A Very Busy Few Weeks February 26, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Dinner, Exercise, Family, Food, Lunch.Tags: Busy Weeks, Chicken Parm, Chicken Potpie, Puppy Training, Ski, Sofrito, Winter Park
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The last few weeks have been incredibly busy. Several days of working late, a couple of birthdays, a weekend of skiing. Lots of fun, but lots going on as well.
Our darling Oliver passed his intermediate puppy training classes. In return, he got his beloved green bitty bear.
Chris and I when skiing at Winter Park. It was a glorious day… the first time I have ever skied in nice weather, in fact!
We made several delicious meals, that lasted for several meals of leftovers.
Chicken par, which was made ahead of time by Chris:
I made chicken pot pie from scratch… delicious, if I do say so myself!
Carrots, and onions, and peas, oh my!
My mock jambalaya with chicken andouille sausage and sofrito sauce. Sofrito includes tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Delish!
It’s been a great few weeks, and here’s hoping that I can back to regular programming this week!
Lazy Sunday Morning February 12, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Breakfast, Craving, Family, Food.Tags: Berries, Pancakes, Poached Egg
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I really enjoy family traditions. It’s probably one of the many reasons that I love the Christmas season. I love setting out decorations in the same spots every year. Baking the same cookies, making cranberry relish, singing the same carols, and wearing cracker hats.
There are other traditions that my family has throughout the year. One of the best is the Sunday morning tradition of pancakes. Now, Chris and I don’t often have pancakes or waffles, but today we decided to go for a big breakfast/brunch.
I don’t always want maple syrup, so today I opted for a berry mash to top my pancakes. I try to keep frozen berries in the freezer, specifically for days like this! They definitely come in handy, you can pull out as many as you want, and they are quick to thaw.
Today, I also attempted to make a poached egg. They are one of my favorite ways to eat an egg, but I still have not mastered the process.
It came out pretty well today, with minimal shredding of the egg white into the boiling water. Usually when I try to drop the egg into the boiling water, it explodes into ribbons and makes a huge mess in the pot. This was a distinct improvement!
A Chill in the Air February 11, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Food, Lunch.Tags: Caldo Verde, Cold Weather Foods, Soup, Walks
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Cold. Frigid. FREEZING.
Yes, my friends, it is chilly in Boulder.
It’s the kind of day that just begs that you stay inside, hide under a cozy blanket, crack open a good book, and hibernate until spring.
Oliver and I went on a walk where we both appreciated winter coats to ward off the arctic winds. By the end of our hour long jaunt, my fingers felt like icicles, and I’m sure his little toes were numb!
I promptly decided that soup was necessary to jump-start the thawing process.
My mother-in-law had brought over her version of Caldo Verde the other day. It was certainly much appreciated on such a cold day! It was delicious, hit the spot, and was a much more palatable color than my own attempt at the soup.
Now I’m going to sit in a pool of sunshine and catch up on some wintertime reading!
Twisted Cheese February 10, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Craving, Dinner.add a comment
Improvisation seems to be the name of the game in the kitchen.
Tonight, I was rummaging around in the cupboard and could not find the macaroni. Truly sad when you are attempting to make macaroni and cheese.
Trying to go with the flow, I pulled out the rotini we had left, and supplemented it with rigatoni. There really shouldn’t be much of a difference in the casserole when changing out the pasta… so long as you measure out enough, which I failed to do. Oopsie!
The sauce to pasta ratio was a little off, but certainly delicious! A heaping helping of broccoli on the side.
Not shown is the copious amounts of hot sauce that I like on the side. I’m not sure what it is about the combination, but nothing goes better with broccoli than cheese, and nothing goes better with macaroni and cheese than hot sauce.
Don’t knock it before you try it!
Chicken Done Two Ways February 8, 2012
Posted by cirellih in Craving, Dinner, Food.Tags: Chicken Wings, Paprika, Vegetables, Wing Night
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Tonight was a belated wing night. So to make up for the lateness, we decided to make two different types of wings! Both were wildly different, and both delicious.
For the first, we made Paprika Wings. A nice and smoky spice rub with paprika, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar. A great choice if you like a sweet and spicy combination. This wasn’t Chris’ favorite, but I really enjoyed them… especially in combination with our other choice of wings.
For our second recipe, we made “Super Simple Fan Feeders”. Sweet and sour, a little sticky, nice and crunchy. These wings marinated in lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, garlic powder and onion powder. They were supposed to be grilled, which I do think would have added quite a bit to the wing flavor. We cooked them on a roasting pan, which did give them a nice, crunchy texture.
These two were great together. The dry rub wing juxtaposed nicely with the sticky sweetness of the other. Add a few crunchy veggies on the side, and you have a very tasty meal!
Healthy Heath 