Sun Dried Tomatoes

Fearing our tomatoes might be ruined in a moment with the changing of seasons, Michael and I tried our hand at sun dried tomatoes. (In the dehydrator)

Perfection!

My New Normal

I don't think I've mentioned that I'm recovering from a concussion. It happened on July 1st.  Please wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. The End.

Last Thursday was the first time I was able to prepare and entire dinner by myself and clean up the kitchen. Last night was my second. I also went to Sam's Club for the first time.  I'm telling you all of this to update whether or not I kept to my menu plan.

I was so exhausted walking through the store, that when I reached the back and saw the Rotisserie Chickens, I knew at that moment it was what was for dinner.

Original Menu:
Monday: Spicy Grilled Chicken, Creamy Potato Salad , Green Salad

Actual Menu:
Monday: Rotisserie Chicken, Mashed Potato Salad (I'll share the recipe tomorrow or the next day.) Green Beans w/roasted peppers (I'll share that recipe also, I loved it!)

Today I went to the grocery store for coffee.  I'm not sure what made me think of it, but I remembered that this was sitting in my refrigerator:

I cut up a watermelon after my trip to Sam's Club and promptly forgot. It will be added to tonight's menu.

Monday Menu

I realize I have not posted much of anything for a very long time.  I am going to try to change that.  Am starting with a Monday Menu.  I'll update throughout the week and post whether or not I stuck to my menu.  I rarely do.

Monday: Spicy Grilled Chicken, Creamy Potato Salad , Green Salad
Tuesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Toasted garlic bagels, Salad
Wednesday: Grilled Salmon, 3 bean salad w/smoked gouda, Baked Potatoes
Thursday: Chicken Basil Pasta, Brazilian Cheese Bread, Fruit Salad
Friday: Baked Ziti, Asparagus
Saturday: Salad Night
Sunday: Not sure yet

Spring Is Here

I miss summer! Fresh vegetables from the local farmers and herbs from the garden. Chargrilled steaks or marinated salmon smoked on wood planks. Colorado Sweet Corn slathered in butter.

Care Package for GF College Student

College students appreciate care packages, especially around final exams. Most universities make them available for parents to purchase. Unfortunately, most are filled with gluten. What do you do when your student is gluten free? What are some snack foods options to help the gluten free student make the most of their study time?

This is what went in my daughter's care package:

Gf pumpkin bread, Gf chex mix,

Gf muddy buddies, and homemade oatmeal bars

I also sent an assortment of other foods:

Popcorn, beef jerky, some fresh fruit/veggies, individual containers of peanut butter and ranch dressing paired with Gf pretzels/crackers as a quick snack. Trail mix is nice with some GF granola,GF Mac n Cheese, M&M's and dried fruit. I really wanted to make some homemade soups to send along, but that would require dry ice which takes care packaging to a whole other level that I just don't have time for.

I threw in a few other assorted items: hot chocolate, a small, decorative nut cracker, a string of Christmas lights and a few things to make her room feel festive.

I'll ask her which foods she liked the best and which ones didn't get eaten.

A Nice Compliment

I found this pic posted on my Facebook wall.  Ryan, Hilary's beau, had written: "Joanne, you, hands down, make the best potato soup in the world. Not much will make me miss a day at the gym, but with 4 bowls down and 2 to go, I think I'm still going to finish this night off strong! Thanks for the soup!"

Thanks Ryan.

I'm Hungry

My daughter Hilary sent me the following photo.  (Okay, it was back in February, but I ran across it looking at photos.) It was the dinner she and her boyfriend  prepared.  I was truly inspired.  Salmon Spinach Salad w/Balsamic Vinaigrette.

I have my wooden planks soaking, and my salmon marinating.  I'm grilling salmon tonight!

Potluck Dinners

Who doesn't love a good potluck dinner???  I have so many fond memories of church potluck dinners/picnics, and such.  The great thing is, if you don't like a particular food, you don't have to eat it!  There are plenty more to choose from.  It is like an all-you-can-eat buffet.  (Not that I've ever been to one, lol.)  As a kid these I thought these were wonderful, so not like eating at home when mom was cooking peas with dinner or some other dreaded food.

I am not particularly fond of leftovers.  If I have leftovers, and they are not eaten by someone for lunch, I usually feel compelled to transform them into something else.  A better way to go is  Potluck Night.  Tonight, I am doing just that.  I am probably heating up way too much food, but I personally love to mix mashed potatoes with a pasta or rice dish, have 2 or 3 different kinds of meat and a variety of vegetables.  Today's Potluck is:

BBQ ribs, transformed into pulled pork,
 Beer Cheese Chowder that I made Gluten Free,

(Wow, that's an old photo!)

Olive Chicken& Pepperocini,
Brussel Sprouts & Mushrooms,

Veggies & Dip,
Garlic Mashed Potatoes,
Spaghetti Squash w/Parmesan Cheese
Corn...am I forgetting anything?  Probably, but it is all in the oven, on the stove, or in a crockpot.

I love potluck dinners, especially when there is nothing I dislike.

Smoked Salmon Tacos w/Chipotle Mayo

I hate when I find unfinished posts such as this. I will look around and see if I wrote the recipe down somewhere. Otherwise, it might be lost forever. Sigh. (Written Oct. 15th, 2011)

My sister-in-law came to visit.  She brought gluten-stuffed cookies for her mom and the most wonderful smoked salmon for the rest of us; complements of her husband and his culinary skills.  I ate salmon plain-it was heavenly, salmon dip, and then decided to make tacos.  I could have eaten these every day....oh wait, I did.

Spicy BBQ Chicken with/Baked Vegetables

Korean BBQ Chicken

Roasted Vegetables

Cinco de Mayo

I wasn't sure what to serve for Cinco de Mayo today.  I decided on Carnitas-basically pork served in soft corn tortillas.  What is Cinco de Mayo without Margaritas?  It was a gorgeous evening to sit outside and sip the drink of choice, so I opted on Basic Black Beans, avocado slices, watermelon & chips & salsa. It came together fairly quick and then I was able to enjoy the evening with the family.

 I was in the mood for something a little lighter & fresher tasting, so along with a spicy salsa, I mixed up a mango salsa with cucumber.  It had a nice crisp, clean taste.  I'll post the recipe tomorrow.

A Few More Korean Dishes

This is a typical Korean meal. Would you look at all of those dishes?


I couldn't tell you what each of these are.


There was certainly Kimchi, fish, 2 kinds of soup, noodles, salad,

and lots of vegetable/root dishes.

I tried everything but the fish.

Seoul Food

While traveling, I've been snapping photos of nearly every meal. The following are Korean dishes in Seoul.

I'll have Christopher give me the names of them add will add them later.



These dishes were all from our last meal in Seoul.

Yes, this one is spicy!

Korean Food

I am in Korean Heaven.



I am enjoying delicacies at every meal



I can't wait to try my hand at Korean cooking.



Well, maybe not kimchi. But it is delicious!

Meal In Pictures

I hate it when I make perfectly good dishes, take the time to snap a photograph, but don't write anything down. I think, oh this looks good. What is it?

I end up with this:

Or this:


But I can't recall what I did or the secret ingredients.

I need to keep a pen and paper handy while I'm cooking. If I write everything down, and don't throw the paper away, I might be able to share these recipes.

Pumpkin Pie Fail

I decided to practice my gluten free pumpkin pies before Thanksgiving. I wanted to do one crustless and one with crust. Last year I made one gfcf, thanks to coconut milk. I couldn't remember what I did for the crust. I found some lovely, albeit expensive, gluten free crusts. I grabbed a can of Libby's Pumpkin and set to work. I followed the recipe on the back label-as I did back in my gluten days.

As I measured the sugar, it didn't seem quite right. I peered at the label more closely. One quarter of a cup. I poured half the contents into the prepared shell, and the other half into a prepared pie tin. They smelled wonderful while baking.

Elisabeth sent me a text message. She was having a lousy evening at work. I asked her if pumpkin pie would make it any better. She answered, "absolutely!" I felt like such a good mom.

She sampled this first slice.


"Hmmm...it isn't very sweet." Oh no. My suspicions were right. I knew one quarter of a cup didn't sound right. I retrieved the can from the trash.

"Elisabeth, how much sugar does this recipe say to use?"

"Three-fourths of a cup."

Sigh. It's obvious. I need reading glasses.

Click here for another pumpkin pie story.

Food Inspiration

This week Beth's You Capture, photography assignment is "What Inspires You?" Since I spend a good amount of time cooking, thinking about food, planning meals, checking ingredients, etc. I decided that Food inspires me. God has given us a bountiful selection, why shouldn't it inspire me?

These were two meals from this past week.

Gluten Free Orange Chicken


A personal pizza on a gluten free bagel, using the last of my garden fresh basil.

Just Salad

Sometimes I forget how good a simple salad can be. A little avocado, tomato, hard-cooked egg...the only thing missing is the red onion slices. And simply gluten free. What could be better? When you add dressing, that's when things get more complicated. A little vinegar and oil works well for gluten free.

What's Cooking?

So what's cooking this week?

Wednesday: I threw together another pasta dish with the last of my fresh basil & a bit of ground beef.

Thursday: Photography by Sarabeth with my new camera:

Fruit Salad


Veggies


BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Roasted Broccoli (I'll get the recipe and photo up soon.)

And Buffalo ChickenDip for an appetizer