Pantry Revisited

Jennifer of Jen B's Cooking Carveout Breach of the Recipeace hosted this week's CEiMB recipe, Sage Rubbed Pork Chops with Warm Apple Slaw. I had checked this recipe out previously and was really excited about making it. GREAT pick, Jennifer! Jennifer is a lawyer in my office and we have a good time collaborating over recipes, what's good, what's not, what takes too much time, etc. One of the first things you learn about Jennifer upon meeting her is how much she loves her three cats. Jen was not a cat person until one day three little kittens showed up on her doorstep. She has shown great mothering instincts toward the kittens, and has grown to love them even though she is allergic to cats. I tease her a lot about them. What are friends for if not to tease and torment? Here kitty kitty kitty. Tom, Oskar, and Beasley. Aren't they cute? These pork chops were so good! I actually cannot wait to make them a second time. Loved the slaw. It was a quick and easy recipe and ...

Heather of Sherry Trifle chose Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread. Check out her blog to grab the recipe! Thanks Heather! Also head over to Tuesdays with Dorie to see what the other bakers came up with for this week's challenge. So, I've got my very first violin lesson coming up this week. I'm hoping by next Christmas I will be able to play twinkle twinkle little star (Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman) or some other song written for children. I think Mozart actually wrote twelve versions of it, so maybe if I cannot learn the original one I can move on (not up) to a simpler version! Don't laugh, it's possible. All was quiet here at the southern/yankee house this weekend. And by the way, calling my DH yankee is a pet name - not meant to offend any of you northerners at all. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE that he is from the north and his accent just makes me melt every time I hear him talk. Sometimes I lay awake at night just worrying that he might accidentally pick up my s...

In the Barefoot Bloggers group, Melissa of Made by Melissa chose Easy Sticky Buns from Ina Garten's Back to Basics and the recipe is on page 240. Recipe: EASY Results: Phenomenal I had all the ingredients already in my pantry so set-up was a snap. Be SURE to try these. Frozen puff pastry is like the best thing to ever happen to my food stock. I use it on my chicken pot pies, desserts, and now Ina has shown me I can make sticky buns with it! I LOVE it. It is easy to roll up, and then you just cut them into spirals and put in your muffin pans on top of the butter, brown sugar, and pecan mixture and bake. Then you get these fabuloso buns! And NOW for CEiMB!!! Drum Roll. Drum Roll. This week in our Craving Ellie in My Belly group *I* got to choose the recipe!!! Don't EVEN think it is easy to choose! It is such a big responsibility, plus there are so many good recipes to choose from and so many considerations. What appeals to many, would be easy on the budget, and really tasty? A...

I wouldn't say I had the best cooking weekend I've ever had. Friends came Friday night for dinner and I served chicken spaghetti. It was delicious except it was not warm enough from the oven. Everyone was very gracious about it, but being the perfectionist that I am, I was frustrated with myself. I'm sure you have all been there, right? Then came Saturday and more friends were coming for dinner. I decided to make this week's TWD cake to serve them as dessert. I got all my ingredients together. Thankfully, my good friend Cathy of The Tortefeasor had given me some Chambord last summer to use in another recipe so I was prepared liquorically speaking for this one. I had heard horror stories about how this cake was turning out or not turning out and I was determined to have mine work. The first mishap of the day was discovering I needed an eight inch pan and all I had was a nine inch one. So it was off to the store to find the right pan. Found one at T.J. Maxx. You gotta lo...

This week Amanda at Beckett Bakes It chose Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary and Chocolate for us to try. Amanda and I work together and it is really fun to discuss our cooking creations/disasters together! This recipe really turned out to be a very elegant main dish I thought. Because there are only two of us eating at home right now, I thought the sauce sounded like too much, so I quartered the recipe and did not cook it quite as long maybe as I should have. Also, I cooked the tenderloin a bit longer than the recipe called for because I do not care for my beef that rare. I used a cabernet for the wine and left out the carrots and rosemary from the gravy. I served that puppy right up with my savory corn muffins from TWD's choice that was earlier in the week, and some mixed steamed vegetables (carrots, squash, zucchini, cauliflower, and broccoli). It was a great combination. The yankee raved about it as he was chowing down. I got a bit too close too fast to the food with my camera, an...

This week's recipe on TWD (Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins) was chosen by Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake , one of my favorite blogs to read! Head over her way and check out the recipe. Let me just say, "you had me at muffin." I'm a huge muffin fan and especially anything that looks like, tastes like, or feels like cornbread in my mouth gets an A-plus from me. I always say a muffin tastes so much better when a little batter spills here and there. Don't you say that too? My DH did not care for them so much. That's because he is not a fan of red bell pepper and he said that is all he could taste in them. I am not sure how he missed the wonderful taste of the corn and the jalapeno and just the batter itself, but he baffles me sometimes. These muffins completed me. They were delicious.

This week's CEiMB was hosted by Running with Food and she chose Fried Rice. I love being in this group because it makes me cook things I never would have thought about cooking and I feel good knowing they are healthy dishes. I can't tell you how much I loved this recipe! It was easy to make and so good to eat. I left off the tofu, however, and used chicken instead. I wasn't sure if I would like the edamame, but it was interesting. Next time I make this, and there WILL be a next time, I'm going to add water chestnuts and snow peas. I cannot wait to see how everyone elses on CEiMB's turned out! The DH and myself ate two platefuls each I am ashamed to admit. Hogs we are. Here is the recipe - try it! Ingredients: 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil, divided 2 large cloves garlic, minced 4 scallions, greens included, rinsed, trimmed and thinly sliced 1 tablespoon minced ginger 4 cups leftover cooked brown rice 3/4 cup finely diced red pepper 3/4 cup cooked, shelle...

In our group, Tuesdays with Dorie, we were very lucky this week because Dorie Greenspan herself chose our recipe! It is such an honor for her to take the time to do that for us. Thank you Dorie! Check out everyone's French Pear Tart at TuesdayswithDorie.wordpress.com . I wanted so badly to do a great job on this recipe if for no other reason than respect for Dorie. Of course, there is always some drama at my house. First, I have no tart pan. Second, there was the "time" factor. There was also the "I had a sick husband at home and I was trying to take care of him" factor. In taking "care" of him, I had to drag him around all day Saturday and Sunday in the rain to shop because we have a deadline to get a few things done. Poor thing, I did take bottled water, cold meds, and a windbreaker for his protection from the rain. (I'm at least thoughtful while subjecting him to possible pneumonia). He was a real trooper. Also, I still had Christmas presents ly...