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Friday, October 23, 2009

French Bread Pizza


This is what I came up tonight when I really, really didn't feel like cooking, but also didn't want to spend money on eating out. I had a half a loaf of french bread in my freezer, so I cut it in half, hallowed out much of the bread, and toasted it. I sauteed up a bunch of onions, peppers, mushrooms, garlic, a few jarred sliced jalapenos, and some sausage. I seasoned it with fennel, italian seasoning and salt and pepper. I added in some leftover crushed tomatoes, spread it into the french bread "boats", topped with mozzarella, then broiled in my toaster oven until cheese was browned. I thought there would be plenty of leftovers, but it's all gone now. Very good for such a last minute idea.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Eggs En Cocotte

I'm unhappy with the quality of my most of my pictures this week. Many nights I have had to take pictures with my flash on because it's been too dark or rainy out. But...the purpose of me posting so much this week is to just have the guts to put it out there, regardless of it it's perfect. I managed to take this picture outside yesterday morning, when it was drizzly out. Not bad. Drizzly reminds me of Seattle. Seattle makes me smile. :)
Anyways, this was a lovely, lovely breakfast. I had never cooked eggs this way nor created a bain marie in the oven! It was surprisingly simple, and the eggs came out soft and lovely for spreading on toast.
Recipe can be found here: Eggs En Cocotte

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Creamy Rosemary Penne with Chicken & Beets with Brussels Sprouts

I thought this was going to be a disaster. I was looking for a fast and cozy meal for a dark and rainy day, and it just seemed to take FOREVER to cook everything. The veggie recipe called for golden beets, and our grocery store didn't have any, so I subbed some red ones, not taking into account that pinky red was going to get everywhere. Really though, it didn't turn out that bad, and you can't really see the pink dots on the pasta, nor the weird color the onions and brussels sprouts turned. The pasta was yummy, and Ben said that the brussels sprouts weren't bad (translate: he ate two whole halves! LOL). Overall, this meal was ok, but I wasn't overly impressed.
Recipes can be found here:
Creamy Rosemary Penne with Chicken
Golden Beets and Brussels Sprouts

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Au Jus and The Pioneer Woman's Green Beans

I needed a quick meal tonight, so I made some Aus Jus sandwiches and green beans. The sandwiches were made with french bread and leftover beef roast from last night. I made some au jus dipping sauce by heating beef broth with a little garlic powder, onion powder, soy sauce and worcestershire sauce. The green beans are from a recipe off of The Pioneer Woman's website, and while it calls for 2 tablespoons of bacon grease and a simmer time of 30 minutes, I wasn't feeling that unhealthy nor patient. I used 1 tablespoon of bacon grease and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. I simmered the beans for several minutes, until I couldn't wait any longer and poured off most of the chicken broth. The sandwiches and the beans were delicious! Everyone cleared their plates!
Recipe can be found here:
The Pioneer Woman's Fresh Green Beans, One Way


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Monday, October 19, 2009

Crockpot Hickory Smoked Roast

There's nothing really pretty about a crockpot hickory smoked roast, but it tastes really, really good. The recipe calls for brisket, but I substituted a beef roast, since it was 2 for 1 at the grocery store! The recipe calls for 1/2 cup liquid smoke, then corrects itself saying to use much less. I used 2 tablespoons.
Served with salad and mashed potatoes.
Recipe can be found here: Crockpot Hickory Smoked Brisket

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup & Rustic Pan Bread

I'm going to try to keep this food blog simple so I can post more often. I loved this meal and went back for seconds on soup, while my family basically tolerated eating it, and went back for seconds on bread. That just means more leftovers for myself, which I am more than ok with!
Recipes can be found here:
Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup
Rustic Pan Bread