I HAVE BEEN COOKING! JUST SLACKING ON THE BLOGGING

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I posted on this blog! I do have lots of pictures and recipes to share, from campfire patty melts to yesterday's bread extravaganza - stay tuned for some yummy posts!

Losing my touch?

Well, Friday I put a hunk of beef in the crockpot in preparation for BBQ Beef Sammies for supper, but when I went to shred it up in the evening, I realized I had it on "warm" instead of "low" all day. :( So we had chef salad and I finished cooking the beef late into the night. THEN, I proceeded to leave it out on the counter all night forgetting to put it in the fridge after cooling. Yesterday, I defrosted chicken and beef to make fajitas, but our tattoo appointment took longer than anticipated so we ended up going to Red Robin for burgers between Todd's and my time under the needle.

What to do for supper today????

Funnel Cakes

Despite our delicious supper and a few strong cocktails, we set about making funnel cakes since the oil was ready after the tortilla chip endeavor. Check out sexy, Alton Brown's recipe! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/funnel-cake-recipe/index.html

Tortillas!

Todd was on his knees he liked the tortilla chips so much! I had some corn tortillas left from a failed attempt at enchiladas and decided to fry them up and season them for dipping in the guac. I definitely made up for the too-lemony hollandaise sauce this morning! Yum............and Old Bay Seasoning was a perfect choice.

Amazing Chicken

Amelia dubbed this dish "Amazing Chicken." We saw Rachael Ray do a version of this on T.V. recently and this is what we came up with today:

Chicken

pound chicken breasts out thin and bread with a crumb mixture of plain breadcrumbs, zest of one lemon, a bunch of parmesan cheese, black pepper (we did the classic flour, eggs, breadcrumb process) shallow fry the chicken and keep warm in the oven if you have to do it in batches. fry the remaining breadcrumbs in the hot oil and set aside.

Salad Component-serve piled up on top of the hot fried chicken

toss arugula, red cabbage, sliced scallions with the following lemon viniagrette: zest of one lemon, juice of two lemons (use the zest from the second lemon in the breadcrumbs for the chicken), a tablespoon or two honey, large squirt spicy brown mustard, 2-3 cloves garlic smashed up with salt, black pepper-whisk it all together with olive oil. I like to toss these types of greens an hour or so in advance to give the dressing a chance to penetrate the lettuces.

Focaccia with Kalamata Olives and Roasted Garlic

Easiest bread to make and so tasty!

1 T rapid yeast
2 t salt
1 T chopped fresh rosemary or other herbs
1/3 c olive oil
1 1/4 c warm water
3 cups AP flour

Mix all in bowl until doughy and slightly sticky. Cover bowl with towel and allow to rise until dough doubles in size (45 min). With oiled hands, plop dough on oiled baking sheet and shape into a 1/2" thick oval with your hands. Cover and allow dough to rest 30 min. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Make dimples in the dough with finger tips and sprinkle on your fave toppings: olives, rosemary, garlic, tomatoes, etc. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Yum!

Appetizer Supper

Stuffed Mushrooms and Baby Peppers (goat cheese and scallions)

Dijon Deviled Eggs

Guacamole and Creamy Pepper Relish Dip with Triscuits & Fritos