I ordered a Chicken Caesar Salad. I knew it would be soft to eat since my wisdom teeth were just recently removed and I also was aware that it was a nice size salad that would fill me up. When I received it I noticed a slice of garlic bread on the edge of the plate, I took a feel of the bread and it must have sat around that kitchen for hours.

The first couple bites of the lettuce were very tasty although they were alittle too drenched in caesar dressing for my taste. The chicken, some pieces were slightly warm and others were same temperature as the salad. As I continued chewing, I was not fully convinced that the lettuce was Romaine, half of it resembled Iceberg Lettuce. I also began to notice that some of the lettuce towards the sides and bottom of the plate were slightly brown. I did notice pepper on the salad, but no fresh grated cheese.

The overall appearance of the dish was sad. But I ate it anyway because I was hungry. All-in-all a ‘fair‘ (at best) dining experience. I would NOT recommend it, especially to anyone who was visiting from out-of-town.

Tonight’s meal isn’t exactly what hubby wanted, but it’s close. He wanted me to fix veal parmesan tonight, but as we just had it awhile back I didn’t want to basically fix the same meal over again. So as a comprimise, I’m substituting chicken for the veal.

Either way you go though, rather it be the veal or chicken versions, the meal itself is very easy and basic. You can create a meal that looks like you spent the whole day in the kitchen in under an hour. Most of that time being spent baking versus actual working time.

So without further ado, tonight’s menue plan is:

Chicken Parmesan w/home-made pasta sauce on liguine noodles
Asparagus w/orange-pecan sauce
Garden salad w/creamy Italian dressing
Toasted French bread
Lemon meringue cheese cake
Raspberry Iced Tea

Recipes as follows:

Chicken Parmesan

1 small can tomatoes, crushed
1 can tomato paste
1 large can of tomatoe sauce
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, diced
oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, thyme to taste
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts,fat removed
buttermilk
flour
egg(s)
Italian style bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
shredded mozzerella
Pasta of choice (we perfer liguine or angle hair)

Begin sauce by emptying ingredients into a med. pot. Make sure garlic and onion are chopped very fine before adding. Add remaining spices except salt and pepper. Add those last so you can see how much it needs. Allow to simmer on the back burner for about an hour. 

Wash and dry chicken, removing any visible fat. Mix beaten egg and buttermilk. Also in a seperate bowl mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese together.

Dredge chicken with flour and dip into beaten egg mixture. Dredge through bread crumbs/parmesan cheese mix, coating well. Put in a med-hot pan with heated oil. Cook only a little on each side (very lightly browned) and finish in the oven at 375F for 15-20min or until juices are clear.

After chicken is completely baked, top with a spoonful of sauce spread over the chicken then with as much of a mix of the parmesan and mozzarella cheese as you want. Continue to bake until the cheese melts and is a little brown on top. Serve with your favorite pasta, spooning remaining sauce on the pasta.  

——————————————————————-

Asparagus With Orange-Pecan Sauce

2 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
1/2 stick butter
1/3 cup pecan halves
1 teaspoon orange zest (or orange peel)
1 teaspoon orange juice

In a large skillet, place the asparagus spears and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat until the asparagus is crisp-tender, 5-7 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In the same skillet, melt the butter and add the pecans. Cook over medium heat, until the pecans are toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the orange zest and juice. Spoon over the cooked asparagus and serve.

——————————————————————-

 Italian Dressing

1 cup oil
1/4 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup corn syrup
2-1/2 Tbsp grater Romano cheese
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Shake all ingredients in tightly covered container. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Shake before serving.

Creamy Italian Dressing Beat 1/2 cup Italian Dressing and 1/2 cup mayonnaise with hand beater until smooth.

—————————————————————–

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

2 boxes of Jello brand cheesecake mix
1 small box cooking lemon pudding
8 inch springform round baking pan

Prepare lemon pudding by manufacturer’s directions. Allow to cool completely, stirring occassionally to speed up cooling process.

Prepare both graham cracker crusts by manufacturer’s directions. Spread crust mixture on bottom and half way up sides of springform pan.

Prepare both cheesecake mixes by manufacturer’s directions. Divide mixture in half, spreading one half of cheesecake filling over cracker crust and bottom of springform pan.

Top cheese cake mixture with cooled lemon pudding. Then top lemon pudding with remaining cheesecake filling. Refridgerate and allow to chill for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, remove springform pan side and slice into desired pieces.

I’m sure that some people are wondering why ever I’d put up a meal journal when the hottest craze these days is dieting and special diet meals. I’d wonder myself, although I also realize that of all the things that determine what society is, it’s that society’s foods and cooking styles.

Unfortunately, in a time where most everyone is watching their weight, counting calories, avoiding fats, sodium, sugars, etceteras… Where people are suing McDonalds because of ‘they made me fat‘ campaigns… My opinions & recipes may come across as strange and AB-normal.

I started doing this as a result of my “What’s For Supper” thread at Defending the Truth. Friends and readers were enjoying the banter of discussing what others were having for supper. Whether it be going out to dinner, cooking at home, or grabbing something at the local deli… Just sharing that hominess of enjoying the delights of a good meal. Theses entries being intended to take it a step futher, by including not just the menu plans I do, but the recipes behind those efforts.

I do love to cook. My hubby says it was one of the many talents and reasons he fell in love with me to begin with. He said he got the modern woman who not only he could talk with on an intellectual level, but who had looks and a personality, who cleaned, who was artsy, and who could also cook.

But I’ve seen a trend lately that has slowly started popping up in regards to the menus and recipes. At first, it was just internet trolls trying to stir up trouble and bad feelings amongst the participants… Calling people ‘fatty’, ’slob’, ‘trailer trash’, ‘rednecks’ to those participating in the threads. Doing their best to try and make the participants feel bad for not cooking, for cooking, for whatever reason trolls have for their type of posts. And on the whole, their comments being ignored simply because readers knowing the wasteful products of those posts.

Now though, there are genuine posters starting to criticize the meals and recipes. Telling others what they should/shouldn’t be eating. Making readers feel as if they are being told that they are ignorant about their own dietary needs and risks.
I personally don’t think that way about my own readers. I realize that some people who read my menu plans may not be able to prepare those meals as I do. I realize that there are those that have special dietary needs, and as such I trust in them to adjust the recipes they see me post, to adjust them to their own special dietary plans.

Unfortunately for those whom my recipes do not meet their dietary needs, I can not complete alternate menus. For them, the effort of maintaining those special diets means that the reader, will have to adjust my meal plans/recipes for your own special needs. And it’s not as hard as some would think. My recipes show the very basics of those choosen meals. They’re not set in stone, so changes can be made depending on the reader’s preferences and tastes.

The lovely thing about our grocery markets now, is the wide vareity of substitutions sold. If your diet demands you have a low sodium intake, then you have the options to omit the salt called for in a recipe and substitute it with another flavoring. You also have the choice to use low sodium/sodium free products versus the original sodium loaded ingredient.
If calories are an issue, then use dietary sugars or sweetners in place of the sugar content many of my recipes use. Honey is a great substitute by the way for many instances of sweetening.

If you’re watching your fat/oil content, again it’s an easy fix. Most oils, butters, and mayonaises now have low fat/fat free options available. By all means, use those substitutes in the recipes. The healthiest cooking oils are canola and extra virgin olive oils… So if you see a recipe that needs oil for frying? Use those instead. For baking oils, try macadamia or seasame oils. Soybean oil is a great substitute for recipes in salad dressings, mayonaise, and butter substitutions.

Nothing personal here, but I cannot possibly ensure my readers prepare their meals according to their dietary needs. If you personally don’t feel that my menu plans are a healthy choice for you, you need not make those meals, or you can feel free to alter them as needed. The reader has the choice to either ignore the recipe or adjust the recipe to thier own dietary needs.

-Alicorn

One of the things my family really enjoys is get togethers [sic] at my house. Especially if the grill is being used, where there will be a huge selection of favorites prepared. This is just one of those instances, where classic grilling meets elegant grilling. Where there’s a selection of family favorites plus ‘fancy’ appearing snacks to nibble on throughout the day and evening.
So the menu plan for this event is:
Grilled apricot glazed quail
Hamburgers
Brats and hotdogs
BBQ-ed pork steaks
Roasted corn
Potatoe salad
Summer salad w/Ceasar dressing
Mixed berry fruit salad
Home-made vanilla icecream
Creme De Menthe cake
Grilled French bread
Tea/Lemonade/Soda/BYOB

We also had a veggie tray with ranch dressing dip, that had been used the previous evening for our other menu as well. Basically I prepare and cook the basic meal while other family members bring along snacks and the like as ‘filler ins’.
We got a great deal on the quail by the way. Bought farm raised from Schnuck’s, $15 a box, which has a dozen in them. For an appetizer, you figure 1 quail per person, as a meal, 2 quail per person. We did up 2 dozen for a guest list of 17.

Recipes follow:

(more…)

Ingredients:

1# Spaghetti/Fettuccini

1pt Heavy Cream

1-1.5c of Grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. of lemon pepper seasoning or fresh lemon if available

Handful of cooked Shrimp, thawed and tails cut off

A Bunch of Fresh Spinach

1-2Tbs of Butter or Olive Oil

1tsp of Old Bay Seasoning

Directions:

Boil water in a medium pot and then add pasta

In a medium to large skillet add about half the cream and butter

Heat and stir until the butter has melted

Add lemon pepper or fresh lemon to cream

Keep cream mixture on a simmer

In a medium sauté pan, heat the pan with 1Tbs of Olive Oil

Add the shrimp and Old Bay seasoning

Cut stems of Spinach and add to shrimp until all spinach is moist

Drain pasta

Add the rest of the cream and Parmesan

Add pasta to cream mixture and toss together

Add shrimp and spinach to pasta with about half of the pan sauce

Mix

Plate and sprinkle Parsley around the plate

*Add garlic bread if desired

My hubby is your typical steak and potatoes man. Give him a thick, juicy grilled steak with a baked potato on the side and he thinks he’s in heaven.

I’m sure everyone here knows how the restraunt staff will ask you if want any steak sauce? Hubby always tells them that if their marinade/steak seasoning is already good, then you shouldn’t need a steak sauce to make your steak taste better.
Here’s a few helpful hints on preparing a great steak.

1. Marinades are just one of the ways to make even the cheapest cut of steak tender. So for your steak to get the best flavor and tenderizing, let your steaks marinate overnight.

2. Always let your steak get to room temperature before you fry, grill, or broil your steak. This way, the steak will take shorter time to cook and you won’t cut into a steak that’s hot on the outside and still chilled in the middle.

3. Use a high flame to sear the outsides of your steaks quickly before you cook your steaks to your perferred doness. This way the juices are locked into the steak rather then being lost when you flip them over during the cooking process.

Ok, now on to tonight’s menu:

(more…)

Before you throw away that over-ripened banana, cut it into slices and add it to a warm frying pan with 1Tbs of butter.

Begin to mush the banana in the pan and then add 1Tbs of cinnamon.

Continue frying the banana mixture until the cinnamon begins to melt.

Finally, place this mixture over a cool bowl of vanilla ice cream or on top of warm Pancakes or French Toast and Enjoy!

You can also add a shot of Bacardi 151 in the pan for a little flambé action before adding it to you favorite ice cream.

-Bibble

Welcome everyone! I’m Bibble. I have a personal interest in the restaurant industry, cooking, wine tasting, etc. I am always learning and I enjoy the knowledge that I come across in the world of food and wine. Within my future posts, I will be including some of my favorite recipes, wine knowledge, wine tasting and pairings, cocktail and beer choices, as well as food tasting and my personal experiences dining in restaurants. I am very particular with customer service and etiquette while I am dining out. However, I also enjoy having a good time snacking away and drinking a Yuengling draft or a Captain and Ginger Ale.

So, grab a glass of your favorite wine, beer or liqueur and enjoy what you are about to dig into.

Happy Reading and Cheers!

-Bibble

Nothing makes summer feel more like summer, than a good old fish fry with all the fixings. Catfish has to be one of my favorite fish to eat from the fresh water varieties. And simple to boot.

So tonight’s menu plan is:

Southern fried catfish
Fried corn
Creamy coleslaw
Hushpuppies
Beer bread
Coconut Cake w/sliced peaches
Sweetened peach tea

(more…)

Supper went well lastnight. I sent my mother a huge salad over (she’s a salad fan like me)with her supper, figuring that she could eat on it a couple of days. She called an hour later to inform me that she’d not only ate the whole dinner, but the huge salad as well.

She said she kept telling herself that she’d just take ‘one more bite’ and by the time she realized it, everything was cleaned off her plates. Including the huge bowl of fruit/whipped cream and huge slice of bundt cake.

Needless to say she called us twice more that evening, to tell us how stuffed and miserable she was (from overeating), but that ‘it was sooooo good‘.

Hubby also ate till he couldn’t eat anymore. That doesn’t even include he took a platefull to work with him for his lunch on the boat. Of couse, I’ve still got a full plate myself. Basically the whole hen minus the legs and a bit of stuffing? Plus I didn’t even eat dessert, since the little I did eat of dinner stuffed me.

Today is just going to be relaxing. Enjoy some coffee, chit chat, and perhaps play Ages of Empires a bit. Oh, and work on my Pogo badges as well…Maybe.

Did go outside and play in the garden a bit. Finally have some baby bell peppers showing. Of couse some more tomatoes, cucumbers, hot peppers, and zucchini have popped up. If they come in at once, I should get a couple of canned hot packed tomatoes out of it right off.

Hubby and I are planning on going strawberry picking his next days off. Then I’ll be doing a bit of perserving next weekend hopefully. Yep, I love canning as well. It’s a simple pleasure my grandmother passed along to me.