Quick 3-Bean Chili

Sometimes Andy comes home and just kind of looks at me when I tell him what's for dinner. He never says, "I don't want that;" he says, "that sounds heavy/breakfast-y/like a lot of work" and from this I am to ascertain he doesn't want what I'm making. Now, I could tell him to suck it, you'll eat what I freaking make you but a good part of the pleasure of cooking comes from feeding the person (people) you're for whom I'm cooking.

Long story short: my Cherizo Quiche became a Quick 3-Bean Chili.

Lemon Buttermilk Snow

Yellow snow* you can eat! This ice cream seriously reminds me of being a kid, eating handfuls of snow off my mittens. It's got the wet but dry, crumbly mouth feel that is followed close by lemon and cream. Omigosh, I drove home on my lunch break to dig into it again; it's that good. Perfect winter dessert.

Chicken and Spinach Casserole

This recipe is, um, fat forward, let's just say. I can't get Andy to eat this kind of meal very often so I don't think this will become a part of the repertoire and I hesitate to include it but I liked it, so here we go. I cut the fat by a tiny bit by using milk (the original recipe called for 1 1/2 c half and half. Oof.)

Menu 11/29/2010

currently on the menu

Week of Nov 29, 2010

Sun: Chicken and Spinach Casserole 

Mon: Chicken and Beet Salad

Tues: Cherizo Quiche, Broccoli  (quiche turned into Quick 3-Bean Chili)

Wed: Pasta

Thurs: Ricotta, Sage and Asparagus Quiche with Potato

Fri: Veggie Burger (add egg to recipe!) with these

Gotta try: Homemade Gravlax (next week!!)

Lemon Curd (can use the leftover whites for Thurs Quiche!)

Crumpets

Buttermilk Syrup

I used to get so frustrated that recipes would call for buttermilk because who the hell has buttermilk laying around? But now that I'm making my own butter (btw, whipping cream works as well as heavy whipping cream), I have all this buttermilk I have to use. Suddenly, it makes sense why all these old recipes call for it and I really don't need another excuse to make this Buttermilk Syrup.

Pickles!

Uh, too EASY. Something else to put in the Xmas baskets? Hmm..so far we have hot cocoa, marshmallows, and pickles...

Pancakes

3/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c wheat flour
3 1/ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg
3 tbs melted buter
1 1/4 c milk

Mix dry ingredients then mix in the wet ones. Listen, you are going to want to mix the batter til it's smooth but DON'T. If you do that, your pancakes will be flat and dense. Dump the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just incorporated. That way you will have light, fluffy pancakes.

Spoon your lumpy batter onto a hot, buttered griddle or pan in 1/4 c. amounts and cook til both sides are brown. Here's a trick a grandfather taught me: when the first uncooked side is bubbling and the edges are dry, it's time to flip.