Dull Moments

Have I mentioned Robert and I are both dieting, and I that I have had to bake like a madwoman lately? It's an unfair world, people. I made these layered cookie bars when we had friends over for dinner. The leftovers were brought to the monthly cousins' dinner. They were obviously a hit... I made a new chicken dish for that dinner, too. It was adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. The flavor was good, but the chicken did dry out quite a bit. Our guests were running late so I left it in the oven longer than I should have, but maybe if I didn't do that and basted it some it would have been better. I liked it overall, though. (the photo below is not mine, it is from Martha) Pan-Roasted Lemon Chicken with Green Beans and Red Potatoes Juice of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning 4 cloves garlic (I used a mandolin slicer) 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons of olive oil 1 small can of vegetable broth 3/4 pound trimmed green beans 8 s...

The cooking never ended last week. Here is what I made for our Open House / Superbowl Party. Homemade Meatballs I had never made a meatball, so I went for simple. They sat in the crockpot with BBQ sauce and spicy ketchup. http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/easy-meatballs/2959910f-1b27-438a-9085-d40b1950db20 Homemade Twix Bars For real, how would I have done anything without pinterest? http://thatskinnychickcanbake.blogspot.com/2010/10/better-than-twix-bars.html Soft Cut-out Sugar-Cookies I know my drop sugar cookies are a favorite and known as the "crack cookies" for their addictive quality, but I really, really wanted to do pretty cutouts. This recipe is amazing (also from pinterest). I was very excited to use my new circle biscuit cutters from Pampered Chef to make these. http://peppermintplum.blogspot.com/2011/03/thick-soft-sugar-cookies.html Besides pinterest.com, my other big help was Costco. Everything else came from Costco! It made the party was easier and way less ex...

I am glad that I only cook for 2 people most days. This turns out to be a lot of work! We had family/friends over on Wednesday for dinner. We had 6 adults and 4 children (all under the age of 4). It was crazy and crazy-fun. It was also really, really good to catch up and connect to friends who live far away. I made a lasagna soup I found on pinterest.com, from the blog here: http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2011/03/24/lasagna-soup/ I did use a chicken and pork sausage for a healthier, lighter feel to the soup. I made a 1.5 recipe for us, and we only had one serving left! It was served with a French bread (thank you, Costco), a spinach salad (from our guests), lemon bars (from my sister), and Special K Bars. Everyone said they liked it, and the kids ate it, too. For our small group dinner on Thursday night, I made lemon bars, too. I didn't know ahead of time my sister was bringing some on Wednesday. We have a peanut allergy in the group, so these were a safe dessert to bring. This ...

When it rains, it pours. And this week, it is a cook-your-butt-off-week. I have been trying meal planning lately, because my lack of meal planning is 1. time consuming 2. frustrating 3. expensive. I have also accidentally volunteered myself to cook up a storm this week. I don't have a ton of my own pictures because I'm too busy trying to get this done, but here's what is cooking in my kitchen. -Meal #1, For some friends: Homemade Pizza Since I had a vegetarian and fellow pizza-obsessed guest, I made homemade pizza. We had pepperoni, veggie {spinach, basil, red bell pepper} or cheese pizza. Served with grapes. Brownies a-la-mode for dessert. Here is the brownie recipe, it was one my favorites yet! http://www.ghirardelli.com/bake/recipe.aspx?id=1099 I did melt the chocolate & butter in the microwave using a glass bowl and a tempering method. WAY easy. -Meal #2, For a family at church with a newborn: Chicken Penne Florentine Bake http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chicken...