I made bread on Sunday. Tried a new recipe and was quite pleased.

 Look at this yummy dough!

And the loaves, about to get into the oven!

I enjoyed several slices with butter and jam and a bit of cold milk. Good times. :) My next adventure will be homemade pretzels and crackers. :)

Broccoli Cheese Soup

 I found a great recipe for Broccoli Cheese soup and tried it last week.

  It didn't call for chicken, but I had some and wanted to add it.

 I boiled the broccoli with seasonings and chicken stock.

 And then put it in the blender though the recipe calls for a food processor. I have asked for one for Christmas. :)

 I made a nice little rue.

And added cheese and milk, stirring a lot!

 Then I added the broccoli.

 And the chicken and some left over brown rice.

It said to eat it with a crusty bread. French bread was on sale, so that's what I went with and it worked beautifully! I have decided that this is a recipe that I want to practice and develop. I added lots of my own spices as it was just too bland with only what the recipe called for. I have other ideas of how to perfect it. It will be a fun and yummy project!

Catching up!

So I have been beleaguered by a nasty cold for like 2 weeks now. Good times. :) My cooking adventures have been few and far between, but they were worthwhile, so I will finally document them! Stay tuned for lots of new adventures starting tomorrow!

Homemade Alfredo

My first time ever making it from scratch!

Sneakin' in the veggies whenever possible!

 See all that butter?! This is not a heart conscious meal! :)

 Adding the broccoli makes up for the butter. :)

Then you add Half and Half (my first time using this ingredient!) to the butter and garlic. Lots of stirring!

Mix in the colorful noodles!

 I tried shocking my broccoli. First time! It worked!!

It stayed brilliantly green and crisp!

Mix in the broccoli and cooked chicken. Yum! 

Toasted up some french bread with butter, salt and garlic.

Good times. :)

*******

James' Pork Country Ribs with Root Vegetables

I was really sick that night. James is such a good guy to take over my duties for the night! I admit that the nausea made it tough to eat the pork, but the taste was really yummy and the vegetables were absolutely perfect. He came up with the recipe himself. :)

James' Peach Pie

 It is peach season! Here they are, peeled, sliced and bathing in sugar.

Here is the beautiful crust he made.

 The dough for the top layer.

 Working the peaches.

Rolling out the top layer.

In the oven. So pretty. 

All done! The crust was so perfect. Unfortunately, after all that work, the peaches turned out to be not quite ripe enough which lent a sourness to the dessert. The kids adored it however, which made it a success. We'll be more aware of the ripeness of our fruit next time. ;)

On to more adventures!

D is for Drop!

Zucchini Lemon DROP Cookies!

Time for the letter D!

More zucchini....  :)

 Cream together butter and sugar.

Peel and grate zucchini. I needed 1 c. finely grated.

 I got to use my new Zester for the very first time! I needed the zest of one lemon.

 Then I added the lemon zest, egg, and zucchini to the mix.

And while that was mixing, I put my dry ingredients together. I love cinnamon!

Add the dry to the wet, a little at a time.

 The recipe called for chopped walnuts but I only had almonds. They worked just fine.

Drop the dough by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet and pop it in the oven!

While they were baking, it was time to make the icing. That's obviously me squeezing the life outta my lemon. :)

Then I mixed the fresh juice with powdered sugar. Wish you could've smelled it!

 Creamy, pungent icing

The cookies cooling on a rack.

 

When they have cooled, generously drizzle or spread the icing. Then eat!!

B is for BBQ!

So to make up for the Hollandaise fiasco, we decided to do some BBQ for the Labor Day weekend. We had chicken and pork country style ribs. James made the same marinade for all the meat.

I wish I knew what all he put in them... I know one thing was my favorite seasoning; McCormick's Garlic & Herb. I highly recommend it!!

 We were also supposed to bring a side dish, so I found a recipe and set out the ingredients for James while I went to the gym. What a great guy to do all of this by himself! I am so lucky!

 He loosely used the recipe and these potatoes were AMAZING!!

 Here I am enjoying some of the chicken. Yum! Tonight it's my turn! Not sure what to make yet... maybe Quesadillas. Easy and delicious!

B is for Brit...

So we used the letter B the other morning.... James has taken to making eggs Benedict lately and today he wanted to try the accompanying hollandaise sauce... I was supportive though not particularly excited.

 He found the recipe online.

 I boiled the water for the eggs.

 A LOT of butter goes into the sauce.

 And some egg yolks.

 And lemon juice.

 James whisked the sauce in a metal bowl over a pan of boiling water.

  Lots of whisking.

The sauce only called for the egg yolks and being a frugal family, we added the leftover whites to the eggs we would poach. Made it less neat and pretty but practical.

 The homemade bread and the eggs.

James artistically plating the food. :)

 Um.. pretty? Yes. Looks can be deceiving...

 James eating his creation.

 Me... loving, supportive wife. Pregnant, often sick, supportive, loving wife....

This meal did not go well...

We have come to a conclusion. Food like this was a primary reason for people fleeing England. :)