A few weeks ago, I came across several blogs that decided to participate in the Pinterest Challenge. Basically, instead of spending copious amounts of time virtually pinboarding crafts, outfits and books, people were getting off their butts and actually making the crafts, coordinating the outfits and reading the books.
What a great idea, right? My boards are bursting with cool stuff, hence the reason I pinned them. So I went back over to Pinterest to pull out some of the ideas that I’d been really wanting to try. Several hours and few dozen pins later, I had to pick the kids up from school.
Yeah, that idea went out the window. My resolve, however, did not. I figured I’d start small. I don’t have a sewing machine, so some of the more fashion forward ideas got back burnered. I don’t have saw-horses, a jig-saw, spray adhesive or 7 yards of fabric, so some other DIY projects got tabled. What I do have, though, is a pretty decent kitchen, a working knowledge of most herbs and spices, and access to a Whole Food AND a Fresh Market. My recipe board, a.k.a. Munch, Munch, Much, was about to be brought to life.
Recipe One:
Wacky Wonton Soup
I’m not a big soup eater by any means, but when it comes to Hot and Sour Soup or Wonton Soup, I’ve got my spoon at the ready. I’ve had this recipe around for a while; I ripped it out of a magazine a few years ago, but never made it. The ingredients are pretty straightforward, enough that I was sure the kids would eat it. They both love Chinese food anyway, so if I dish it up right, they might never guess it’s home made.
I got out my pots, my cutting boards, and my spices. Ginger, garlic, shredded spinach, scallions and frozen wontons (thank you, Trader Joe). It seemed daunting at first, but now that I know what I’m doing? I can make it in minutes. The kids loved it. Craig loved it. He took his first slurp and gave me this “Oh, is that right?” kind of look. Yeah, I put my foot all up in it.
Look at me, setting the bar all high for this project. Are we surprised?
Munch, munch, munch: 1-0
Recipe Two:
Grilled Halibut with Salt and Vinegar Potatoes
Me and fish? Eh, not so much. I’m more of a shellfish kind of girl if I’m going to eat it at all. Anything else, it’s gotta be fried within an inch of it’s life or else it came it a can with a mermaid on the side. Still, with all the emphasis on good and bad cholesterol, omega 3 fatty acids and so forth, a little fish once or twice a week couldn’t hurt.
This was actually less involved than the soup because after seasoning the fish and potatoes with some pantry staples, I just threw it on the grill. I wish my presentation had looked like the above photo; I had a little trouble with the grill marks on the fish. Who knew halibut was so soft? Even though I sprayed the grill plates, the fillets stuck fast like castaways to a life raft. The greenery on top of the fish is arugula, which I knew Morgan and Coever would have no parts of, so they had broccoli.
Morgan said, “This is the best chicken I’ve ever tasted!” and I just let her roll with that. Coever and her super finicky palate? She choked down a few bites of everything, dessert being the brass ring dangling in front of her. I’ll give her that the potatoes could have been more crispy, but everything else was pretty good. I may have to consider this a loss, because while Craig did eat it, he wasn’t trying to box up the leftovers for lunch the way he did with the soup.
Munch, munch, munch: 1-1
Recipe 3
Roasted Chicken with Cipollini
Last month, I was talking about how Chicken Piccata was my signature dish for when we had company come over. I was all set to make it last week-end when Andy Dawg’s Mom and her hubby came over for dinner. Then, I remembered my challenge and pulled out this William Sonoma recipe I’d been carting around. I hope our guests didn’t have their mouths set on Chicken Piccata. They’re expecting a wee one any day now; maybe I’ll bring it on by when they get home from the hospital.
Anyway, this recipe I can’t really claim to have completed on my own because Craig did the bulk of the work. Our day was jam packed with running around, so I did all of the prep early in the morning. Thankfully, the butcher had removed the backbone from the chicken, per the recipes instructions, so that was one thing we didn’t have to do. The seasoning, marinating and so forth? That was all me. The roasting, basting, and general chicken maintenance? That was all Craig. When it was all said and done, it was pretty tasty. We served it up with some Rosemary Beer Bread, Onion Potatoes, and Roasted Carrots and Brussel Sprouts (I know, I know, I took a chance on the sprouts, but I think they’re tasty). Suffice it to say, everyone cleaned their plates at dinner. Well, Coever decided to eat the crackers, cheese and salami from the appetizer tray, but her plate was clean in the end.
Munch, munch, munch: 2-1
What’s next on the menu?
Spicy Soy-Marinated Flanken
I didn’t even know what flanken was when I first looked at this recipe. I saw meat with grill marks and that was good enough for me. I went to the butcher at the Whole Foods, showed him the picture and he was like, “Oh yeah, we can cut that right up.” He even suggested some marinades and side dishes that would go well with the meat. So, I’ve got some ideas for what it about to be tomorrow night’s dinner.
As for tonight? It’s looking like we’re going back to basics.
Hello, tacos. . .
