So I haven't been doing as well with consistently cooking as I had hoped, but I have made several real efforts in the last week or so! I've found that when I research my meals and get excited about them, I have a much better attitude about coming home from work and cooking. I have this odd hatred toward random meals that are not thought out and instead just thrown together. Example: grilled chicken/fish, broccoli, and baked potatoes. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, and sometimes I even end up liking it, I'm always in a bad mood when I'm cooking/eating these type meals. Maybe it stems from my random eating in college....who knows!
Last week I made a huge pot of this crab corn chowder. Delish! Not exactly perfect for August, but it was delicious nonetheless and made multiple meals, which is an added bonus! I combined ingredients from several recipes based on the reviews (what did we do before reviews/comments??)
I was also craving some homemade bread and remembered my lifelong friend, Whitney, blogging about an easy and tasty recipe a while back. You can find the recipe here at her super cute blog. Even if you're not interested in the bread you should check out her blog Harvest Home, she's a real life farmer's wife and shares great recipes and cooking tips! She's also a great photographer, an elementary school teacher,a pampered chef consultant, and runs her own online boutique, Park Street Market. She's also an Aggie, but that's neither here nor there ;) The bread turned out scrumptious just as she promised; I made several little loaves to share with my co-workers.
This past weekend I was really wanting something sweet and remembered my friend Robyn posting some amazing recipes to cure a sweet tooth. Again, even if you pass on the brownies, Robyn's blog is a must see! She's an awesome photographer,she post excellent recipes, she's super creative/thrifty when it comes to decorating, she sews!, and she has two ridiculously cute children. She also happens to be an Aggie, what can I say people, I pick good friends. ha! Anyway, I went on over to her blog, The Farmer Family and found this little beauty! Cookie-dough brownies! Originally I read this as chocolate chip cookie brownies, but after reading the recipe closer, I realized the middle layer is actually non-cooked (egg free) cookie dough.....heaven! Warning they are very very rich, but should definitely cure your sweet tooth, or leave you needing a root canal, either way, mission accomplished!
Tonight, I made this tomato pie. It was verrrry tasty and equally filling! If I could describe it in one word I would say "southern". I mean, we are combining pie crust, mayonnaise, cheese, and tomatoes (if that doesn't scream southern, heart attack, obesity and diabetes, then I don't know what does)! I was a little nervous about Hubs reaction to having no meat options, but after one small slice of this baby trust me you'll need a couch and a nap! I was planning to make my own crust, but got home from work an hour later than expected, so I used a frozen one, and it turned out fine!
Here's the recipe:
Tupelo Honey Cafe's Tomato Pie
* Pie Crust (I used deep dish)
* 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 10 ounces cheese)
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
* 2 chopped green onions, white and green parts
* 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 cup panko bread crumbs
* 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
Roll out a 10-inch pie crust and place in a 9-inch pie pan. Preheat the oven to 425F. In a bowl, combine the cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, parsley, green onions, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs, mixing completely. Layer one-third of the tomatoes in the pie pan, covering the bottom of the pie crust. Spread one-third of the Parmesan cheese mixture on top of the tomatoes and repeat, making 2 more layers of tomatoes and cheese and ending with the cheese mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top of the pie is bubbling and browned. Serve warm.
Makes 8 servings
There you have it, that's what I've been cooking up. The rest of this week I am planning some quick and easy (I hope) pasta dishes from The Pioneer Woman!
Happy Monday and Happy Cooking!
Last week I made a huge pot of this crab corn chowder. Delish! Not exactly perfect for August, but it was delicious nonetheless and made multiple meals, which is an added bonus! I combined ingredients from several recipes based on the reviews (what did we do before reviews/comments??)
I was also craving some homemade bread and remembered my lifelong friend, Whitney, blogging about an easy and tasty recipe a while back. You can find the recipe here at her super cute blog. Even if you're not interested in the bread you should check out her blog Harvest Home, she's a real life farmer's wife and shares great recipes and cooking tips! She's also a great photographer, an elementary school teacher,a pampered chef consultant, and runs her own online boutique, Park Street Market. She's also an Aggie, but that's neither here nor there ;) The bread turned out scrumptious just as she promised; I made several little loaves to share with my co-workers.
This past weekend I was really wanting something sweet and remembered my friend Robyn posting some amazing recipes to cure a sweet tooth. Again, even if you pass on the brownies, Robyn's blog is a must see! She's an awesome photographer,she post excellent recipes, she's super creative/thrifty when it comes to decorating, she sews!, and she has two ridiculously cute children. She also happens to be an Aggie, what can I say people, I pick good friends. ha! Anyway, I went on over to her blog, The Farmer Family and found this little beauty! Cookie-dough brownies! Originally I read this as chocolate chip cookie brownies, but after reading the recipe closer, I realized the middle layer is actually non-cooked (egg free) cookie dough.....heaven! Warning they are very very rich, but should definitely cure your sweet tooth, or leave you needing a root canal, either way, mission accomplished!
Tonight, I made this tomato pie. It was verrrry tasty and equally filling! If I could describe it in one word I would say "southern". I mean, we are combining pie crust, mayonnaise, cheese, and tomatoes (if that doesn't scream southern, heart attack, obesity and diabetes, then I don't know what does)! I was a little nervous about Hubs reaction to having no meat options, but after one small slice of this baby trust me you'll need a couch and a nap! I was planning to make my own crust, but got home from work an hour later than expected, so I used a frozen one, and it turned out fine!
Here's the recipe:
Tupelo Honey Cafe's Tomato Pie
* Pie Crust (I used deep dish)
* 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 10 ounces cheese)
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
* 2 chopped green onions, white and green parts
* 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 cup panko bread crumbs
* 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
Roll out a 10-inch pie crust and place in a 9-inch pie pan. Preheat the oven to 425F. In a bowl, combine the cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, parsley, green onions, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs, mixing completely. Layer one-third of the tomatoes in the pie pan, covering the bottom of the pie crust. Spread one-third of the Parmesan cheese mixture on top of the tomatoes and repeat, making 2 more layers of tomatoes and cheese and ending with the cheese mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top of the pie is bubbling and browned. Serve warm.
Makes 8 servings
There you have it, that's what I've been cooking up. The rest of this week I am planning some quick and easy (I hope) pasta dishes from The Pioneer Woman!
Happy Monday and Happy Cooking!