pasta pie!

I don't know what the best part is -- the delicious meal, or having someone else cook dinner. Yum!

fiddler on the roof

We end Russian week with blini! Took a little practice to get it right, but they were delicious!


We're watching Fiddler on the Roof, and I'm having a Black Russian for dessert. Strovia! (hope I spelled that right!)

we've got the beets

in borscht, that is.

that's just a fun word to say, isn't it? Russian week continues with BORSCHT!

no need to fear the beets. i overdid it on the vegetables, but this was delicious.

stroganoff

you're thinking "oh, no, you didn't."

and i'm like "oh, yes, we did."

Russian week continues, and i suppose this might be considered cheating, but we're having hamburger helper beef stroganoff for dinner, and watching Anastasia. It had to be done. Survivor is on tonight, so there really isn't time to cook a REAL meal.



Thank you, Betty Crocker!

first class

Russian Week, Day 2.

Dinner: Chicken Kiev and garlic mashed potatoes.
Movie: X-Men, First Class (because part of the movie is set in Russia).


As dinners go, this was not our best work. My chicken Kiev recipe calls for stuffing the chicken breasts with butter, and of course most of the butter ran out onto the baking sheet and into the oven (where it burned and filled the kitchen with smoke). The recipe also called for deep-frying the chicken, which I don't do. If I make this again, I will stuff the chicken with parsley and chives, bread it and bake it, and top it with a lemon-butter sauce to get all the same flavors without the smoking oven.

We will be taking a break from Russian food tomorrow night because I have a Child Development class after work that ends at 8:20 p.m., and there's no Russian take-out food available in town. That actually sounds odd, since Sitka was the capital of Russian America. Stroganoff on Wednesday!

it's russian week!

just the idea of making a menu for the week was not inspiring me. i said to cassie "we need something new and different. pick a country and we'll make food from there."

she walked down the hall where we have a world map, closed her eyes and chose...


it's a big country. i suppose it was hard to miss.

next stop, the library. we picked up a cookbook, and



a movie. (not my first choice, but dr. zhivago was only available on vhs).


tonight's dinner: piroshki and paprika potatoes! it's delicious. almost exactly like a burger and fries. only different.

kitchen withdrawal

Five days of travelling and I was having withdrawals from cooking. Upon return, I opened up the recent issue of Food & Wine and found this recipe for Bacon-Bourbon Brownies with Pecans. Interesting!


Then I made pizza for dinner! One with olive oil and garlic, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzerella, sundried tomatoes and fresh basil.


This one has raspberry habanero sauce (from Pampered Chef), grilled chicken, red onions, feta cheese, and fresh cilantro. The Culinary Circle Raspberry Chipotle Sauce is much better, but not available here!


And for breakfast this morning -- a summer fruit cobbler.


It's good to be back in my kitchen.

fiesta!

We had some cilantro we needed to use up, so Cassie and I came up with this recipe. After we'd made it a few times, we decided we needed to name it so we don't always have to say "that chicken and rice thing with the kidney beans and cilantro and stuff." And now it is called:

Fiesta Rice!

Here's how we make it: Cook some rice in the Pampered Chef microwave rice cooker. While that's cooking, dice up some chicken and chop some onions and saute those together in a big frying pan with a little bit of vegetable oil. Season the chicken with cumin and chili powder. When it's cooked through, stir in small can of tomato sauce, and drained canned kidney beans, corn, diced green chiles, and sliced olives. Stir it up and let it heat through, then stir in the hot cooked rice and a big pile of chopped fresh cilantro.

Serve and enjoy!

smoked salmon sushi!

sushi rice, cucumber, smoked salmon, avocado, sesame seeds. yum.


roll and slice

serve with wasabi soy sauce and pickled ginger. delicious!

on a roll

Ever since we had lunch at Wine Country Trattoria in California Adventure in December 2009 with Lori and Jeremy, I have wanted to have that caprese sandwich again! The sandwich was served on a pretzel roll. I have searched and searched for a recipe, and FINALLY found one, thanks to Guy Fieri.

This is the third time I have made this recipe, and the only change from the original I have made is that I double the recipe and make a dozen rolls (the original recipe says it makes four rolls -- they are quite big!).

Delicious!