Matzoh Ball Soup

Last night was chilly, foggy and the perfect night for soup- Matzoh Ball soup. I always have Matzoh mix in my pantry. Follow the directions on the box, use chicken stock instead of water, cooked chicken, shredded carrots, spaghetti noodles, cracked pepper, sea salt and celery seed (to taste). I use Ina Garten's method to cook my chicken, which I only buy organic. ( I find rotissere grocery store chickens repulsive since I read an article about how they are raised and then cooked, yuck!) Ina roasts her chicken, skin on bone in, with olive oil, salt and pepper. The chicken comes out so moist and perfect for shredding into the soup.

French Toast with Strawberries

Sunday mornings are a wonderful thing. After being out late the night before, is there anything better than french toast, strawberries, bacon and maple syrup? I add vanilla and cinnamon to make the egg mixture extra yummy.

Cereal

Unfortunately, the 3-day weekend is over and since I overslept I had to rush through breakfast. I hate being rushed and am disappointed to say my hubby and I had cereal this morning- Kashi Heart to Heart cereal which is probably a good thing seeing as how we were quite indulgent over the weekend. It's not very high on the yumminess scale, but with some sliced banana it will get me thru until lunch. And so, with another sip of my coffee, I try to desperately work my way thru the lazy weekend fog that still hangs over me and be productive. Good luck to me and the rest of you who are back at work and school. What's for dinner?

Boeuf Bourguignon a la Julia Child

This evening for dinner I slaved over the stove to make Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. Note to self- only make this dish on cold Fall or Winter weekends otherwise you will sweat and curse for having to use the oven and stovetop at the same time in the Summer heat. This is the ultimate comfort food and I'm feeling quite full. I started cooking at 2:00 this afternoon and it was done around 7:00. I've included a link to the recipe below. It was easy to follow but I did make a few adjustments. I was unable to locate a full slab of bacon, so I used the thickest cut I could find. I didn't simmer the bacon ahead of time and it turned out just fine. Also, I accidentally cooked my onions in chicken stock rather than beef stock before the packages look exactly the same, but in the end everything was delicious. Because it's not the most attractive dish to include a photo of, I've included a photo of my precious little pearl onions cooking in the wrong stock but looking beautiful all the same. Thank goodness for the already peeled frozen ones because I could not imagine having to peel 24 baby onions. http://www.recipezaar.com/Boeuf-Bourguignon-a-La-Julia-Child-1480077

Panzanella

This afternoon for lunch I decided to experiment with a panzanella salad. Normally, it's an Italian style bread salad, but I thought I'd give it a Mediterranean twist. I added cucumbers, kalamata olives and feta cheese with an olive oil vinaigrette. It was the perfect dish for a hot summer day. I only wish I had made lemonade to go with it. Definitely on the list to add next weekend.

Strawberry Almond Oatmeal

I love having a whole Monday off that doesn't involve any work and I can do whatever I want, well at least whatever I want that coincides without whatever my husband wants. This morning, between pleas for coffee from my dear spouse, I asked him what he wanted for breakfast and rather that the typical eggs, toast and some type of pork product, he said oatmeal. And so, I made strawberry almond oatmeal. I only had frozen strawberries so I defrosted them in a sauce pan with a little sugar and then once the strawberries were soft added them to the oatmeal and let the strawberry juice reduce and thicken to a syrup. I use old-fashioned oats for my oatmeal, cooked in 2% milk and approx 1/2 tsp of vanilla. Add some toasted almonds at the end, drizzle with the strawberry syrup and you have a truly yummy breakfast. Enjoy!

Latte

There is something about a well made latte that makes dessert taste even better. We used to have one of those fancy espresso machines that claimed to make strong smooth espresso and perfectly steamed milk. I think we used it twice and then gave up. The process was complicated and the clean-up not worth it. Now, we use a traditional espresso maker and heat the milk in a pot on the stove. Sometimes, when I'm craving a mocha (I refuse to pay over $3 for one at Starbucks unless I'm out with friends) I add some cocoa and a little sugar. Tonight, it's a latte with a side of carrot cake. Yummy!

Carrot Cake

Yesterday, I saw Julie & Julia again. Of course, as soon as the movie ended I had the overwhelming desire to eat. The popcorn, candy and diet coke I had munched on during the movie had not made a dent in my appetite so I headed to Trader Joes and decided carrot cake would be the perfect thing to fill my kitchen with wonderful smells and would make me smile with delight when it would be time to eat.
For the most deliciously moist and carroty cake, I use a recipe I found on epicurious.com, below is the link.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Carrot-Cake-with-Maple-Cream-Cheese-Icing-102155
While, the cake was baking, I couldn't deny my tastebuds, so I had my go-to summer snack. Fresh & salted chopped tomatoes, served on hot toast rubbed with garlic and drizzled with EVOO (a nod to Rachael Ray for shortening extra virgin olive oil). This was especially yummy with a glass of 7 Heavenly Chards, from a bottle of wine a friend had given me for having her for dinner a few nights ago.
Now, what shall I make tonight?