Thursday, January 17, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Menu 1/14/2008
Menu:
Monday: Mustard Roasted *Chicken*, Thyme-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Tuesday: Enchiladas
Wednesday: Cake class night, I'll eat out
Thursday: Chicken in Pasta. Simple.
Friday: Potato, Spinach, Red Bell Pepper Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette (hold the bacon)
Saturday: Probably Out.
Sunday: I'm not sure yet.
Last week was very overwhelming, and I didn't get to make most things on my list.
I'm reusing most of last week's recipes. No grocery list this week :-)
Monday: Mustard Roasted *Chicken*, Thyme-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Tuesday: Enchiladas
Wednesday: Cake class night, I'll eat out
Thursday: Chicken in Pasta. Simple.
Friday: Potato, Spinach, Red Bell Pepper Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette (hold the bacon)
Saturday: Probably Out.
Sunday: I'm not sure yet.
Last week was very overwhelming, and I didn't get to make most things on my list.
I'm reusing most of last week's recipes. No grocery list this week :-)
Gnocchi in review...
This was my first attempt at gnocchi, and I have to say that I was pretty impressed. In general I'm not a huge fan of gnocchi. I don't like it, and the last time I had it, I ended up having and allergic reaction to it. But things went much much better this time.
The ingredients needed for gnocchi are very simple. You need mashed potatoes, flour, salt, and an egg. There is a "correct" ratio of potatoes to flour, but I simply added enough flour until the potatoes and the egg came to the right texture to be rolled into snakes before being cut and shaped.
I skipped taking pictures of the rolling and the mixing because my hands were absolutely disgusting and I wasn't risking ruining my camera by doing that. Basically, I took baseball sized pieces of dough and rolled it out into a rope and cut it into small pieces. When cut the dough looks almost pillow shaped. I then dropped the gnocchi dough pillows into boiling water for 2 minutes or until it floated on top of the water. At this point I put it in ice water to stop the cooking then moved them to a cookie sheet to await further use. Once I was done I made a pink sauce, and dumped the gnocchi in.
Then I stirred it all together and let it simmer until Kristyn and Anne got here to eat. I think one of the best parts about it was that I let it simmer in the sauce, they got a good flavor from residing in the delicious pink sauce for so long.
The ingredients needed for gnocchi are very simple. You need mashed potatoes, flour, salt, and an egg. There is a "correct" ratio of potatoes to flour, but I simply added enough flour until the potatoes and the egg came to the right texture to be rolled into snakes before being cut and shaped.
I skipped taking pictures of the rolling and the mixing because my hands were absolutely disgusting and I wasn't risking ruining my camera by doing that. Basically, I took baseball sized pieces of dough and rolled it out into a rope and cut it into small pieces. When cut the dough looks almost pillow shaped. I then dropped the gnocchi dough pillows into boiling water for 2 minutes or until it floated on top of the water. At this point I put it in ice water to stop the cooking then moved them to a cookie sheet to await further use. Once I was done I made a pink sauce, and dumped the gnocchi in.
Then I stirred it all together and let it simmer until Kristyn and Anne got here to eat. I think one of the best parts about it was that I let it simmer in the sauce, they got a good flavor from residing in the delicious pink sauce for so long.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Tonight is Kristyn's birthday celebration and I'm making homemade gnocchi. I'm a bit excited about trying it.
But before I get to that, I have to comment on the Lemon and Herb Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and easy Caesar Salad. The chicken was amazing. I really liked it, it was super tender and flavorful. Very healthy because I didn't use any fat in it at all. However, the Caesar Salad was nearly inedible. It was far too lemony and garlicky. I am pretty sure it made my tongue tingle, and not in a good way.
Yesterday was my first cake decorating class. So far we haven't done anything for real, but we talked about our upcoming weeks. The teacher is very go with the flow, and she is into giving us the knowledge to do what we want to do with it. Most classes require that you make a rainbow cake your first week, a clown cake the second week, and a rose cake the third week. So it is kind of exciting to be able to learn what we want to learn and do something more our "style."
Kristyn and I have been discussing what kinds of cakes we're interested in making. I have been doing a ton of research on what I want my cakes to look like. As of right now I am planning on making a white square cake with teal circles. I'm looking for other ideas.
I have to go research some tips in making gnocchi!
But before I get to that, I have to comment on the Lemon and Herb Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and easy Caesar Salad. The chicken was amazing. I really liked it, it was super tender and flavorful. Very healthy because I didn't use any fat in it at all. However, the Caesar Salad was nearly inedible. It was far too lemony and garlicky. I am pretty sure it made my tongue tingle, and not in a good way.
Yesterday was my first cake decorating class. So far we haven't done anything for real, but we talked about our upcoming weeks. The teacher is very go with the flow, and she is into giving us the knowledge to do what we want to do with it. Most classes require that you make a rainbow cake your first week, a clown cake the second week, and a rose cake the third week. So it is kind of exciting to be able to learn what we want to learn and do something more our "style."
Kristyn and I have been discussing what kinds of cakes we're interested in making. I have been doing a ton of research on what I want my cakes to look like. As of right now I am planning on making a white square cake with teal circles. I'm looking for other ideas.
I have to go research some tips in making gnocchi!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Sometimes I'm just a bad person...
My plan for my day today was quite simple, do some work in the morning, followed by an early afternoon of birthday shopping for Kristyn. The morning started off that simple. I got up and I did a bunch of school work and then I did some IBM work. When I finished all the work that I had to do, I got cleaned up and went on my way.
I went to Downtown Crossing to DSW to see if they had the brown shoes by Sketchers that I want. They did, but they were $55! I couldn't justify that. Even with the $10 off coupon I have. I was a little annoyed because all the other shoes of the same style were $49. I walked around, browsing for a gift for Kristyn. I kind of was looking for a cute dress for her to wear to work, they had some at Banana Republic that I was interested in, but I didn't love any of them. I found one at H&M, but that one was black and white, and I would have preferred a color. I walked down to the Faneuil Hall area and continued to look. I stopped in Crate and Barrel to see if they had any fun kitchen supplies, but they didn't. I went to Victoria's Secret, and they are having their semi annual sale. I searched through the buckets of bras to find that they had one of the very sexy convertible bras that I adore. I bought it for myself.
I then went to look around Banana Republic and the Loft hoping to find something for Kristyn. Then I went up to the Gap and looked around. I found a green wrap dress that I thought she'd be interested in, but they didn't have her size. At the Gap, I saw that the Project (RED) shirts that I love were on sale. So I bought three for myself.
Aren't they cute? I'm actually wearing the blue one at the moment.
So that's my day. I went shopping for Kristyn and I ended up spending more than $50 on myself.
Tonight I'm going to make dinner for me and Anne, and then we're going to the movies, she wants to see Juno. I am feeling the need for some trivia...I'll have to look that up.
I went to Downtown Crossing to DSW to see if they had the brown shoes by Sketchers that I want. They did, but they were $55! I couldn't justify that. Even with the $10 off coupon I have. I was a little annoyed because all the other shoes of the same style were $49. I walked around, browsing for a gift for Kristyn. I kind of was looking for a cute dress for her to wear to work, they had some at Banana Republic that I was interested in, but I didn't love any of them. I found one at H&M, but that one was black and white, and I would have preferred a color. I walked down to the Faneuil Hall area and continued to look. I stopped in Crate and Barrel to see if they had any fun kitchen supplies, but they didn't. I went to Victoria's Secret, and they are having their semi annual sale. I searched through the buckets of bras to find that they had one of the very sexy convertible bras that I adore. I bought it for myself.
I then went to look around Banana Republic and the Loft hoping to find something for Kristyn. Then I went up to the Gap and looked around. I found a green wrap dress that I thought she'd be interested in, but they didn't have her size. At the Gap, I saw that the Project (RED) shirts that I love were on sale. So I bought three for myself.
Aren't they cute? I'm actually wearing the blue one at the moment.So that's my day. I went shopping for Kristyn and I ended up spending more than $50 on myself.
Tonight I'm going to make dinner for me and Anne, and then we're going to the movies, she wants to see Juno. I am feeling the need for some trivia...I'll have to look that up.
Monday mishaps...
So the rebels that Anne and I are decided to go to the grocery store at 7pm last night in hopes of coming home to cook that mustard crusted chicken and the delicious roasted sweet potatoes and then go to see Juno at 9:45 on the Commons. That plan did not even come close to working out as we had hoped.
We got to the grocery store a bit before 7, didn't leave until after 8, didn't get home until after 8:30, and didn't end up eating until 9:15ish. As we started preparing dinner Anne informed Kristyn and I that it was time to leave for the movie. We didn't see Juno last night.
We did eat the most delicious Feta and Sundried Tomato Stuffed Chicken and Lemon Parmesan Orzo though. It was truly amazing. I didn't follow a recipe, I just made it up as I went along. I ended up making a sauce by deglazing the pan with simply water, adding sundried tomatoes to that, letting it simmer while the Orzo cooked, and then finishing it off with a tiny bit of feta simply to add creaminess to the sauce. It was very good, and the sundried tomatoes in the sauce went delightfully with the lemon/parmesan combo on the orzo.
Tonight I will make the mustard crusted chicken. I promise.
We got to the grocery store a bit before 7, didn't leave until after 8, didn't get home until after 8:30, and didn't end up eating until 9:15ish. As we started preparing dinner Anne informed Kristyn and I that it was time to leave for the movie. We didn't see Juno last night.
We did eat the most delicious Feta and Sundried Tomato Stuffed Chicken and Lemon Parmesan Orzo though. It was truly amazing. I didn't follow a recipe, I just made it up as I went along. I ended up making a sauce by deglazing the pan with simply water, adding sundried tomatoes to that, letting it simmer while the Orzo cooked, and then finishing it off with a tiny bit of feta simply to add creaminess to the sauce. It was very good, and the sundried tomatoes in the sauce went delightfully with the lemon/parmesan combo on the orzo.
Tonight I will make the mustard crusted chicken. I promise.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Menu 1/7/2008
Menu:
Monday: Mustard Roasted *Chicken*, Thyme-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Tuesday: Potato, Spinach, Red Bell Pepper Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette (hold the bacon)
Wednesday: Enchiladas
Thursday: Gnocchi, Lemon Roasted Green Beans with Almonds, Birthday cake
Friday: Chicken Stuffed with Feta and Sundried Tomatoes, Lemon Parmesan Orzo, and Sauteed Spinach
Saturday: Probably Out.
Sunday:Lemon-Herb Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Easy Caesar Salad
Shopping List:
Produce:
Lemons
Spinach (2 bags)
Garlic
Potatoes
Green Beans
Onions
Marjoram
Red Bell Pepper
Sweet Potatoes
Thyme
Red Potatoes
Romaine Lettuce
Meats:
Chicken
Dairy:
Parmesan Cheese
Feta Cheese
Eggs
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Grocery:
Orzo
Vegetable Oil
Olive Oil
Sundried Tomatoes
Flour
Kosher Salt
Almonds
Red Wine Vinegar
Red Pepper Flakes
Chili Powder
Dried Basil
Dried Oregano
Dried Rosemary
Cumin
Tortilla Shells
Tomato Sauce
Chipotle Peppers
Refried Beans
White Rice
Dijon Mustard
Bread Crumbs
Whole Wheat Bread
Monday: Mustard Roasted *Chicken*, Thyme-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Tuesday: Potato, Spinach, Red Bell Pepper Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette (hold the bacon)
Wednesday: Enchiladas
Thursday: Gnocchi, Lemon Roasted Green Beans with Almonds, Birthday cake
Friday: Chicken Stuffed with Feta and Sundried Tomatoes, Lemon Parmesan Orzo, and Sauteed Spinach
Saturday: Probably Out.
Sunday:Lemon-Herb Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Easy Caesar Salad
Shopping List:
Produce:
Lemons
Spinach (2 bags)
Garlic
Potatoes
Green Beans
Onions
Marjoram
Red Bell Pepper
Sweet Potatoes
Thyme
Red Potatoes
Romaine Lettuce
Meats:
Chicken
Dairy:
Parmesan Cheese
Feta Cheese
Eggs
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Grocery:
Orzo
Vegetable Oil
Olive Oil
Sundried Tomatoes
Flour
Kosher Salt
Almonds
Red Wine Vinegar
Red Pepper Flakes
Chili Powder
Dried Basil
Dried Oregano
Dried Rosemary
Cumin
Tortilla Shells
Tomato Sauce
Chipotle Peppers
Refried Beans
White Rice
Dijon Mustard
Bread Crumbs
Whole Wheat Bread
Back in Beantown
So here I am, back in Boston again...One more semester of school left, and it is looking to be quite a busy one!
I moved into my new apartment where I plan on spending my time working, doing school work, and of course cooking lots of new and different foods. Kristyn and I are taking cake decorating classes at Michaels through Wilton starting on Wednesday and I couldn't be more excited. So for the next 4 weeks on Wednesday nights she and I will be embarking to Michaels to learn a thing or two about cakes!
The week ahead is seeming like it could be a busy one!
Tomorrow is the first day of classes, and my first day working remotely from Boston. Tuesday should be relatively calm. Wednesday is cake decorating class 1! Thursday is an all new Grey's, who doesn't get excited about such things!! And Friday is always a good time. Kristyn's birthday is also this weekend so it should be fun to do something for her birthday one day this week. Which also means that I have to figure out a good birthday gift for her before Thursday!
On my to do list for tomorrow is some menu planning and grocery shopping, so I will post about my menu and grocery list later!
I moved into my new apartment where I plan on spending my time working, doing school work, and of course cooking lots of new and different foods. Kristyn and I are taking cake decorating classes at Michaels through Wilton starting on Wednesday and I couldn't be more excited. So for the next 4 weeks on Wednesday nights she and I will be embarking to Michaels to learn a thing or two about cakes!
The week ahead is seeming like it could be a busy one!
Tomorrow is the first day of classes, and my first day working remotely from Boston. Tuesday should be relatively calm. Wednesday is cake decorating class 1! Thursday is an all new Grey's, who doesn't get excited about such things!! And Friday is always a good time. Kristyn's birthday is also this weekend so it should be fun to do something for her birthday one day this week. Which also means that I have to figure out a good birthday gift for her before Thursday!
On my to do list for tomorrow is some menu planning and grocery shopping, so I will post about my menu and grocery list later!
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