It's ALL About the Food

It's about time for a food post, dontcha think?

I have been cooking up a freaking storm the last few weeks...I thought I'd lose a little weight when I left the office environment to work at home: No more daily Starbucks, no more drive-through lunches, fewer dinners in restaurants when The Chief Cook and Bottle Washer (moi) has had a bitch of a day.

Aaaahhhh. No. Not so much. Didn't turn out that way...Not at all.

That plan WOULD have worked out if I didn't love to cook. Unfortunately (not really) NOW I knock off at 5:00 every day, look around and - oh! - I'm already at home. So off to the kitchen I skip - literally - to whip up something tasty...comforting...okay, heavy.

Hubster claims to have gained a few pounds - I don't see...or feel...it - because I pack a 3-course lunch every day. Well, YEAH - that's my job. If you tell me I'm responsible for the care and well-being of someone, I'm going to by-God feed him. End of story. Hell, it's STILL better for him than McDontyoudareeatthatshit.

So here's the rundown. Last week's menu included:

Roast Chicken with Squash Casserole, Sweet Potatoes and Garden Green Beans
Minute Rib Eye Steaks with Onions and Peppers (think Steak Pizzaiola, without the sauce)
Zucchini Ribbon Pasta
Spinach Salad with Grilled Eggplant, Feta and Pine Nuts
Doctored Leftovers

I also baked an amazing Blackberry Buttermilk Cake and Midnight Crisps, which are my chocolate/cinnamon/pepper Christmas cookies. I had to retest the recipe before I sent it to a local magazine editor for inclusion in the Holiday Issue.

This week we're having:

Peach-Lacquered Turkey Wings on the grill
My Famous Hummus (part of the daily Lunch-in-Three Parts)
Shrimp, Celery and White Bean Salad
Grilled Zucchini Pasta with Pecroino-Walnut Crumble (and steak)
Chicken and Rice Salad (in lunches)
Roast Italian Sausage (properly pronounced "Saws-EECH") with Potatoes and Peppers

[A little organic poultry, a little beef, a little pork...three of the four food groups, no?]

In today's lunch, Hub got a Red, White and Bleu Salad with Crab Cakes, Lavash crackers and a plum. After all the BBQ and Chicken Stew we consumed over the weekend, I decided it was best to go light today (especially after the fried egg-and-brie sandwich he had for breakfast....)

Now, there is no excuse for you not to cook - from scratch - at least one night this week. I linked to all the recipes I've stolen from Food & Wine and Gourmet. And wherever I could, like with the zucchini ribbons and Pizzaiola, I hunted around until I found something close - I don't really have recipes for these things.

Seriously, the shrimp salad takes 20 minutes - and that's if you're drinking as you cook. Sober? 10 minutes tops.

If you'd like a recipe for one of the "unlinkables," just leave the request in the Comments and I'll put something together for you.

Now get cooking!

Comments

Call Me Cate said…
Wait, it's possible to cook when you're sober? I'll have to give that a try.

I also love to cook but I'm trying desperately to remove a few pounds so I attempt healthy. Because portion sizes? I seem to have no restraint.

Stopping back from my blog. I like!
Anonymous said…
These are some great recipes!!! I'll have to give them a try!!
The Peach Tart said…
I look to cook and have been experimenting with a lot of new recipes. You have given me some new ideas. Have a great week in the kitchen.

p.s. Does Hubster realize how lucky he is with those lunches?
Country Girl said…
OMG...this would be a $500 weekly grocery bill for us. (She says as she sits here drooling into the keyboard.) Except for a birthday excursion to LaHa yesterday, no one in this house has eaten anything but smoked chicken and white sauce since Saturday. Maybe tomorrow I will be INSPIRED!
wineandroasts said…
Cate: I know that's crazy talk, but I've been known to cook sober. Glad to have you aboard!

Faith: Stolen. Every one of them.

Peachy: Yes, he does...and when he forgets, I remind him.

CG1: $500?! Oh, hell no. Look at the ingredients: Turkey Wings, Eggplant...the ribeyes are cut 1/4" thick so they can be flash-fried, $2.50 for a quart of blackberries at the farmer's market, the hummus costs nothing, the chicken salad is from leftovers...$500 my ass. And THIS from the woman who once spent damn-near a mortgage payment on cheese at Whole Foods! LOL.
JennyMac said…
Blackberry Buttermilk Cake? Sounds incredible. So many great food ideas.
Alicia said…
i'm pretty sure i just gained 5 lbs by just reading the menu! crap woman you can cook! i'm drooling on the keyboard...
Country Girl said…
IT'S THE KIDS. I wouldn't have to double what you make...I'd have to triple it. I hide the brie, because a wedge is ONE snack. And shrimp? The closest they've come to fresh in a looonngg time is that bag of flash frozen from Aldi!
Andi said…
Probably not a surprise....but your cooking efforts are IMPRESSIVE.

We are having brats and cabbage this evening....frozen leftovers from a Summer Party. Tastes awesome.

Visiting via the Mingle.
Amy Lou Who said…
I made the Blackberry Buttermilk Cake this weekend - to die for! Thanks for the inspiration.