Aisle Twelve

The inspiration for this dish came from a recipe in Everyday Food.  What I love about it is that it is basically a complete meal in one delicious package; you've got your meat, your veggies and its all wrapped in delicious puff pastry.  Puff pastry is one of the best items in the cooking world.  You defrost a sheet and wrap it around some ingredients and voila, you've got a restaurant quality meal.  Beef hand pies remind me of something we have in Northern Michigan called pasties.  I haven't had a pasty in years but this is kind of a stepped up version of that.  Feel free to switch up the veggies or use turkey or chicken instead of beef.  This dish would be a complete meal served with a simple green salad. It's safe enough for kids and could even be nice enough for company.  Beef Hand Pies - makes 8 pies 1 package puff pastry, thawed flour for dusting olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 small onion, diced 1 lb ground beef sirloin 2 teaspoons dried thyme

It's officially soup season.  I'm not a huge fan of soups but if you give me an interesting flavor combination, I will give it a try.  This was a recipe I found on Pinterest.  It's a copy cat recipe of Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden.  When I go to Olive Garden I O.D. on salad and bread sticks and Eggplant Parmesan.  I don't think I've had another single item off the menu; I love those too much.  I know Joe liked this soup so I decided to give it a try.  He liked it almost as much as his favorite soup, Mulligatawny .  Actually, he said he might like it better.  This soup has a nice heat to it.  I used mild spicy Italian sausage as well as the red pepper flakes.  I am not a huge fan of heat, but I like it in the background and this is definitely there.  The kale in the soup makes you feel like you're being a little healthy - forgetting about the sausage of course.  With the potatoes and the white wine cream broth, it's a great winter dinner! Zuppa Toscan

I know I've been touting easy, fast meals lately, but this one really takes the cake in simplicity and taste.  Joe took one bite and said, "this tastes like something I would get at a restaurant."  As I've mentioned, the only other adjective I've ever gotten from him on a meal before was "good."  This was a revelation.  Besides being all of the above, this is a healthy, low fat meal.  Definitely something you should be making soon! Horseradish Encrusted Salmon (based on Real Simple recipe) 4  6-ounce pieces skinless salmon fillet kosher salt and black pepper 1/4  cup  bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned breadcrumbs) 1  tablespoon prepared horseradish 1  tablespoon olive oil Heat oven to 400º F. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with tin foil for easy clean up. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, horseradish and oil. Top the salmon with the mixture, pressing gently to help it

Friday Night, June 29 I had been feeling a little crampy low in my stomach the night before.  I felt absolutely great on Friday. We went to bed at about midnight that night.  An hour and a half later I awoke and sat straight up in bed, my water was breaking.  Saturday, June 30 1:30 a.mm, I am in the bathroom as my water is breaking, Dad is frantically asking questions, is this really happening?  What do we do?  Do we go to the hospital?  I told him to call our doctor's office who advised us to yes, go to the hospital.  We packed the last minute things that needed to go in our bags I had waiting next to our beds and were off.  I was feeling no contractions and no pain.  I was just excited, excited, excited.  We drove in the darkness to the quiet hospital and checked in.  They checked me out and told me I was only a fingertip dilated.  That dialed down my excitement a little, this was clearly not going to be a quick event.  Oh well, I figured by lunch time I wo

Just a few more weeks and you will be here!  I'm having a hard time sleeping at night; it's hard to get comfortable and I have a list running through my head constantly of what I want to have done before you get here.  Last night my list was a little bit more fun than the to-dos that I usually think about.  Last night I made a list of just some of the things I hope to teach you and your brother(s) and/or sister(s) before you grow up in the blink of an eye and the next thing I know I am standing in the door waving goodbye and sobbing as you leave the nest.  A lot of these things will be for when you are older so we won't talk about them for a while.  That's why I need a good check list to remind myself of how I want to raise you and hopefully it will be something you can look at in the future and think about. Things That Are Important to Know 1.  Have a good relationship with God.   Of course when you are little we will help you get this started.  You will com

Hi.  It's mom again.  It's been a while since I last wrote but things have changed so much.  You and me specifically.  I am in my third trimester now and we are definitely getting bigger.  You keep growing and so does my belly.  I am feeling and seeing you flop and move and turn over in my belly.  Other people can feel you too.  Even though I know it's natural for you, I feel bad that you have to lay upside down in that tiny, cramped space in there.  I definitely can feel your foot.  It likes to pop out on my right side and I like to tickle it.  I can't wait to see that foot out here.  You get hiccups a lot.  It makes me feel bad that I can't do anything to help you, but it also makes me laugh to think of you in there hiccuping.  As for other things, I am all ready for you to be here.  We have your room all set up.  We had a baby shower for you where lots of nice people gave us nice things for you.  I have washed your sheets and clothes, washed your bottle

I love when I make something that I have never made before and it turns out not only to be beautiful, but delicious.  This is one of those things.  I found myself with a bag of spinach that was set to expire, some eggs that were well on their way to their expiration date and a red pepper that was beginning to get a little soft.  Not only that, but I've had this tart pan forever and had yet to use it.  This quiche was such a success in using up my old ingredients and giving me a reason to use a new toy that I even went so far as to make my own pie crust.  Pretty, delicious and healthy to boot.  What a great dish!  Who says quiches just have to be for brunch?  I made this for a perfectly light and healthy dinner.   As I said, I made the crust from scratch.  You can buy store bought, but I love my crust recipe.  It's so cheap, easy and delicious I can't justify buying store bought, but to save time, store bought works.  Here's how I made this quiche.  Loosely a

What's a girl to do when for various reasons (pregnancy, antibiotics or masochistic sacrifice) one finds herself unable to drink?  This has of course come up for me on several occasions recently.  There are only so many bad sparkling juices a girl can drink before she has to resort to coming up with her own concoctions.  Luckily, I have not had major cravings for alcohol.  I'm too busy craving ice cream.  But this completely gorgeous and summer like weather had me craving a summer drink.  I really wanted a cool and refreshing mojito and was just starting to banish the craving to July when I realized a mojito is actually a good drink to have with or without alcohol.  I whipped one up and to my pleasant surprise, this is one refreshing drink I'd have even if I could have alcohol.  It lead me to come up with a n/a version of my other favorite cocktail, the Cosmo.   My CosNo isn't quite as satisfying booze free but it is a good substitute when the need arises.  Feel

The best thing about being pregnant, next to the fact that I have a precious life growing inside of me that I will love more than life itself, is that I pretty much get a free pass to give into cravings.  Baby gets what baby wants.  And Thursday baby wanted oatmeal raisin cookies.  Yes, that is a little healthier treat that I've craved lately.  I guess after a carton of ice cream devoured over the course of a couple of days, baby wanted something a little more substantial.  I didn't have a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies off hand so I consulted the internet to see what I could find.  I wanted a classic, grandma type cookie that had big juicy raisins, lots of sugar and cinnamon and that would be perfectly chewy.  Who could I consult to find such a recipe?  I went to Betty Crocker, and wow did she deliver.  These cookies were everything I just described and they really hit the spot.  Baby definitely enjoys these cookies and so did my friends who I shared with this wee

Hi Pumpkin, it's Mom.  A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks.  We had your ultrasound a few weeks ago.  You were very stubborn, clearly you take after your father!  For most of the time, you were laying face down so we couldn't get a good look at your face.  After lots of coaxing, you finally turned and faced the camera.  You were just so cozy in your position you didn't want to move!  Everything measured perfectly.  You were already perfect to us.  Also, I have been feeling you moving all around in my belly. The first time I felt you move I was laying on the couch watching tv and just happened to have my hand on my belly.  Just then I felt something underneath my hand.  It was such a strange but great feeling.  I get so excited every time you move.  Dad has been able to feel you move a few times, but mostly right now, it's just me who can feel all the flips and turns and dancing you're doing.  It's the best feeling in the world.  My belly is

It's almost that crazy Hallmark time of year, Valentine's Day.  Despite your relationship status, isn't it time to treat someone you love (be it your sweetie or yourself) to a decadent dinner?  I decided to make a nice steak dinner for my sweetie this week, since it marked five years that we met in the shampoo aisle.  Steak is delicious by itself but everyone knows when going to a steakhouse, the real treat of a steak dinner is the sides.  But what could I make besides a boring baked potato or side of rice?  I instantly had a craving for a creamy, cheesy potato dish.  I scoured the Internet and found a simple and decadent recipe for scalloped potatoes gratin.  Thank you Tyler Florence for such a simple, easy and beyond delicious side to compliment this steak dinner.   It's not exactly a dieter's dish, but when you're having a steak dinner, it's time to splurge.  Save up the calories because this is one dinner that any Valentine would love to be treated t

Let me introduce you to your new favorite dessert.  Not only will this be your favorite because it tastes so delicious, but its so easy to make and you probably already have all, if not most, of the ingredients in your pantry.  Am I the only one who does this?  Before I recycle a magazine, I go through it and tear out the pages I think I'll want to keep.  This helps in getting tons of magazines out of the house, but then I end up with a binder of pages that I will go through and eventually throw away.  However, I found this gem of a recipe in that pile.  It is from an issue of Kraft Food and Family years ago.  The magazine uses this recipe as a perfect compliment to coffee, and oh please don't torture me, I'm sure it is absolutely divine with coffee.  I have been accompanying these bars with a good old glass of milk and it is a delight.  I'm sure a glass of red wine wouldn't be a bad partner either... These are best when they are warmed so that the chocolate is me

Winter is a good time for soups.  At least they say it is winter; today is a balmy 50 degrees.  Not that I'm complaining, I just have a nagging feeling that the late arrival of winter means snow until May.  Let's hope that is not the case.  This soup was literally, and I mean literally literally, on every menu in Scotland.  This recipe for potato leek soup tastes different than the soups we had there, but it is every bit as good, and perfect for a winter's day.  I've become somewhat of a vegetarian since I've had a bun in the oven, mainly because the smell of meat cooking really does me in.  (Don't worry, dare I say I feel that I'm starting to turn a corner.  Please God, please God, please God let me turn this nausea corner.)  Nausea aside, this is a great vegetarian recipe since it really sticks to your ribs, you won't miss the meat at all! This is based on a recipe from Ina Garten's Back to Basics cookbook.  I think what makes it different from

It's a new year again!  2012 promises to bring some of the biggest and most exciting changes for me and I can't wait to share them with you!  You may have noticed that I haven't posted a new recipe on here in quite some time.  I apologize.  There is a big reason and it is mainly that I haven't been cooking very many new things to share with you.  A lot of the things I am making are old stand bys that I quickly whip together because (a) I have no energy to stand by a stove for more than 5 minutes (b) the things I am eating are probably of no particular interest to you, unless eating an entire jar of banana peppers chased with a tall glass of Fresca interests you or (c) because the thought of a certain food sends me running for the nearest toilet.  Sorry to mention toilet in a food blog.  Yes, I do have a mild case of morning sickness.  For the most part though, I am still cooking, but what I'm cooking happens to be a very specific something that sounds good at tha