Day #29

On a cold, wet, wintery evening like tonight, I was in the mood for some comfort food. So I heated up a bowl of tomato soup and made a grilled cheese sandwich - whole grain bread, roast beef, cheddar cheese, and pepper jack cheese. I ate a handful of pretzels on the side, and washed it all down with a glass of red wine :)

I'll be back to "real cooking" tomorrow night!

Day #28

This dinner might look fancy, but it really isn't very complicated. I took some of the leftover garlic couscous from a couple nights ago, laid a cooked chicken breast on top, added some pesto, then drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar and some grated cheese.

Before I had this blog, I never paid much attention to presentation of my food on the plate ;-)

Day #27

I was in another salad mood tonight.   I started with a base of chopped romaine and mixed field greens. I then added chopped green pepper, yellow onion, sliced deli roast beef, and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette (see side note below). I topped the salad with some gorgonzola cheese crumbles, dried cranberries and chopped walnuts. The perfect combination of tastes (salty, tangy, and sweet) and textures (crunchy and soft).

Note: a few days ago, on my birthday, my mom and I went to a small store called Vom Fass. This store specializes in oils and vinegars sold straight from their casks.  I purchased 3 products - a red pepper olive oil, a toasted sesame oil, and some balsamic vinegar:

For my salad tonight, I decided to use my new balsamic. I added a little balsamic vinegar to a small mixing bowl, added some Italian seasoning, and then slow whisked in some EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil) until it came together as a dressing.   Let me just say this.... the balsamic vinaigrette was better than any I've bought in stores. Just oil and vinegar without any additives or sugars.  It was worth the cost of the good grade balsamic. :)

Day #26

Tonight's dinner was something I could throw together quickly.  I diced up some broccoli and sweet potato and sauteed it in a little olive oil for a few minutes. I then sliced some beef smoked sausage lengthwise, and added it to the pan to heat as the veggies finished softening. Meanwhile, I boiled some water in the microwave and made some 5-minute roasted garlic couscous (an Archer Farms box mix from Target).
Pretty tasty for a quick meal!

Day #25

Disclaimer: this is my first attempt to update my blog via email through my cell phone.... please excuse any discrepancies in appearance or spelling error.

Tonight I went to my parents' house for dinner. We had pork tenderloin, mixed veggies, pineapple & yeast rolls. Dessert was leftover birthday pie. The food was delicious, as all of my mom's cooking is. Plus, I didn't have to prepare it, which was a welcomed change.

Day #24

Today's my birthday!!   And like all good birthdays, it included a nice birthday dinner.   Tonight my parents and I went to Square One Brewery in the Lafayette Square Neighborhood.  The food was delicious, the beer was good, and I ate too much.  Here are a couple pics.  The lighting was rather dim, so the pics are dark :(

For an appetizer we ordered the Beer Pretzels - two warm buttery salty Bavarian retzels with dipping sauces: a jalapeno cheddar and a Pale Ale mustard.  (We were halfway through the plate when my dad reminded me to take a picture.)    My beer was a Bavarian Wiezen.  It was good!

My dinner was a Monte Cristo sandwich (Grilled ham steak on French toast with fontina spread and cherry mostarda) and their homemade pub chips (a blend of Idaho and sweet potato chips).   Excellent!!  I really enjoyed this sandwich and ate every bite.  

For my birthday dessert, I went back to my parents' house and we had pie.  A chocolate caramel pecan pie.  I forgot to write down the exact name of it.  But it was good and rich and I couldn't finish my slice!


Thanks everyone for stopping by my blog.  I didn't realize how many of my friends were viewing this until I saw all your message on my Facebook page today.  I'm glad I'm not just typing to myself :)

Day #23

(Pic taken with my Samsung Epic)

Tonight I wasn't very hungry, nor did I feel like cooking.  So I threw together a simple cheese quesadilla - 2 whole grain tortillas filled with pepper-jack cheese, shredded Mexican-blend cheese, and corn & black bean salsa.   Placed it on my Pampered Chef stone, and baked it in a 275-degree oven for 5 minutes.  The tortillas were toasty and the cheese was melty.   The dipping sauce is a combination of plain Greek yogurt (no sour cream on hand) and Pampered Chef's Southwestern seasoning mix.

Quick and simple.