Wordless Wednesday

As I was packing for my trip, I noticed there were several food dishes that i had not yet shared.  I thought I would make my version of Wordless Wednesday.  I have seen a few other blogs do it and thought it might be a fun way to get out some of the recent food items and make room for vacation pictures.

black beans and sweet potato

 

pinto beans, corn and mango

guacamole

avocado salad

mango peach smoothie

walnut mango salad

Whose recipe is this?

Since I was out of snacks, and Ashley was bringing her daughter over for a couple hours for a visit, I thought it would be fun for the three of us to bake some cookie (and for them to leave the bulk of them here when they left).  When they got here, we drove right in.  Ashley was actually making some lunch while Kaleigh and I were mixing cookie batter.  Then Ashley and Kaleigh spooned out the batter (I think I saw Kaleigh like the spoon!) and tossed them in the oven.

Since we were using my own recipe for the cookies, I figured that I would remember it.  I was wrong.  I completely forgot the brown sugar and had to add more white sugar.  Then I noticed that I was out of vanilla so we used almond extract which game them a slightly cherry flavor.  Then I got the time wrong and we overcooked them.


In the end, we had white colored, cherry tasting, very crunchy chocolate chip cookies.  All in all, they were still cookies and they will all disappear as the nights grow long.  I  am not sure how exactly I failed to bake with my own recipe, but, lesson learned.  Next time I will look it up.

It has been a hap-hazard week in the kitchen.  I made some mediocre lasagna and failed with some cookies.  It will not matter though, my belly will be full and my mouth happy.

Vacation will be here shortly and I am really looking forward to a break.  It will be really nice to see the family, both biological and non.

Lunches aplenty

Since my vacation is right around the corner, the jobby job is running me ragged.  In fact, I spent my last day off making food to take with me for lunches.  I will not be working many really long shifts but I will be logging in many shorter shifts.

Going back to a dish Ashley and I made a few weeks ago, I opted to re-create lasagna.  This time around I used some mock meat and to be honest, I liked the non-mock meat version much better.  However, it is a huge amount of food that will help me pull through the final days before my vacation.  Next time I make some, I will make sure to share the recipe.

A walk in the park

I was going back through my photo memory chips, cleaning them out for my upcoming trip to Maine, when I realized that there were several pictures that I have not shared.  A few weeks ago, Ashley and I took a small hike through Stone Mountain.  It was a short hike and very spontaneous but I got a few nice pictures none-the-less.  I thought I would share.

Work food

The last few days in the kitchen have been fairly uneventful.  I have been working a lot to make up hours for a vacation I am about to take so I have not had much time.  I made a little hummus for some wraps, that has been great food to take with me to work.  I have also been making smoothies.  Nothing new really, just the same old classics.

A few weeks ago I made another batch of sheppard's pie.  Each time I have made this for work it has been perfect.  It is hearty enough to get me through the day at the jobby job but has enough flavor that it feels better then some pre-packaged meal.

Another week and I will be taking a much needed vacation.  It was cut back due to the lay-offs at the jobby job so I will be taking another in October.  I am hoping the fall will move by faster than this summer.  This heat is making me start to think about living somewhere other than Atlanta.

Banana Bread

Months ago, I got my new blender.  It has been doing work in my kitchen.  I make smoothies for work nearly everyday.  It has saved me money and allowed me to eat healthier.  It has also forced me to get bananas every few days.

Recently, I got behind on the smoothie making and my bananas started to get too brown.  That can only mean one thing, Banana Bread!  It has been awhile since I have made some but after my recent cake disaster, I figured I should go for the sure fire thing.  There is not much better than a thick slice of banana bread as an after dinner treat.

These came out perfect and I was even able to use my small loaf pans for several loaves.  It has also been nice to share and even take some to work with me over the long weekend.  It went over very well with the work friends, they were happy I shared.

The measurement of a chocolate success.

How do I measure success?  Well, I suppose, if it is simply for me or people close to me, as long as it tastes good, it is a success.  If that is the measuring stick, then certainly, my recent cake attempt was a brilliant success.  However, if the standard is an aesthetically pleasing and well constructed cake, I failed.

The cake was baking well but my failure as a baker shined through when it came out of the pans in pieces.  Since I have a lot of experience piecing cakes back together I was able to place them in relative togetherness, enough to ice.  The icing held the pieces together enough for a few pictures and some tasty slices of cake but no doubt about it, this cake was a train wreck.  A tasty, sugar infested, chocolate train wreck.

Three Days Off!

I have 3 days off!  I am pumped. I hope I find the motivation to get some things done.  If I do not end up doing anything, I think I will be fine with just a relaxing time off as well.

I took a look at some houses this morning and have a Real Estate things I will be taking care of over the next few days.  When I got home this afternoon, I made some of my chicpea chicken salad.  It is such a nice summer treat.  Makes for a great lunch!

I think I will try to make a cake later.  I could use the sugar.  I am going to have a great few days off!

Roasted Corn and Peppers

 Thursday was a nice morning off.  There was some thrifting involved and a nice lunch.  Ashley had come over for the afternoon and we made some smoked pinto beans and a nice side dish.  This corn side dish was such an excellent compliment to the pinto beans.  It was light and sweet and really mellowed out the heavy beans.  It was also gorgeous.

This will certainly be a steady addition to any of my Mexican dishes.  It was really fresh and refined.

Roasted Corn and Peppers

1 red bell pepper (chopped)
1/2 onion (chopped)
2 cups of frozen corn
1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
1 tablespoon of oil
1 tablespoon of red onion (sliced)
1/4 teaspoon of salt


Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a small baking pot, add the oil, onion (both types), and cumin and bake for 5 minutes or until onions are tender.  Remove from the oven, add the corn, salt, and red pepper, stir well and return to the oven for about 20 minutes.  The corn will slightly darken in color and begin to plump.  Remove from the oven, stir and serve.


Th final plates made for a nice lunch.  A little heavy for the harsh Atlanta summer weather but still great for sitting inside, enjoying the air conditioning.

Lasagna!

I can not believe that I forgot to post the big event from last Friday's day off.  Ashley taught me how to make lasagna!

As a kid, I was never a fan of cheese.  On the rare occasion that my mother would make a lasagna, I would refuse to eat any.  In fact, I do not think I ever even gave it a chance.  I avoided it like canned vegan meats.

A few weeks ago, Ashley made me a lasagna to have for work.  It was a great and perfect for my lunches.  It got me thinking about making my own but I requested her help.  I had never assembled one and she seemed to have it down.

We made a huge one and I ate it for the whole week at work.  It had a special layer of portobello mushroom, fried with fresh thyme, oregano, and basil and pureed.  It was a great added flavor that threw the whole meal over the top.

The "cheese" layers were packed with all kinds of fresh vegetables.  It turned out great and satisfied the carb needs of being at work while providing some solid nutritional value from all the fresh veggies.  This will certainly be on the menu for future lunches and might even get a recipe feature.

the veggies

the "cheese" sauce

the mushrooms herb sauce

the final product