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!