Did Ya Miss Me

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https://fireheartmusic.com/6daaym6aur I’m back from my moving/house-buying hiatus. I’m happy to be back to a normal routine and I have LOTS of catching up to do!

https://equinlab.com/2024/01/18/zwdclk11 Allow me to introduce my new house’s kitchen! I’m loving it. It’s my favorite part of the house. I wish I had some “before” aka the world’s tiniest & darkest kitchen photos for comparison. I meant to, but it just didn’t happen.

Here’s a wide shot. I could live on that island.
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The backspash is also one of my favorite things about the kitchen. The colors are really nice blues, copper, tan, and cream. It is awesome.
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And here are the sisters. Double sinks are pretty bomb, especially when they’re both this big & deep. I secretly like doing dishes so they’re perfect.
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Check. Out. This. Fridge. Wow. It is so big and shiny!
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https://www.justoffbase.co.uk/uncategorized/ds2yhqxvi We were pleasantly surprised to discover this nifty filtered water spout inside. I hadn’t been able to get used to the taste of the water but this solved the problem.
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The corner cabinets are used really well. Genius! The cabinets are cherry and i just polished them up.
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There are great “pantry” cabinets against the stairs. One has drawers that pull out. I use the term pantry loosely since a pantry is actually a room. My parents have the coolest pantry ever. Maybe sometime I’ll kitchen-snoop there.
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The other was a broom closet and handy Mr. J installed shelves for more storage! We have some organizing to do between the 2 cabinets.
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Here is the stove. I’m getting used to the gas and my new pots & pans. The power burner, as it is called, proved too powerful for yesterday morning’s bacon. It went from uncooked to burnt in a second. Tragedy. (Check out the time! palindromes are my favorite!)
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There’s an awesome wet bar/buffet by the dining table. I love that the quartz counters continued and that baby sink I’m sure will prove handy. Like my wine stock? I realized it is a bit much since Mr. J doesn’t really drink wine. Guess it calls for a party!
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The house is awesome and we’re loving it. Mr. J has found his calling in life as a homeowner and Mr. Fix-It. Our wedding fiestaware makes nightly appearances at dinner as we smile looking around. We actually get to live here! The pup cannot get enough of his yard, or all the windows that look out at it. We still have more unpacking to do but things are looking good so far!

https://masterfacilitator.com/5ew2g7zm This week I’ll get you caught up on Christmas and a pretty sweet mac & cheese tasting. Stay tuned!

Just Like The Terminator

https://www.chat-quiberon.com/2024/01/18/urjpyrs 1

https://www.ngoc.org.uk/uncategorized/future-events/5jcdeygn …I’ll be back. I need a bit more time since I am settling into my new home. We JUST got internet and cable and have made our way through the boxes. Work is nutty and post-holiday craziness is subsiding, so we’re getting there!

Mail Order Valium I have some exciting tidbits for you, when I do come back. Here are some morsels you can salivate over until I return in full force:

  • a google-hosted mac & cheese tasting: 5 mac and cheeses…count ’em
  • 2 amazing Christmases
  • maybe some resolutions for the new year
  • a tour of my dare-I-say amazing kitchen (complete with new-to-us but from-the-wedding gifts!)
  • a cookie swap at one of Boston’s best bakeries
  • pumpkin pasta
  • tomato zucchini risotto
  • etc etc etc

https://mmopage.com/news/zhko41vwof1 See ya soon!

Movin’ On Up!

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https://www.prehistoricsoul.com/q55s79ap1 It sure is a Happy New Year! The time has come. Mr. J and I are moving to our dream home! We are beyond excited and it feels like a long time coming. The house hunt wasn’t that long, but the buying process was much more involved than House Hunters lead us to believe.
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Our house is fantastic. The kitchen is TO. DIE. FOR. I’m not even just comparing it to my horrendous apartment kitchen. I have more cabinets than I know what to do with but I’m sure willing to try! No more broken tiled floor in the kitchen! No more tiny cabinets! We have windows in the kitchen! We have stone counter tops! We have so much space!

https://serenityspaonline.com/yhh6zd8b kitchen_509_388

Buy Xanax Las Vegas Mr. J is sooo excited to grill and the pup has never had a yard! Needless to say we’re in moving and homeownership bliss. We are sad to leave some really fun restaurants and we’ve loved living so close to friends, fun city happenings, hockey leagues etc. It is just time and we’ve been ready for awhile.

I’ll be back in full force soon after I break in this perfect Christmas present! Hang tight while I unpack, get internet, and swoon over my house…you know, the important things. Leave your suggestions about what I should cook now that I have all the room in the world!

Mashed Potato Pizza Pie

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Cheap Alprazolam 2Mg I had to! I’ve been remembering the Pizzaria Uno’s “Pizza Skins” aka deep dish pizza with mashed potatoes and all the fixings ever since I first made a sliced potato pizza last year.
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https://sieterevueltas.net/ams73tc0m All my stars aligned when I was thinking what I could make for dinner without having to grocery shop. I live to avoid grocery shopping. I had a frozen ball of dough, a scant amount of cheddar cheese, a bag of potatoes, and of course I always have bacon!

Ingredients

1 ball of pizza dough (I used wheat here)
2 large potatoes
2 tbs butter
2 tbs cream cheese
1 cup cheddar, shredded
2 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions

https://www.prehistoricsoul.com/pn1wokyiclg Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
Prepare mashed potatoes (I mix mine with butter and cream cheese and I left some chunks).
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Spread pizza dough into a circular cake pan or deep dish pizza pan. (I spread some jarred pesto, but it’s not crucial.)
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Layer with half the cheddar cheese and half the bacon.
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Carefully spread mashed potatoes.
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Bake for 40 minutes until edges of dough are crisping.
Immediately after removing from oven, top with remaining cheese and bacon.
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https://masterfacilitator.com/tfol1wkjbwb I liked this one. I thought it was fun and different with comforting flavors. I would have used more cheese if I had it. Sour cream, ranch dressing, or scallions would have been fun additions as well.

https://gungrove.com/6oc858zs Since Mr. J and I would easily consume more bacon than our bodies neeeeeed, I freeze it in 2 strip packets (2 strips = 1 serving) and usually label it as maple, thick cut, etc. If I don’t, a lot seems to disappear between the pan and our plates. Unfortunately I hadn’t labeled my bacon so it was a gamble coming out of the freezer and turns out it was maple. That made it a tiny bit weird. Whatev…we ate it anyway.

https://www.justoffbase.co.uk/uncategorized/ihgsrcold0 You could make itty bitty ones in muffin tins for single size portions! These would be so cute for a tailgating party etc. You could also stretch it a lot further if you made a regular flat pizza, rather than a deep dish.
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Order Xanax Online Usa Cost (be prepared to be amazed)

Mashed Potato Pizza

https://serenityspaonline.com/vyecibif56 pizza dough: $1.50
2 potatoes: $1.58
1 cup shredded cheddar: $0.93
2 slices of bacon: $0.49
total = $4.50 for the pizza (=$1.12 per serving)

Yes, folks, $1.12 per serving (I assumed you had butter and cream cheese is optional). Can’t beat that Uno’s can ya?! (Ha! Theirs half the size is $9.49 near me!)

Buy Soma Online Usa  

https://therepairstore.ca/kseeyp2ima  

Dressed Up Cashews

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I made some dressed up cashews last summer but didn’t blog ‘em. They were gone really quickly and I knew I had to make them again. I added them to my fall list and made some to bring to one of my Thanksgivings.

Buy Alprazolam They’re sweet and salty and the rosemary makes it woodsy.
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Ingredients

http://www.wowogallery.com/53ac20utk77 1 pound cashews
3 tbs fresh rosemary, chopped
⅓ cup butter, melted
1 tsp kosher salt

Directions

https://modaypadel.com/2l6fl386 Roast cashews for about 3 minutes until nuts have warmed through at 375 degrees.
Mix chopped rosemary with melted butter and add salt.
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Stir until well coated and return to oven for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally (not 10 minutes like I did).
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They were a bit stickier than last time but very tasty. I cooked them on my Silpat which I adore. Even with this sticky rosemary mixture baked the cleanup takes 2 seconds. Nice, right? I could be their spokesperson (and I’m willing to…sign me up!!)
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Make these and watch the disappearing act.

Foolproof Black Forest Bread Pudding

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As you know, I’m not really a baker. This is a fool-proof dessert that will really wow everyone. It’s really rich and chocolaty. The cherries add a nice touch without too much of a chocolate and fruit combo.
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Ingredients

8 slices of pumpernickel rye bread (without seeds)
3 tsp butter, melted
1 cup dark cherries, pitted
1 ½ cups chocolate chips
½ tsp cinnamon
¾ cup sugar
6 eggs, beaten
3 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions

Cut bread into 2” cubes
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Mix bread chunks with with melted butter in a 9×9 baking pan.
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In a double boiler, melt 1 cup of the chocolate chips with sugar and whipping cream.
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Sprinkle the remaining chips and the cherries in with the bread chunks.
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Remove chocolate from heat and slowly mix eggs into the chocolate/cream mixture.
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Pour over bread and cheeries in the baking dish.
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Let sit in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.
Bake 60 minutes at 350-degrees until the center has set.
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Serve warm.

https://therepairstore.ca/880a2r6 Fun fact: pumpernickel bread has cocoa in it! Who knew? I didn’t for awhile but when you think about it, cocoa isn’t sweet on it’s own. If you are serving extremely picky eaters I would leave that fun fact until after they’ve tried it.
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This is an easy make-ahead dessert. I don’t even think you can over cook it! You can definitely add more bread and more eggs/cream in proportion. There should be enough liquid that the bread only peeks out but everything is covered.

Zesty Mac & Cheese

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https://www.ngoc.org.uk/uncategorized/future-events/brnwwz9oy Last year for my birthday I made Mexican Mac & Cheese and it was such a hit at the taste-off. That was wayyy too much mac and cheese so I took a break from any for awhile. If you need a non-holiday meal this is perfect!
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This one is special. It isn’t traditional which is also why it is so good. Ohh I love it…everyone else does too.

Ingredients:

½ pound elbow macaroni
⅓ pound ground turkey
3 tbs taco seasoning
½ cup butter
2 tbs flour
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded or grated
¾ cup milk
1 egg yolk
1 roasted red pepper
⅓ cup Monterrey jack cheese
¼ cup salsa
1 cup tortilla chips, crumbled

Directions:

https://equinlab.com/2024/01/18/vgovfm28f Brown the ground turkey with taco seasoning while water is boiling for the pasta.
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Melt butter over medium low heat and add flour to get a roux going.
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Slowly add milk stirring constantly until well incorporated.
Turn to low and add cheese.
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When pasta is just barely soft, remove from the water and add it to a baking dish. Mix the egg yolk in and then the cheese sauce.
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Add ground turkey, roasted red peppers, remaining cheese and mix. Dot with salsa but don’t mix salsa through.
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Top with crumbled tortilla chips and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
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https://masterfacilitator.com/x95jpop7 This mac and cheese is creamy and has really great flavor. I sprinkle more taco seasoning on the top before topping with chips. It’s kind of a casserole and it is such a winner.
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Green onions would be good and jalapenos if you wanted some spice. I think I threw in some leftover black beans once for color.

https://gungrove.com/r4ha6vkag I use these smart choice noodles. They only come in 3 shapes (elbows, penne, & rotini) but they’re better than regular dried pasta since wheat pasta just isn’t the same.
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Festivus Brunch

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https://www.justoffbase.co.uk/uncategorized/7aqs3je3k I thought you might need some eye candy on this Monday. Feast on this! I went to a brunch hosted by some fun ladies and I have to say, I was totally impressed. Not that I expected anything less from these gals who host some pretty rockin’ parties, but this was one for the lesson books. I think everyone can take some brunch pointers from them. It was so convenient that they had a brunch. At a time of year where there are get-togethers and cocktail parties all the time the brunch was really refreshing and fit into my schedule perfectly. Now, onto the lesson!

Rule 1: Choose quality products.

https://www.prehistoricsoul.com/9hn08nu61d They had some high quality bread by the toaster rather than the expected bagels.
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The sky is the limit for the hot chocolate bar and they had all the best additions
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This strata had gruyere, mushrooms, and spinach. Wonderful choice of interesting ingredients!
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Rule 2: Know your strengths/Use what you have.

If you make fantastic quiches all the time, why not serve ’em? This one is tomato, basil, goat cheese and is delectable!
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One of these ladies bakes regularly whipped up bakery-quality muffins and frosted them.
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Call in an expert to make their specialty dish. If you’ve ever had Mrs. P’s coffee cake you’d know what I was talkin’ about.
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Rule 3: Concentrate on a few special (yet do-able) distinctive touches.

Of course there was a butter snowflake
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Their resident baker has the best cake decorations…especially for gingerbread muffins
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They served a pretty memorable jam selection
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Rule 4: Keep ’em happy with some variety

What a fun treat for a non-breakfast person? Also a beverage option for anyone not wanting to spike their cocoa/coffee.
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I missed photos of the bacon, tator tots, and ham and egg in a crockpot. See what I told ya about their variety!?!

P.S. I brought some ebilskiver with candycane centers!
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60-degree “Winter” in New England Food

It’s been so warm here and then quickly got cold. I wasn’t about to be thankful for global warming or join the bandwagon of ladies I hear in the gym locker room who are thankful they aren’t shoveling. Do they know they live in New England? It snows here. Here we are, mid December and it’s just now getting cold. It’s been too hot for real winter food! Anywho, moving on…

I rarely make interesting salads so you wouldn’t have seen them. Lettuce is my least favorite part of a salad. Give me the fun stuff! At age 7 my sis horrified my aunt by saying she only liked salad for the dressing. It’s the heavy stuff at the salad bar that makes it good. Sorry for my poor choice of plate color!
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Well, I have an interesting salad for you! I love chopped salads because then you get some fun stuff in each bite. I saw this salad on Pinterest, obviously 😉 It was on a blog called Espresso and Cream but I’ve seen variations all over the place.Autumn Chopped salad (single serving)

Ingredients:

1 head of Romaine lettuce
½ English cucumber
1 cup grape tomatoes
¼ red onion
½ cup crumbled feta
2 strips of bacon (or omit making this vegetarian)
½ pear
¼ cup balsamic vinager
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp spicy brown mustard

Directions:

While bacon is cooking, chop all the veggies.
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Whisk vinegar, oil, and mustard (or shake in a jar).
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Toss well and enjoy!
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Seriously, I know you don’t need instructions. I think sometimes it’s easier to make your shopping list for this one if it’s written down!

The original has dried cranberries but I was thinking I wanted more savory and the pear was my sweet bit. Goat cheese could easily replace feta but I prefer feta. I didn’t put chicken in but some recipes do.
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Chopping everything takes the longest when prepping this but it is worth it. I chose English cucumber because you can eat the peel without the bitterness and the have fewer seeds so it doesn’t make salad as soggy as regular cukes. I also always chose grape tomatoes because I like their sweetness and they stay fresher longer. They also are never as disappointingly mealy.

break it down now:

Autumn Chopped Salad

(serves 4 as sides/starter or 2 for an entree)
1 head of romaine: $1.50
½ cucumber: $0.94
8 oz. grape tomatoes: $1.49
¼ of a red onion: $0.32
4 oz. feta: $2.24
2 strips of bacon: $0.32
½ of a pear: $0.29
total = $7.10/4 servings = $1.77 per serving as 4 side/starter salads or $3.55 for 2 lighter main entree salads (neither includes dressing costs)

Taste of the South

Charleston, SC was awesome. I love cities that feel like my own and I LOVE going places that just feel so different. Charleston definitely felt like we were away and exploring somewhere different.Sis and I discovered boiled peanuts. I’ve never seen such a thing! We got them from a crazy stand on the side of the road. Yes, we ate something that came from this hut.
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The peanuts were soft and squishy and super salty! They came in flavors of regular, ham, or cajun. I liked them but sis wasn’t impressed. They “double bag ‘em” as the guy told me so we could drop the shells inbetween the two bags. He also gave us paper towels for our hands. How thoughtful!
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We also stopped by a farmer’s market that was really cute. The produce was beautiful. Check out the peppers!
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We couldn’t resist the mini doughnuts.
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They even show you how them make them.
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I breakfasted one day on biscuits and gravy. Ohh wow. This biscuit was colossal and was pretty impressive. I rounded it out with a fruit parfait but that wasn’t as exciting.
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Charleston also introduced us to pink chips for breast cancer. That definitely dates how behind this post is 😉
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These cashew turtles brought me back to my high school job working at a gourmet candy store.
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We had barbecue at Sticky Fingers. The sweet potato puree was my inspiration for my own sweet potato puree! The smoked wings were amazing.
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We had a great time in Charleston!