Easter Brunch

Told you I was behind. Just a couple of photos of our first Easter hosted as newly weds. Lots of food and so much fun! :)

Pictured above -- yogurt & granola parfaits in plastic martini cups, homemade quiche lorraine (my favorite brunch recipe ever!), sausage, and country potatoes.


We had a green and yellow theme so I used a basket, napkins, cups and flowers in those colors. My family brought baked goods, dessert, and an edible arrangements "bouquet" of fresh fruit. Damon and I also picked out hummus and veggies, spinach dip, and parmaesan cheese crackers to add to the spread. What a glutton I am!

Chicken Cacciatore

I can't believe I haven't posted this yet! I've already made it twice and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite meals. It comes from my favorite Real Simple cookbook.

Start with some chicken dredged in flour, salt, and pepper. Brown the chicken in a pan with olive oil, about 5 minutes on each side. Then pull 'em out of the pan. I use chicken thighs.


Now, in the same pan, add, 1 chopped onion, 1 carrot, 1 stalk of celery, 4 cloves of finely chopped garlic, 3 sprigs of thyme, and a bay leaf. (I added way more than that to increase the veggie factor).


Cook the veggies for about 10 minutes. Now add a 28 ounce can of crushed plum tomatoes. Stir. Add the chicken back in. Add 1/3 cup of dry red wine (I used a cab) -- this is the best best BEST part, I swear! That red wine taste mixed with the tomato....ohhhhh this is killing me now.


Let the chicken cook for about 45 minutes at a low simmer while it takes on that to-die-for tomato sauce flavor. So.darn.good! Make sure you flip the chicken over every so often so that it cooks all over!

I serve it with pasta. Stir in some parsley just before you serve and your dinner companion will thank you. :)

Steak and Potatoes

I'm getting so sick of steak. It's so unoriginal, so meaty. And I'm not very good at it :|

I ended up making a dry rub with paprika, garlic salt, ground cumin, and red pepper flakes. After brushing the steak with olive oil, I rubbed it with the spices on both sides, added some salt and pepper, and baked in the oven at 350 degrees. The rest of the rub I tossed around in a bag with some chopped potatoes as a side dish. Yummy!

Strawberry Cupcakes

A few days ago I found myself very very very bored. So baking time it was! :) I discovered this take on a Sprinkles Cupcake on the Martha Stewart site and decided to try it out. Since it used real fruit (fresh or frozen) it intrigued me -- plus, I could use a low-cost alternative to my pricey Sprinkles addiction.

The recipe was really easy, although a bit time-consuming. But how rewarding in the end! The cake was yummy moist and strawberry-y. The icing was a bit too buttery for me, so I think I'd have to play with it some more to get it to the consistency I like. Oh, and I halved the recipe for the icing because I always end up with extra -- good thing I did because I had enough to frost a dozen cupcakes and take a few sneaks from the bowl! =X

These were too good but I knew I had to keep my caloric intake in mind so Damon took them to work for me. Can't wait to make these again! :)

Roast Beef

Wow it's been a long time since I've posted. I'm so behind on all the things I've made, but I've got lots of pictures to help me remember.

This was last night's dinner. I used a 2.8 pound cut of beef, cooked in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour and a half. I cooked it on a baking sheet after rubbing olive oil, cracked pepper, and sea salt on it. The beef was surrounded by chopped onions, red potatoes, carrots, and celery also coated with oil, pepper, and salt.

See those black things? Those are the vegetables. Take it as proof that investing in good kitchenware is a must. After Damon and I got married I had no baking things, and, thinking that I'd save us some money, I picked up a hefty baking sheet from Kohls. It sucks. Actually, it burns. Everything and anything I put on it. :( So sad. Despite the charred bits, though, these veggies were yummy. They took on the flavor of the beef quite well.

I also made a side of green beans -- fresh, mm! I steamed them in a skillet filled with about a half inch of water until tender, then drained them and sauteed them with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme.

Next time I need to pull the roast out a bit earlier -- it came out medium well which was fine, but a bit dry.