2023-4
Saturday, April 29, 2023
Friday, April 28, 2023
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
cookbook cleanup 41 - Aloha Kitchen by Alana Kysar
Honest, I promise I am buying WAY less cookbooks than I used to, both new and used. But when I saw a blurb on this one, I just could not resist. I love Hawaii and I love their food.
I am so crazy about this cookbook, I can't even tell you. Buy it.
We tried a lot of recipes, and everyone of them was AMAZING.
I bought a musubi mold for the Spam Musubi, and also Onigiri molds and we made both as well as rolls.
They were SO SO good and the spam on it's own was delicious as well.
We made the pickled onions and the Namasu. Amazing.
The mac salad is now our go to mac salad recipe. We also tried the Local Style BBQ chicken, the Shoyu chicken, and the Mochiko chicken.
We loved it all and I have a long list of things to go. This book is beautiful to read, look at and cook from.
Back on the bookshelf - 20 Donated -21
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
sol chicken
My children are wearing me out. They are becoming more and more picky as time goes by and I just can't. We have moved beyond the usual suspects - mushrooms, tomatos, anything spicy/seasoned/with FLAVOR into new unexpected territory - pasta, sausages and even burgers have been rejected - "I just don't like it".
Who doesn't like a turkey burger???? Come on. I didn't even do anything weird to it.
I didn't really have high hopes for this chicken dish either but I was plesantly surprised - everyone liked it! It's simple but very easy and delicious. I added a couple of cups of chicken broth to the pan so we would have some juices to pour over the top of the chicken and rice, just the way I like it.
Recipe - Sol Food Chicken
Sunday, April 23, 2023
Sunday dinner - dan dan noodles
We made these absolutely amazing dan dan noodles for Sunday dinner, and for once, it was a dinner that everyone loved and not one person complained. A truly special time.
I didn't make the chile oil as only The Mister and I like spicy foods and we have plenty of chile sauces in the fridge. The Boy was interested in cooking that day so he helped out and we were all happy and full and I was happy that there were leftovers for lunch too.
Sunday, April 16, 2023
cookbook cleanup 40 - All Together by Chrissy Teigen
This is Chrissy Teigen's 3rd cookbook. I own all 3. I have cooked a lot of her stuff over the years, from her books and from online.
I don't know if it's me or the book, but I really struggled to find recipes I really wanted to try from this one.
I also made all these ages ago - this book has been sitting out for a long time, waiting for more inspiration.
The sour cream blueberry pie was good.
Pull apart Parmesan dusted buns. Good, and I got to push The Mister out of the way and bake some bread. I never get to do that any more.
We also made the Spicy Sausage Pasta Fagoli, which was good, and the pancakes and the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, although I subbed out regular chocolate and other nuts. And it was all good. It was fine.
There are a couple more recipes that I for sure want to try - definitely the quiche lorraine baguette - but I just..... can't get back to this one yet. I'll keep it, and we'll wait and see.
Back on the bookshelf - 19 Donated -21
Friday, April 14, 2023
Sunday, April 09, 2023
grocery shop april 8
This was an odds and ends shop to get ready for Sunday dinner. I can't handle how expensive everything is now- I am filled with rage every time I have to go shopping. Or am I filled with rage because I never remember my grocery bags? Could be both.
In my cart - premade pancakes, kraft dinner x 3, apple juice, creamer, eggs, whipping cream, juice, carrots, pecans, cream cheese, pretzels.
$64
Friday, April 07, 2023
cookbook cleanup 39 - Time to Eat by Nadia Hussain
I got Time to Eat for Christmas 2020 after we had binge watched her show and loved everything about it.
In addition to the Olive Crown bread and savory french toast mentioned here, this is what else we've made -
Hasselback Squash and Avocado Pesto
Sausage and mushroom Toad in the Hole
As well as pancakes, Tandoori Chicken, and Chicken Shawarma. All so good, and so many more good things to try.
Back on the bookshelf - 18 Donated -21
Wednesday, April 05, 2023
Sunday, April 02, 2023
it's now april so let's finish talking about december
I have no exciting stories of what I've been up to, even if there was anyone out there interested enough to ask. I've been working too much and not sleeping enough and not taking care of myself but doing nothing about that but beating myself up - which doesn't work, by the way.
Finally, the weather has started to warm up and we've gotten out for some walks and fresh air.
We've been watching some good shows and I've been trying to read more. The house needs a good cleaning and an aggressive clean out - perhaps coming soon, perhaps not. I know it would make me feel better in the end, but it's hard to get started.
But let's finish up 2022.
This cauliflower cheese was made around the holidays and it was THE BEST cauliflower cheese I've ever made, but don't worry, I didn't keep the recipe, or remember where I found it.
This is not the prettiest picture on this site - and by far not the ugliest either - but we made these on Christmas Eve - wonton cups with cranberry sauce and brie cheese. Yummy.
I made these cinnamon rolls and nobody cared.
Yorkies on Christmas Day
The Boy gave me his woodworking projects for Christmas
And then these were my second favorite present
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Nigella's Gingerbread
We had a deliciously nontraditional Christmas dinner this year - we bbq'ed steaks and made fries and gravy and yorkies on the side (and veggies too, I promise).
I was so looking forward to the steak and yorkies that I nearly forgot to plan a dessert. I pulled out my lovely Nigella Christmas book and immediately decided on gingerbread for the big dessert.
Other than buying the wrong sort of molasses, it was an easy cake to make.
The house smelled heavenly, and if you just slightly under-bake it as Nigella suggests, its lovely and soft and keeps for days.
Recipe: Sticky Gingerbread
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
grocery shop january 17
Chips x 2, milk, chili crisp, pasta, waffles, taco kit, pineapple, hash brown patties, guacamole, spring rolls, salami x 2, romaine, ground pork, chicken breast, bread, green onions, tomatoes, garlic, cookies, carrots, margarine, avocados
$93.10
Sunday, January 15, 2023
2022 book club review
i read 42 books in 2022.
Memoirs by female authors - 4
Memoirs by male authors -1
Non-fiction by female authors - 0
Non-fiction by male authors - 1
Fiction by female authors - 27
Fiction by male authors - 4
Audio books -5
fiction audiobooks by female authors - 5
fiction audiobooks by male authors - 0
Here's how 2021 book club compares to the past few years -
55 books in 2021 - 7 audiobooks
51 books in 2019 - 9 audiobooks
48 books in 2018
41 books in 2017
26 books in 2016
2022 was a bad year for me in a lot of ways including reading. I wish I had read more and stared at my phone or the floor less, but it is what it is. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that I have quite a few books that I am not particularly excited about reading - secondhand books because new books are pricey, and there isn't always great selection at the secondhand stores.
I have also switched my book rule from - you have to finish it if you start it to - if you don't like it, get rid of it and move on. And I am much happier for that change. I'd like to say that you might see a fair few self help books on the 2023 list as in perhaps I'll finally get around to reading some of the books I bought during my post-partum days, but realistically, the chances are low.
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Tuesday, January 10, 2023
Monday, January 09, 2023
birthday cakes 2022
Y'all, we had a big birthday to celebrate in 2022 - we've hit the teen years!
The Boy turned 13 - THIRTEEN!!!!!!!!!!! - which seems impossible to me because while I might not be able to remember what I did yesterday, I remember all the painful details of the days and days it took for him to be born.
His cake request was simple (and moody) - a chocolate cake with blue icing.
Knowing how horrific my decorating skills are, I covered it in sprinkles, artfully leaving 2 shapes in the middle that vaguely resembled a one and a three.
(Let's not speak of the little round turds edging the top of the cake.)
A month and a few days later it was The Girls turn. She hemmed and hawed until she was running out of time and then decided she wanted a cake decorated like a sloth. I said no.
No other cake would do though, so I ordered a sloth cake topper from the hellscape of the online company that starts with A and ends in mazon, even though they lost multiple orders of ours this Christmas, and hoped that at least that package would show up, since none of the other ones did.
Thankfully it did.
She requested a blueberry cake, also with blue icing, and it looked basic but cute.
Everyone was happy and both cakes and frostings were too sweet, but these special days don't last long. Time keeps on slippin', baby.
Sunday, January 08, 2023
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