his hands in it and squishing it around in his fingers and wiping it on his clothes.  I'm not sure he took even one bite.

This girl, on the other hand, was eager to lick the icing off the top of her cupcake and dig in to some strawberry ice cream.  She never turns down a sweet treat.  

Now that the big shindig is over, it's time to prepare to celebrate their actual birthday.  We are on spring break this week, which means we get to celebrate by sleeping in, staying home, and playing with all of our new toys.  It's like Christmas vacation all over again here.  We have some serious spring cleaning to do to make room for all of our new fun things.  

Apparently, we didn't check with mother nature, though, before investing in several serious outdoor toys.  Despite the cold weather, we plan to bundle up at least once a day to venture outside and test out our new things.  Near the top of the list is this gator, which you can see both kids are equally skilled at operating.  Can your one year old walk?  Not yet, but he's figured out how to operate this power wheel.

Don't worry - Cooper's favorite new toy, her jump rope, rides along in the back of the gator so it's never out of sight.  Who would have thought?  A jump rope?  She sure is old school.  Sorry, Aunt Mimi and Uncle D, apparently Aunt Juju won the best gift award this year.

Now can we get rid of this frigid weather so we can spend more than 10 minutes outside at a time!?