Breakfast for dinner. And then some.

Posted on September 16, 2007 by chatty

By far one of my favorite dinners is … breakfast! Pancakes, or an omelet, biscuits, maybe some chicken sausage, if we’ve been good. In today’s Pacific Northwest magazine (Sunday Seattle Times), writer Matthew Amster-Burton writes a piece on BfD. The writer could have been in our kitchen, it seemed so familiar. The experiments, the search for perfection, all for the right waffle. Nice job.

Oh, and while I’m here I’ll sneak in a pic of a treat we had today, football day. Early on in my years with the husband (we’ve been together 8 years! married for 3), when I didn’t care much for the sport, or for what I ate, I looked forward to the array of snacks and meals the husband would concoct for the day. Sausage sandwiches, semi-homemade salsa or guacamole. Then I started getting into it myself: chili; chicken quesadillas; pizza. Now that I actually pay attention and sorta understand the game, the food is still good, but not the main point of the day.

Today was a special treat. We don’t ever go to fast food national chains. We probably go to Dick’s every 4 or 5 months, when the mood strikes.

Today the mood struck.

Dick's special with fries

You don’t know Jak.

Posted on September 14, 2007 by chatty

Dinner at Jak’s tonight. Hooray for work bonuses for leading me to believe we have money to spend. Credit Eva-from-the-vanpoool for planting the idea in my head.

Together, the husband and I split:

Beef tenderloin topped with King Crab and a bernaise sauce.
AND
Bacon-wrapped sea scallops (mmmm … bacon …), with a rich truffle sauce.

The husband got the potato pancakes, I got the garlic mashed potatoes. Also, vegetables on the side. Yum.

Stuffed. Excellent.
I did not think to bring my camera to take a photo. Oh well. Next time.

That’s amore

Posted on September 12, 2007 by chatty

The husband presented a grand dinner for me to photo and discuss on the blog. Improved from a previous dinner presentation. First, lemon-pancetta biscuits. Again, the ‘double-fold’ method, with pancetta in the middle. Lemon zest and lemon juice flavor the biscuit dough. Light and fluffy, made from Heart-Healthy Bisquick. Parmesan cheese was baked atop the biscuit. Yum.

As for the pasta dish, as reported by the husband: Tomatoes, onions and pancetta was sauted, then wine (sake, actually) and butter was added. The sauce simmered, then parmesan was melted into it. It was a texture and flavor of a cream sauce, without a cream sauce. Rich, but not too rich.

In a word … dee-lish.

Dinner. Yum.

Posted on September 11, 2007 by chatty

Taking a break on cookies. Sort of overdosed, and therefore can’t really enjoy the goodness.

On another note, here is dinner. Sausage sandwiches: Italian chicken sausage with grilled onions and various condiments on a panino roll. On the side, baby dill pickles, potato salad:

This is why I let the husband do the cooking

Posted on September 5, 2007 by chatty

Even when he is in a bad mood, or thinks that the world is ending, or believes the ingredients in the house suck, the husband always manages to make me something yummy to eat. When the husband is off working or for some reason I must fend for myself, this is what I make:

tuna melt

A tuna melt. Tuna fish (with celery, reduced-fat mayo and a dash of spicy brown mustard) on Health Nut bread from Oroweat, with a slice of reduced-fat swiss cheese, left under the broiler for a few minutes.

In my defense, it tasted better than it looks. The cheese melted funny probably because of the lack of fat.

When the husband came home today, he fixed himself a pleasant presentation of tuna, lettuce, tomatoes (from the side garden) and avocado. Even when he doesn’t cook, it looks better than when I cook.

Salad from the Market

Posted on September 3, 2007 by chatty

Dinner tonight: A Caesar Salad from the Market, with romaine lettuce, shrimp, Parmesan cheese and lemon. At home, the husband added tomatoes (from the side garden. LOVE the side garden), avocado and walnuts. We passed on the Market croutons and chose a panino roll, toasted, drizzled with olive oil. On the side, some chicken breast with mango chutney,another Market deli item. We also finished up the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon we opened last night (I had my usual 3 oz. I am what they call a lightweight).
If you can’t tell, the Market is our go-to place when we don’t feel like cooking. When we first moved to the neighborhood we probably went there every other night. It was easy, it’s close (one and a half blocks), and the Chinese restaurant down the street was unimpressive. We also realized how much money we were spending and had to cut back.

However, in the summer, we get tired and lazy and prefer to spend the time lazying around than cooking dinner. And, when I say “we” of course I mean the husband, since he really is the cook of the family. If he wasn’t the cook we’d be eating mac ‘n’ cheese and ramen noodles every week.

Salad

Tasty.

When is it okay to have two desserts? When isn’t it?

Posted on September 1, 2007 by chatty

Another so-so dinner, capped by a much more enjoyable dessert. Or two.

Do you sometimes have a craving for something but perhaps can’t get to it for days? For me, that craving has been ramen noodles. The good old-fashioned kind that my dad used to make many a Saturday or Sunday lunch growing up (it was either ramen or fried rice). A week or more ago Rick in the vanpool mentioned something about ramen noodles. Something about feeding it to his kids on a regular basis. I had to remind him that, actually, ramen noodles aren’t really good for you (fried, probably more than once. How else do you suppose you’re able to cook it in under three minutes?). Since that day (a week or longer ago), I’ve been thinking about ramen noodles.

I love ramen, but I don’t eat it on a regular basis. I used to. Used to always have a few packages around the house. But the fried-ness, and my attempt to stay healthy (disregard for a moment the numerous posts I’ve done on cookies). Maybe once every few months. Maybe.

I’m very particular about my ramen. Manchurian? No, thanks. Top Ramen? Uh-uh. There are only certain kinds that I’ll purchase. I don’t know the name brands (one might be “Nissan”). Just the packaging, because usually they are in an Asian language. Lucky for me, the QFC carries the brands I want. Unlucky for me, I was standing in the Market, and all they had was Manchurian and Top Ramen. Huh? The Market? The one with the ridiculously pricey cookies from Italy? Expensive fig bread from Spain? Highfalutin everything? Nope. Couldn’t be bothered with a $0.59 package of ramen.

So the alternative was going home and making soba noodles from the pantry. Decent, but not the same. You know how you’re craving something…the alternative, no matter what it is, is never as good. You taste it hoping for one thing and it’s just not it.

BTW, I make REALLY good ramen noodles. I know, it’s nothing fancy, but if you’re going to do it you’ve got to do it right. Maybe it’s an Asian thing, but there is WAY more to ramen noodles than the silver packet of ‘spices’ that it comes with. I’ll take a trip to the Asian market this weekend to pick some up, and will post my special recipe then.

Ambrosetti Luna di Miele. Look for the woman on the tag Anyway, on to dessert. This morning, at PCC, I picked up another packet of Ambrosetti cookies. They didn’t have the Occhi type that I was ga-ga over last week. They did carry the “Luna di Miele”, a biscotti-like cookie half dipped in yummy chocolate. Same flavors as the Occhi. Less chocolate, but nevertheless, delicious.

I had just finished taking photos of this cookie (not a great pic; why is it so hard to take a photo of a cookie?) when the husband returned home. He had stopped at Whole Foods and surprised me with my favorite, the Whole Foods mini-apple pie. I don’t know if they make it on the premise or get some generic company to bake them, but I love these little apple pies. The lattice topping is delicate, the filling more sweet than tart, the portion just right for two people (or one, if you are feeling selfish).

Apple Pie from Whole Foods

Anyway. I figured, with the disapointing noodle dinner, on top of having gone to the gym AND practice today, today was all right to have two desserts. So be it.

Mac & Cheese

Posted on August 29, 2007 by chatty

Hmmm. 70 minutes stuck in traffic thanks to a stalled car on the 520 bridge. Grrr… Luckily I came home to a dinner already cooked, thank to the husband. Chili mac with lemon-pancetta biscuits. Annie’s Shells and Cheddar, with Amy’s Organic Chili, combined with fresh cherry tomatoes (tomatoes from the side garden, of course). The husband also added in a little bit of pancetta, and, for kicks, some vegetarian brats. The biscuits are Heart Smart Bisquick with some lemon zest and a small slice of pancetta in the center as a surprise. The trick to fluffy biscuits …roll out the dough 1/2 inch thick, per the instructions. Fold the rolled-out dough over so it’s double the size, then cut out biscuits using a cutter. Otherwise the biscuits look kind of flat (For the surprise pancetta, you can add the slice in the fold).

Chili Mac Lemon-Pancetta biscuits

For years – years – I’ve been looking for the perfect Mac & Cheese recipe. I’m not quite sure what I’m looking for. I figure I’ll know it when I taste it. One hint, Cooking Light does not have the perfect recipe, and I was subscriber for a l-o-n-g time. Until then, I really enjoy Trader Joe’s Macaroni & Cheese (the classic, currently in a blue box). Annie’s is also tasty.

If you do have the recipe for the perfect Macaroni & Cheese, please share the love.

Bengal Tiger

Posted on August 27, 2007 by chatty

I am not intending for this blog to be about dinner, but today we ventured into new territory and tried Bengal Tiger in the Roosevelt neighborhood (6510 Roosevelt Way NE). We ordered vegetable samosas, Rogan Josh with lamb, and Paneer Bruji, and the garlic basil naan.

I love how Indian food arrives in these tiny bowls and dishes, far smaller than any American entree that arrives. The amount seems small yet we’re always full and more often than not we overeat as well. Very tasty. Bengal Tiger, Roosevelt Neighborhood

Pizza Night

Posted on August 26, 2007 by chatty

Last time we made pizza, we did a pizza margherita. It is my favorite. The husband grows basil and tomatoes in the side garden, so adding some fresh mozzarella balls from the Market is a breeze.

Last time we ordered pizza, I was all set to order the Verde Primo when the Pagliacci phone guy asked if I was interested in the seasonal special which was, what else, their version of a Margherita. I said yes. Nevermind that I just told you we can make a better version, and that we just made it.

So, tonight, when I suggested pizza for dinner, the husband got to choose the ingredients. Fine by me, because he has good taste: Maple sausage (chicken); sauteed Walla Walla sweet onions and crimini mushrooms; shredded Parmesan cheese; on an olive oil-based dough. I did the dough (thanks to our fancy bread machine…a wedding gift that gets a moderate amount of action).

Pizza (and the husband) Pizza, resting