tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-291211832012-01-19T21:32:45.955-05:00Madcap Adventures in Food, with RecipesDaria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.comBlogger2881100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-6793609983975250452012-01-19T21:32:00.001-05:002012-01-19T21:32:45.968-05:00

I'd planned a cozy family dinner of Amish-style beef & noodles, but with the snow & the long commute, Jeannene decided to stay overnight at work. So, I switched gears & made myself an omelet (more of a frittata, actually) starring Asian flavors. This is my adaptation of a "Real Simple" recipe in their February 2003 issue. Crispy Rice Omelet 1 tbsp. olive/peanut/sesame oil 1 c. cooked Jasmine

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-37714949205321174502012-01-12T15:37:00.002-05:002012-01-12T15:46:02.589-05:00

-Lentil soup, good bread, salad, fruit-Hoppin' John, rice, sauteed kale, fruit-Skillet lasagna, salad, garlic bread-Pizza, salad, fruit-Amish beef & noodles, lima beans, fruit-Corn & cheese chowder, rolls, fruit-BBQ pork chops, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole-Crispy rice omelet, toast, fruit-Dog s'mores, tater tots, lima beans-Veracruz-style chicken stew, rice, salad, banana-chocolate chunk

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-23399727510867865932012-01-12T13:45:00.002-05:002012-01-12T15:52:36.161-05:00

Last night, I discovered that a colleague of mine had been killed in a car accident. His wife is in critical condition, but is expected to live. Greg was a real stand-up guy, much appreciated by everyone with whom he came into contact. He had just accepted a call to pastor a church in South Dakota so that he could be closer to his kids. I needed something to do with my hands last night while I

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-65185479439076901962011-12-08T22:28:00.002-05:002011-12-08T22:54:00.437-05:00

With Jeannene away in Detroit for the week, I am free to make things she might very well turn up her nose at upon being offered them. Red Devil is one of those. While she is not completely opposed to meals made with cans of soup, she is definitely opposed to saucy foods served on toast---no Welsh rarebit (one of my favorite foods ever), no chicken a la king, and very likely no red devil. So, I

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-23735873051437262072011-11-27T23:24:00.002-05:002011-11-28T00:10:24.766-05:00

Playing catch-up! I've been having a ball cooking in the swoony kitchen, even though my at-home time is limited by a daily 3-hour commute. Here are some of the things I've been making lately:Broccoli Rabe & Bean Soup8 tbsp. olive oil1 lg. onion, chopped7 cloves garlic, minced2 potatoes, peeled & diced4 tomatoes, diced 2 cans cannellini beans, drained8 c. chicken stock1 bunch broccoli rabe, finely

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-57817528481303746512011-10-23T20:52:00.003-05:002011-10-23T21:00:33.458-05:00

Tonight, Jeannene and I were in full-bore cookie & cupcake making mode, having a blast with gel food colors to tint the icing & sprinkles to scatter across the cupcakes. We needed some fuel, a supper that would be easy to throw together and delicious amidst the sweets-sampling. So, I made a simple lentil & pasta stew, which was delicious with ciabatta and fresh fruit. If I were serving it to

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-20867872004488118672011-10-07T19:25:00.002-05:002011-10-07T20:23:59.726-05:00

I took advantage of my day off yesterday to tackle a couple of semi-fiddly recipes I wouldn't normally try on a working day. I made spinach & cheese stuffed shells with a salad and a loaf of La Brea Bakery ciabatta. I had never made stuffed shells before because of the task of stuffing each individual shell, but I actually found it very relaxing and enjoyable. Not only that, but the end product

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-10133293831203223892011-09-25T19:13:00.002-05:002011-09-25T19:48:02.737-05:00

I actually had a 2-day weekend this week and it was amazing the difference in how much time I felt like I had off! I'd better not get used to that feeling, but it was lovely for a change of pace. I spent most of the time enjoying Jeannene, some of that time while cooking. Our lunches over the weekend have been simple soup and bread lunches. Tonight, I'm getting a little fancier, with a

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-29118111646382737562011-09-21T19:31:00.002-05:002011-09-21T19:44:21.549-05:00

I have been coughing and hacking so much in the last week that Jeannene has threatened to sleep in the guest room. I don't feel terrible, but I definitely feel like soup! Monday, I had MCL Cafeteria's vegetable soup, which I refer to as crack soup because of its addictive yumminess, with a roll and some cranberry Jell-o (my grandmom used to make me Jell-o when I was sick) for lunch and made a pot

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-72952363270303108772011-09-15T14:27:00.002-05:002011-09-15T15:02:32.267-05:00

Now that we've gotten the kitchen mostly unpacked after our move, I am once again cooking. It feels so good! It feels especially good in our new kitchen, with its Viking stove & Subzero fridge. The first meal I cooked in the swoony house was Russian sandwiches and sweet corn, in tribute to my grandies. Every August, they had this for dinner almost every night, taking advantage of the farmstand

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-49615075779583221412011-06-30T20:00:00.004-05:002011-06-30T21:21:56.088-05:00

On the Confirmation Pilgrimage to Atlanta, I wanted to make sure the kids got to experience a wide array of dining options. My rule was no chains but local chains and Mary Mac's Tea Room and The Varsity were musts, being local institutions. I knew barbecue needed to be in the line-up, too. While some of my plans went awry, we did end up finding some good meals. Here's where we ate:Wednesday: I

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-40048572756032354802011-06-13T00:24:00.002-05:002011-06-13T01:07:08.218-05:00

A few more recipes from this month:Tortilla Roll-Ups8 oz. cream cheese, softened4 oz. can chopped green chiles5 scallions, sliced2 oz. can sliced olivesFlour tortillasMix everything but tortillas. Spread a light layer on each tortilla and roll tightly. These make a great dinner when you have about 15 minutes to change clothes, make dinner and get on the road for your women's spirituality group.

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-72988660041874360032011-06-12T23:32:00.005-05:002011-06-13T00:15:48.082-05:00

I made myself a delicious dinner tonight. I love cooking so much and tonight, I played around with 4 different new dishes. I adapted a couple of WW recipes for salmon cakes and "French" baked beans, made Green Goddess dressing from scratch for the first time and had it with hearts of romaine (it was good on the salmon cakes, too) and threw together an Eton mess, having tracked down meringues at

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-7100307125581905742011-05-26T18:02:00.003-05:002011-05-26T18:30:48.438-05:00

I had planned to drive up to Cleveland to spend the night and make Jeannene a nice dinner on Sunday, since our office is closed Monday. But then I realized that since my senior pastor will be out of town, I need to stick close to home. So, my solution was to drive up last night after Coffee Shop Hours and make her special dinner then. I ended up driving up in some pretty scary weather and, by

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-54239637888416014702011-05-26T17:44:00.002-05:002011-05-26T18:01:10.699-05:00

Much to the chagrin of everyone at the church, our splendid secretary Ann is retiring next week. So, we took her out to lunch at Coco's, near the Oregon District. I'd had dinner there before with Beth when she was in town and was favorably impressed. Yesterday, I was even more impressed. Chris had said the burger (topped with Boursin cheese---how could that be bad?) was amazing and that's what

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-52312857086714548112011-05-22T13:58:00.002-05:002011-05-22T14:10:21.748-05:00

The last couple weeks have been a morass of attempting to find suitable chaperones for upcoming events...Confirmation's upcoming trip to Atlanta and the Youth Lodge at our church retreat, most notably. I started much earlier, but due to weeks of polite offers to allow people to chaperone resulting in no luck, I became desperate and pleading in the last couple of weeks. I finally attained full

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-70351408491805132332011-05-04T21:44:00.002-05:002011-05-04T21:55:34.320-05:00

Tonight, as my sweetheart was being taken out to Nemo Grill, a fabulous seafood spot in Avon, Ohio, for pan-seared scallops by her foodie boss, I was cooking up a tilapia dinner for my auntie and cousin. I got to Kroger too late the other night for the fish counter, so I settled for a bag of frozen tilapia fillets. As soon as I got home from work today, I popped some big potatoes in to bake. When

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-10684408094036959712011-05-02T22:21:00.003-05:002011-05-02T22:30:36.743-05:00

On a cold, rainy night like tonight, it was nice to come home from the grocery after a long day at work and make cozy comfort food. This was my first attempt at sloppy Joes from scratch. Not bad, but I have to admit (hanging head in shame) that I like Manwich better. Now, if I chose not to call these sloppy Joes and came up with another name, I'd be happy to eat 'em just about any day. I think

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-90639947141878285952011-04-28T14:07:00.004-05:002011-04-28T14:26:43.362-05:00

This week, I have made two Italianish dishes. Monday night, I struggled with whether to cook or just drive through somewhere, since I had an evening meeting at work and left late. I am trying really hard not to succumb to the tempting ease of driving through for fast food. I don't even like it, most of the time, but it's so much easier than cooking after a long day at work. If I didn't love to

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-66169951010151842442011-03-28T21:12:00.004-05:002011-03-28T22:07:38.957-05:00

When Jeannene decided to come down for this past weekend, she told me she wanted to eat at really good restaurants. So, I made Friday dinner reservations at Rue Dumaine (http://ruedumainerestaurant.com) and Saturday lunch reservations at The Winds(http://www.windscafe.com). We ended up at The Winds on Sunday for brunch, too. Since Jeannene's drive down from Cleveland didn't get her here until 8:

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-13671323060490800972011-03-07T23:49:00.003-05:002011-03-08T00:01:38.357-05:00

I love cabbage rolls, but I never make them. They are simply too much work and I hate burning my fingers on the hot cabbage leaves. Mine invariably end up developing large holes and looking terrible, even if they do taste good. And I don't have the West Side Market or any of the other great Cleveland institutions of Eastern European cookery to rely on any longer. So, although I am pretty

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-90425676971299609662011-03-07T23:19:00.002-05:002011-03-07T23:48:27.339-05:00

When I was planning family events for the coming year at my church, I was thrilled to discover that in March, our usual first Sunday of the month happened also to be the last Sunday before Lent. That made the March theme a no-brainer for me. I love Mardi Gras. I've never been to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and am fairly certain I wouldn't like the alcohol-soaked giant frat party that is Bourbon

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-75175642094743253652011-02-07T23:02:00.002-05:002011-02-07T23:17:56.958-05:00

It's a good thing MCL was out of their crack veggie soup, because otherwise I might have simply enjoyed that with a big, puffy roll for dinner and Jell-o for dessert. However, I came home and made my adaptation of the Gourmet Cookbook version of the classic Szechwan dish, Ants Climbing a Tree. If the name wigs you out too much, you can always just call it spicy pork with noodles. I had broccoli

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-21810812351772451232011-02-06T19:34:00.002-05:002011-02-06T19:47:05.401-05:00

I actually don't even know if I'll watch the Puppy Bowl (I've been trying to get around to "Bolt" for ages now & will probably go for that), but this is a quick and easy chili for those who are not interested in the Super Bowl, but still want to get into the spirit of things with footballish food. Especially handy if you've done two worship services, a Confirmation class and a God and Family Boy

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-75032373550893233902011-02-05T00:05:00.002-05:002011-02-05T00:26:20.668-05:00

I definitely do better at actually making dinner every night when I do a week's worth of shopping at a time and thus can just come right home and cook. Tonight, I was feeling heroic, so I cooked after stopping on the way home and doing a week's worth of shopping. Hee hee! It paid off in cheesy deliciousness. This is my version of an Ina Garten recipe, the original of which can be found at http://

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-67206651396009167142011-02-01T20:37:00.002-05:002011-02-01T20:48:16.236-05:00

1-Cheesy scramble, toast, clementines2-Soup & grilled cheese3-Chinese New Year dinner out4-Penne with 5 cheeses, salad, bread5-Chicken schnitzel, mashed potatoes, lima beans, maple pecan sticky bars6-Chili, cornbread, fruit7-Spicy pork with bean thread noodles, broccoli, mandarin oranges8-Scrambled eggs, sausage muffins, fruit9-Wednesday Dinner Out10-Sack Supper on the way to Rock & Worship Road

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-80343513189747116232011-01-11T23:13:00.002-05:002011-01-11T23:19:24.620-05:00

I wanted to make a nice, homey meal for this snowy night. Meatloaf with mashed potatoes & lima beans seemed to fit the bill. I chose a meatloaf recipe from J's mom's "West Point Hostess" cookbook, from about the 1960s. I didn't have cornflakes, however, nor Corn Chex to sub, so I used dry bread crumbs. The consistency wasn't what I prefer and there were some sticking issues which would be

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-38319982809580343542011-01-09T22:48:00.002-05:002011-01-09T23:12:29.251-05:00

My lack of posts in the last month, nearly two, is not due to my blogging deficiency, but to my remarkable kitchen sloth. Grabbing a bowl of steaming hot vegetable soup and a heavenly roll at MCL Cafeteria (conveniently right across the street from my church) has seemed so much easier than cooking these days. I don't know what's wrong with me! I did manage my usual New Year's Eve fondue and New

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-44938335035405353322010-11-16T00:23:00.002-05:002010-11-16T01:22:40.410-05:00

These days, most of the meals J and I share are in restaurants. In fact, I've been eating in restaurants a lot more than usual ever since I moved back to Dayton. This past Friday, I met Brian & Lisa at Sidebar in the Oregon District ( http://sidebar410.com). J was supposed to join us, in fact left early so that she could. But, by the time she got snarled up in traffic from 3 accidents, she was so

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-36808408377012824212010-11-08T00:45:00.002-05:002010-11-08T00:59:52.968-05:00

Well, it's also the season for silly Halloween food...or was, recently, and so I would be remiss if I didn't mention the cool mummy hot dogs I made for our Halloween dinner. I got the recipe online: www.pillsbury.com/recipes/crescent-mummy-dogs/d52a57d7-ab8a-4a1c-8dae-f9f90d03b912/And last night, I adapted a Rachael Ray recipe for pasta with pumpkin & sausage. I had it with sourdough & salad...

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-47156185868746191952010-10-19T21:42:00.002-05:002010-10-19T21:54:08.448-05:00

I woke up a week ago with a sore throat. It has since moved up into my head. Last night, I came home from work and went right to work making myself a pot of soup, since I have no one else to make it for me these days. Pout. A bowl of this with a couple of beer biscuits with honey has been my dinner the last two nights. You'll want to eat it two nights in a row, too. Delicious! The soup is adapted

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-44234968248573579562010-09-13T22:37:00.002-05:002010-09-14T00:00:10.710-05:00

J has been signing us up for wild women weekends in my hometown, which often involves staying the night in houses in the village & eating at The Winds. The last time, we sampled several different restaurants. We stayed over Saturday & Sunday nights of Labor Day weekend, taking a sketching class and a jewelry-making class after worship on Sunday.We started the "weekend" with a snack at Peach's

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-37930342791878292002010-08-30T18:15:00.002-05:002010-08-30T18:35:24.075-05:00

In the flurry of activity that was the last couple of weeks, I actually managed to cook a couple of times. One night, I made a lovely spinach & parmesan frittata and some pasta salad with green beans & feta that could have been a meal on its own. Another night was my adaptation of Jane McDaniel's almond chicken from our church cookbook, served over rice with a salad on the side.Almond Chicken1/4

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-1833595157636349002010-08-26T21:32:00.002-05:002010-08-26T21:43:54.447-05:00

Tonight, my auntie and I ventured out to Graeter's for ice cream sundaes before dinner. She admits she is a bad influence on me, but the dinner I made was pretty decadent, too. When I lived in Nashville, I was always amazed at the things they counted as veggies. Tonight, I just needed some fried okra or white beans and my meal would've fit in at Swett's or Monell's. I made bbq pork chops (

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-11751088154415473312010-08-13T22:43:00.002-05:002010-08-13T22:49:25.974-05:00

My grandmama's been gone 2 years now, my granddad almost a year longer. They were two of my best friends in the entire world. I miss them like crazy and plan to honor their memory every year in August with the dinner they ate most of August for dinner. They'd go to the farmstand down by the old stone house right by the river and get big, gorgeous, ripest red tomatoes and ears of sweet corn. My

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-48576110118947467492010-08-13T22:24:00.002-05:002010-08-13T22:41:36.697-05:00

Tuesday night, just as I was getting ready for bed, I realized that I'd intended to marinate some pork chops for broiling Wednesday night. So, I stayed up an extra 20 minutes to throw dinner together. I was feeling very pleased with myself when I got home, thinking I already had dinner partially made. When I walked in the door, my auntie told me she'd gotten all the fixings for shish kebabs! We

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-65514351693681991592010-08-10T21:44:00.003-05:002010-08-10T21:58:41.491-05:00

I have been eating out entirely too much lately, and not usually anything worth documenting. I didn't cook the entire first week of August! I finally made dinner Sunday night, but due to scheduling, have ended up eating out again the last two nights. Last night, my women's spirituality group met and I grabbed McDonald's on the run. Just the perfect food to prepare for a spiritual experience. Oy.

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-64729242546519543532010-08-08T22:11:00.003-05:002010-08-08T22:22:00.310-05:00

I spent the afternoon hanging out at a pool party for the youth, eating hot dogs, potato salad, calico beans, chips & dip and key lime pie. In other words, perfect picnic fare. The spread was put on by a very gracious couple who belong to my church. They welcomed the youth into their home & pool and offered to provide lunch, as well. This is so contrary to how a lot of churches treat their youth.

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-53527300173619332452010-07-15T23:01:00.002-05:002010-07-15T23:16:42.948-05:00

Tonight, I found some gorgeous locally-grown garlic at Dorothy Lane Market, so of course I couldn't resist picking it up, knowing I'd be making 2 garlic-heavy dishes for tonight's dinner. For the main course, I cooked up some plump, beautiful chicken breasts with artichokes, carrots and plenty of garlic. Then, I added a couple of twice-baked potatoes from DLM (they were kind of bland and dry, but

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-81077347966931294892010-07-06T20:44:00.003-05:002010-07-06T20:57:01.882-05:00

It's been so hot this week and I am so grateful that it was cool last week for our Habitat for Humanity mission trip! Tonight, I made lemon-crumbed halibut, parmesan rice (see recipe in a previous post) and Vancouver spinach salad, the recipe for which I got on a lesbian cooks list years ago from a woman named Brenda who lived in Vancouver. Dessert, in celebration of my auntie's first RDI

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-13058824552186226942010-07-06T18:24:00.002-05:002010-07-06T18:31:23.667-05:00

-Lemon-crumbed halibut, parmesan rice, spinach & strawberry salad with maple dressing-Roast beef sandwiches, chips, salad-Chicken ragout with potatoes & olives, salad, watermelon slush-Steak, French baked potatoes, salad, fruit a la Suisse-BLT wraps, zucchini ribbon salad, chips, raspberry with citrus sauce-Artichoke chicken saute, steamed veggies with skordalia, boiled potatoes-Super veggie

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-82136725614590689922010-06-25T19:36:00.002-05:002010-06-25T20:07:51.788-05:00

Last night, my cousins Eric & Linda, who drive a big truck hauling motorcycles all over the country for shows, were in town for a show. Eric is particularly partial to our family's celebratory meal, shrimp in beer. On festive occasions when Lindstroms & Schaffnits gather, we have shrimp in beer. My grandmama always made it and my aunt made it for us last night. There's a cream cheese dip that is

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-67486519028317552292010-06-23T21:53:00.003-05:002010-06-23T21:59:11.037-05:00

When my friend Jan told me about her calico beans, I said, "What on earth are calico beans???" She gave me this recipe, noting that "These have been a showstopper at more than one barbecue that I've gone to." Our family loves them & tonight, I took them to a church picnic. Very little remained at the end.Jan's Showstopper Calico Beans1 lb. burger1/2 lb. bacon (I used 12 oz. tonight because that's

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-13418166860656877352010-06-19T20:50:00.002-05:002010-06-19T20:58:09.934-05:00

Tonight's dinner had a green theme. I made avocado sliders, Goddess potato salad and a spring mix salad with feta, sliced almonds and raspberry vinaigrette. It was all very tasty & summery.Avocado Sliders1 lb. burgerGarlic powder Salt & pepper1 avocado, cubedAmerican cheeseDinner rolls Mix the burger with the seasonings & form into about 12 balls. Press an avocado cube into each and seal. Make

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-79258513076108011772010-06-17T21:42:00.002-05:002010-06-17T21:51:00.128-05:00

The other night, we were talking about food we could serve at our church bazzar & sloppy joes came up. I've been really hungry for them & my auntie loves them, so I decided to try a variation on my standard Manwich on a bun. She asked if we could have tater tots with them, which is, in my opinion, the ideal starch to go with sloppy joes. As I headed to the grocery, she asked if we were having

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-84375310945715916832010-06-09T21:44:00.002-05:002010-06-09T22:08:55.929-05:00

Last night, I wasn't sure how I felt about what I had planned for dinner and I was pretty sure it would be too out there for my auntie. However, she loved my Moroccish burgers & feta potato salad! I thought they turned out great, too! I based the burgers on a Rachael Ray recipe available here: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-52620461571671744862010-06-07T22:28:00.002-05:002010-06-07T22:35:07.423-05:00

The air is remarkably cool for June in southwest Ohio, a lovely night for dinner al fresco with my auntie & the dachshunds! I did scrambled eggs, a hash brown casserole of sorts and fresh cherries.Bacon BrownsAbout 4 c. cubed cooked potatoes (peels on, if you like 'em...I do)12 oz. bacon, cooked & crumbled (wipe out the pan & use it for the eggs)1/2 c. milkThe smaller half of an onion, chopped &

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-44955037615024102622010-06-06T22:42:00.002-05:002010-06-06T22:51:05.687-05:00

It's been too long since I baked for people and tomorrow's staff meeting seemed like as good an excuse as any, so I broke out a scone-ish recipe. Very simple & quick, perfect with a hot cup of Earl Grey.Currant Tea Biscuits with Citrus Glaze2 c. flour (I use unbleached, all-purpose flour unless otherwise specified)1/4 c. sugar2 tsp. baking powder1/2 tsp. salt5 tbsp. cold butter, cut into small

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-34602524556221605822010-05-24T18:04:00.002-05:002010-05-24T18:20:11.467-05:00

Okay, so it was actually chicken margarita, but it was good. The recipe originally came from my friend Kira & it's really easy to put together. I served this adaptation with parmesan rice and romaine-based salad. I've been making parmesan rice since I was a teenager & eating it most of my life. My mom got the recipe from "Diet for a Small Planet." I learned to make it from her and it was a major

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-62123361445529835892010-04-27T09:04:00.002-05:002010-04-27T09:28:13.562-05:00

It's been a phenomenally busy couple of months, with not much interesting cooking going on as I prepare to move to Dayton and even less time to blog about the food! In hopes of making great meals for J during this last week I'll be living in Cleveland, I took care to plan special dishes. Last night, I made a simple but sumptuous fish dinner, tonight is a Sicilian-style chicken and Thursday will

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-34666746934817397512010-03-03T14:33:00.002-05:002010-03-03T14:39:08.764-05:00

- Spaghetti, salad, good bread-Cheesy beer soup, rolls, salad- Asparagus omelets with goat cheese, toast, fruit salad- Potato onion soup, hearty bread, fruit- Tacos, refried beans, corn, fruit- Seared shrimp w/lemon & garlic, oven-roasted new potatoes, tarragon green beans -Supper salad, crispy zucchini chips, fruit- Veggie cheese pie, Caesar salad, roasted pears with almond crunch - Salmon

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-3460194294994950952010-01-25T23:16:00.003-05:002010-01-25T23:30:01.007-05:00

Tonight was boring old chicken noodle soup, Campbell's Chunky with a pinch of tandoori seasoning for me and Amy's No-Chicken Noodle Soup for Pie, with organic white bread from Trader Joe's on the side. Since I have nothing exciting to report from tonight, here are dinners I'm planning on making in February. J will be going vegetarian for Lent, so dinners after Mardi Gras will reflect that.-Hobo

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-67919479071366094092010-01-25T12:11:00.002-05:002010-01-25T12:23:56.340-05:00

Last night's dinner was quite simple and yummy. I made a sort of Italian cheeseburger casserole with corn, Italian bread and salad on the side. It's based on a recipe called "The" Casserole in the "Church Socials" cookbook Pie got me for Christmas. However, the cookbook version is considerably longer and the extra time and effort didn't make sense to me. J had to arise at 4 this morning to hit

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-87118051597802180152010-01-25T11:52:00.002-05:002010-01-25T12:09:07.053-05:00

At church, we are doing Suppers for Eight. Our first round took us to the home of church friends in Cleveland Heights for Boeuf en Daube from the Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World, Paris cookbook. We walked into the casually elegant house and were immediately enveloped in the sensuous scent of the stew. We started with the artichoke dip I couldn't help bringing even though we were assigned a

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-9122311153826051312010-01-22T21:39:00.003-05:002010-01-22T22:02:16.273-05:00

Okay, so one would assume that burger night would be hugely popular with teenage boys. With the teenage boys in our house, you would be wrong. Boot is visiting for the weekend. This happens to be a weekend when he "can't eat" because of wrestling. Apparently, he can drink anything at all, including chocolate banana peanut butter smoothies. He just can't eat. This whole wrestling ethos seems

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-9352781802914701952010-01-22T14:48:00.003-05:002010-01-22T15:06:57.894-05:00

After a few days of allowing J to handle dinner, letting me rest my aching back, I have made a couple of cozy winter dinners. Both of these require plenty of cook time, but neither is much prep at all. Last night, we had beef stroganoff with egg-style noodles (no actual egg, so our fledgling vegan could eat them), peas and Italian bread. The night before, it was roast chicken with veggies, salad

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-41627842078570201222010-01-14T21:39:00.002-05:002010-01-14T22:02:52.842-05:00

As I type this, J is putting soy slices on veggie burgers for our darling boy, who has gone vegan this week, as she cooks blue cheese burgers for us. Tuesday night, she made goulash (what much of America calls Johnny Marzetti) and set aside a portion for Pie to which she added soy crumbles rather than the burger she put in our portion. Last night, he had miso soup and veggie eggrolls while we had

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-20568057487233788162009-12-14T16:14:00.002-05:002009-12-14T16:36:55.672-05:00

Thursday night, I'd planned chili for dinner as a nice welcome-home for J when she arrived from Vegas. Her plane was coming in late and I liked the idea of having something we could eat at dinner-time and I could reheat for J if she was hungry when she got home. I am ever so glad I did have chili in mind because the weather was atrocious and I really needed something warm and comforting. The wind

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-6045285014576456072009-12-14T11:29:00.005-05:002009-12-14T12:26:51.472-05:00

Friday night, I played in the kitchen into the wee hours, baking Pie's birthday cake and making candy for my Art Gang Ohio buddies. For years, Pie wanted the same birthday cake as his brother, a 4-layer cake. 2 layers were white, 2 were chocolate. The chocolate ones had white icing and the white ones had chocolate icing. They invariably leaned at a scary angle and the white-iced layers had

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-622507898540043822009-11-23T08:50:00.004-05:002009-11-23T09:11:19.164-05:00

Last night, after a hectic weekend which left me completely knackered and a late arrival home by J & Pie, I was happy to make a simple dinner. I'd planned to make refried beans and a salad with our migas, but completely forgot the beans and had J wrinkle up her nose at the idea of salad. So, we had this Tex-Mex tortilla and egg scramble with bacon for the sole accompaniment. Migas most closely

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-32987518158636956682009-11-21T22:58:00.003-05:002009-11-21T23:21:52.049-05:00

Tonight, our Wild Mango Queens gathering was a "practice Thanksgiving," an idea gleaned from my dear friend Andi's family. Every year, the weekend before Thanksgiving, they invite all & sundry to an early Thanksgiving dinner. I am not sure how the tradition started, but I have always been utterly charmed by it. I figured it was as good a theme as any for the November Mangofest, so I requested

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-55922518462585290672009-11-19T08:46:00.003-05:002009-11-19T09:03:23.188-05:00

Last night's dinner was not remotely healthy, but man, was it good! The white lasagna I made reminded me of nothing so much as the artichoke dip I make every year for our tree-trimming party, the delicious artichoke dip I have to force myself every year to stop eating so I won't make myself sick. I actually have made myself sick on it, years ago when I first started making it. I exercised due

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-15458133376658026842009-11-18T13:43:00.002-05:002009-11-18T13:49:04.679-05:00

Last Friday night, it was just us grown folks for dinner, with Pie spending the weekend at his friend's house. I started marinating a flank steak in the morning and by evening, it was saturated with good flavor & ready to be broiled and accompanied by baked potatoes and a salad.Marinated Flank Steak1 medium onion, chopped3 tsbp. olive oil3 tbsp. lemon juice3 tbsp. dry red wine1 tsp. thymeSalt &

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-90472345452048729582009-11-18T07:02:00.002-05:002009-11-18T07:13:23.704-05:00

Last night, I tried out a new pork chop dish and it turned out fantastic! We very nearly ordered pizza because I didn't get home until 8:30, but we decided to push forward with my planned meal, which was chile-rubbed pork chops, sweet potato hash, lima beans and applesauce. It's really quite simple, although the veggie chopping is a little time-consuming.Chile-Rubbed Pork ChopsHash:3 sweet

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-37275588940479528682009-11-12T22:40:00.002-05:002009-11-12T22:52:20.586-05:00

This morning when he went to school, Pie left us a recipe his Foods class made this week with a request for us to make it for dinner tonight. We did and it was pretty dang good! I think she does a really good job with the kids---makes class fun and teaches them some substantial foods instead of all desserts or something like that. I chose not to go with the "option" of instant mashed potatoes for

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-8911301933154576652009-11-09T21:41:00.004-05:002009-11-09T22:07:07.506-05:00

I made a very simple, but very delicious dinner this evening. J was skeptical when I told her I was making white beans & kielbasa, but she ended up liking it very much and we both adored the hearts salad. That was all we had and it was all we needed. Pie did not love it, but he ate a little of the bean dish.White Beans & Kielbasa15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained14 oz. stewed tomatoes1 lb.

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-65837949921065152372009-11-09T17:27:00.002-05:002009-11-09T17:35:05.851-05:00

Last night, we had breakfast for dinner. I am a huge fan of real maple syrup, but I decided to try something new and it turned out great. I made Belgian waffles, following Emeril's recipe at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/classic-belgian-waffles-recipe/index.html and we topped them with praline syrup. J fried up some bacon and we also had fresh pineapple. Good stuff.Praline

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-22618715397656682192009-11-06T20:47:00.002-05:002009-11-06T20:58:28.651-05:00

Tonight, dinner was ideal for all the lemon lovers in the house. That would be me. Luckily, J really loved dinner despite not being a fan of anything sour. Pie was grumpy because we are actually expecting him to do his school work or not play video games, so nothing would have tasted good to him...not that he would admit, anyway! But he ate every scrap of his dinner nonetheless. I made chicken

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-16912168902769004162009-11-05T10:35:00.002-05:002009-11-05T10:45:36.517-05:00

Finding myself celebrating Halloween all by my lonesome, I wondered what I could make for dinner that would be special and celebratory so I wouldn't feel so blue about not getting to go visit my auntie with J & the boys. I settled on a Cheddar & Ale fondue recipe of Sandra Lee's. I skipped the homemade bread part, opting instead to eat it with pumpernickel and pretzel rods. This would be good for

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-26669022092367619962009-11-05T10:26:00.003-05:002009-11-05T19:48:04.758-05:00

Monday evening, I walked into the house and gave thanks for the crockpot, from which a delicious odor of pork stew wafted! This is a tasty melange of winter veggies & pork loin, easy to throw together and soul-satisfying to eat. We just had some buttered bread with it.Hearty Pork Stew1 1/2 lb. pork loin, cut in chunks3 parsnips, peeled and sliced5 carrots, peeled & sliced1 1/2 c. butternut squash

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-47417924154525832442009-10-04T20:52:00.002-05:002009-10-04T21:09:34.405-05:00

It was with great fear and trepidation that I decided to make German meatloaf for dinner. I knew the Amish-style fried noodles would be a hit, but I was fairly certain both wife and child would balk at meatloaf with sauerkraut, caraway and rye crumbs. Amazingly, the boy ate it and the wife actually really liked it, liked it enough to pack herself some for tomorrow's lunch. The boy is asking for

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-71798295957790369112009-10-03T10:58:00.003-05:002009-10-03T11:10:43.398-05:00

J loves chicken casserole, as well as broccoli casserole, so every so often I try to make something like that for her. Last night, I made a chicken & stuffing casserole, mashed potatoes with chicken gravy and corn. I was a little iffy about the casserole, but we both really liked it. Not so much the boy, but he picked the chicken out and had plenty to eat with the sides. He and his brother are

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-64939809062721092382009-10-01T17:15:00.003-05:002009-10-01T17:26:38.166-05:00

Okay, the idea sounds a little odd, I admit, and the last time a dish like this was popular was probably when I was in middle school. However, I made it for dinner the other night and it was utterly delicious. I found it in an old garden club cookbook from who knows when under the appetizing name "Beef Balls Burgundy" and decided to give it a try, with a couple of modifications. My wife loved it

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-38173675315974890852009-09-28T18:09:00.002-05:002009-09-28T18:36:21.391-05:00

On Saturday, I made hot dogs for both lunch & dinner! Okay, so the ones at dinner were a soup ingredient. Nonetheless, it was a very hot diggety dog day. I'd planned to make hot dogs for dinner Friday night, but then J and I went out to 87 West Wine Bar for dinner. We shared 3 small plates and a small pot of chocolate fondue as we sat on the patio and watched kids play in the fountain. The

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-89505783575488243832009-09-24T06:17:00.002-05:002009-09-24T06:25:45.381-05:00

Really, they were not so fancy, but my 14 y.o. thought they were too fancy. He'd just made scrambled eggs & omelets in his Foods class and thought his eggs were much better. "What is this stuff in the eggs? Mayo or something?" Ha ha! Had I put mayo in the eggs, I could understand his consternation, but it was cream cheese. J and I loved them. I served them with Bob Evans mild sausage, english

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-8550144111110616612009-09-22T16:57:00.002-05:002009-09-22T17:02:14.843-05:00

I had been nervous about putting the beef & curry pies I found in Gourmet's February 2006 issue on the menu. I wasn't sure J liked curry much at all and was fairly certain that Pie would not. However, they sounded so delicious that I decided to go ahead, regardless of the palates of the rest of the family. I was heartened when J chose a curried egg salad with lavender as part of our tea sandwich

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-68014341805257957362009-09-14T21:26:00.002-05:002009-09-14T21:35:27.908-05:00

Tonight, we had another breakfast for dinner, this time a spinach & new potato frittata, with bacon, strawberry applesauce and toast to go with it. Frittatas are very simple to make and are elegant enough for company to dinner but also casual enough for breakfast with the fam. The ingredient possibilities are only limited by your imagination!Spinach & New Potato Frittata6 eggs2 tbsp. milk1/4 tsp.

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-11843167272788215652009-09-12T05:05:00.003-05:002009-09-12T05:32:25.390-05:00

Since my darling girl has been working crazy hours at work this week again (12 hour days minimum and I am writing this up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday as I brew her pre-work coffee), I thought it would be nice for her to have a delicious and cozy meal to come home to last night. As I stood in the kitchen, tears pouring down my face as I wielded my Wusthof over the onions, I thought, "You know, very

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-32131704616100259532009-09-11T12:08:00.002-05:002009-09-11T12:39:36.972-05:00

Whether you prefer upscale gourmet type meals or humble casseroles, I cooked chicken your way this week! I didn't actually mean to make chicken dinners two nights in a row, but things got out of whack when we ate out or ate lunch so late we didn't want dinner. So, the chicken with roasted garlic and lemon stuffing came right on the heels of a chicken casserole. No one complained.Crunchy Chicken

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-23321771198402938912009-08-24T21:11:00.002-05:002009-08-24T21:24:56.192-05:00

Tonight, I tried a new variation on our old favorite, Russian sandwiches, and we all really enjoyed them. It's nice that Pie just eats whatever we're eating, without complaint or request for substitution. I usually do them with white bread, tomatoes, bacon and cheddar. Tonight, they were more like veggie melts. Pie and I had ours on rye, mine open-faced, his closed. J chose white bread,

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-76071043416534977572009-08-23T17:39:00.003-05:002009-11-09T22:11:44.801-05:00

There is nothing like Sunday dinner and I am now in the enviable position of being able to hang out and cook up a storm on Sunday afternoon. No more returning the boys on Sunday after visitation, no more rushed Sunday dinners before having to leave to get them back on time, no more super-quick meals after returning from the trip at 8 p.m. So, for our very first family Sunday dinner since Pie's

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-8708318352197474442009-08-22T09:45:00.002-05:002009-08-22T09:54:52.462-05:00

Last night, I made a very humble, canned soup based casserole, with corn on the cob and a salad. However, dessert was brilliant and lush and I could not stop eating it. I forgot to do parmesan butter for the corn, but this time of year, you scarcely need anything for it at all. Next time we have corn, I will make it.Cheeseburger and Fries Casserole1 lb. burger, browned1/2 can cream of mushroom

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-7268703619890388292009-08-20T11:58:00.003-05:002009-08-20T12:02:16.965-05:00

-Crunchy chicken casserole, egg noodles, cauliflower with lemon-Lemon chicken, mashed potatoes, salad with lemon-dill vinaigrette, ice cream with mocha syrup-Noodles alfredo, salad, good bread-Beer-braised beef & onions, baked potatoes, roasted green beans-Chicken & dumplings, mashed potatoes, peaches-Spinach & new potato frittata, bacon, fruit, salad-Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn-Beef & curry

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-22070239254822007502009-08-20T11:42:00.002-05:002009-08-20T11:57:47.611-05:00

I'm so glad I planned a simple and fairly light dinner last night! J didn't get home from work until almost 11, so I was able to pop the kebabs under the broiler, with everything else already finished, and have dinner just coming out of the oven when she arrived, weary & hungry. When she was shopping for me earlier in the week, she couldn't find any lamb for the kebabs, so she brought home some

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-63319876801622943832009-08-18T11:07:00.002-05:002009-08-18T11:18:02.136-05:00

Sunday night, we had a lingering cocktail hour on the porch, something I'd like to try to do at least a few nights a week, followed by dinner inside. I mixed up a batch of Latin Lovers (pineapple-orange juice concentrate, cranberry juice concentrate, lime juice, Malibu, ice---blended smooth) and J had Mike's Hard Pink Lemonade. I cut up an heirloom tomato and took it on the porch with a bowl of

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-72002548479866257742009-08-18T10:48:00.002-05:002009-08-18T11:07:41.202-05:00

Last week, we had a war of the cheeses-Mexico vs. Britain. J had dinner for the night and had promised mac & cheese. I was all geared up for traditional mac & cheese, one of my most favorite foods. However, J had made a pepper-heavy queso dip at the plant that day and wanted to try it out in the macaroni. So, I was very happy we'd picked up some cauliflower at the farmer's market that J wanted me

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-31677333131967357472009-08-12T10:04:00.003-05:002009-08-12T10:36:19.697-05:00

I hadn't meant to get so chicken-y this week, but between the two of us, we've managed it nicely. It started with J's marvelous chicken parmesan Saturday night, accompanied by angel hair pasta & steamed broccoli. It ended, presumably, last night with the limeade chicken. I intend to do breakfast sausages tomorrow and steak Friday and I believe J is doing brats tonight.Sunday night, I made a fried

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-53266296789088086412009-08-08T22:10:00.002-05:002009-08-08T22:23:55.634-05:00

Okay, so if it's made from scratch (or nearly so), perhaps it doesn't really, truly qualify as junk food. But, it seems to me that any dinner eaten with Tostitos Scoops rather than silverware is pretty much in that category. Does it help that dessert was peaches? Last night, J and I were the only ones eating (had no idea that Boot is not eating red meat---aside from the enormous turkey, pastrami

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-1533699792257781162009-08-04T09:07:00.002-05:002009-08-04T09:19:03.852-05:00

Last night as I was cooking dinner, I was positive it was going to be crap. Absolute crap. So, I made extra veggies to compensate. I'd planned on confetti turkey burgers, homemade cumin-lime tortilla chips and corn on the cob. I'd picked up some good-looking corn at the farmer's market. I'd also made a last-minute impulse purchase of some lovely green beans when the Amish fella who'd slipped us a

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-19210967834959287142009-08-03T19:46:00.002-05:002009-08-03T19:55:43.709-05:00

Well, J liked it, so I suppose I'll share the recipe in case someone else does. Last night, I made bacon basil pasta with Caesar salad & fricos. I found it to be quite bland and blah, but if you like your pasta plain, you may very well like this. I was winging it with the fricos & they turned out kind of weird, but not too bad. J loved them. I just mounded tablespoonfuls of good grated parmesan

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-62095146057472697022009-08-01T18:22:00.002-05:002009-08-01T18:31:03.334-05:00

I've just pulled an Italian sausage & spinach pie from the oven to cool while I wake my sleeping beauty from her nap. I'll serve it with either salad or some beautiful green beans we picked up at the farmer's market this morning and I baked a chocolate cake yesterday that we'll have for dessert with Breyer's vanilla ice cream.Italian Sausage & Spinach Pie1 lb. Italian sausage2 large scallions,

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-73849809129922405172009-07-30T17:07:00.002-05:002009-07-30T17:18:05.205-05:00

Here are the dinners I plan to make in August. J and I have the month split right down the middle, 15 nights each to cook, with one dinner out. Perhaps I'll actually get to cook this month!-Bacon basil pasta, salad, good bread, amaretto peaches-Confetti turkey burgers, cumin chips, corn on the cob-Taco bake, chips & salsa, corn-Fried chicken salad w/buttermilk dressing, cheddar cornbread,

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-24447067030501706492009-07-30T07:28:00.003-05:002009-07-30T07:42:14.331-05:00

My dad sent me money earmarked for a special birthday dinner. Since we didn't have time on my actual birthday for anything fancy, we went out last night instead. I considered restaurants like Henry's at the Barn, Nemo Grille and Lola, but ended up choosing The Melting Pot because we haven't yet been disappointed there. I'd love to try the others and I'm all about choosing local independents over

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-43507113084867577232009-07-29T12:43:00.002-05:002009-07-29T12:50:13.137-05:00

When I arrived home from the Wisconsin mission trip, J informed me that she'd gotten a great deal on a whole chicken and it was up to me to roast it. I am ever so glad she picked it up because it was delicious, filled the house with a wonderful aroma and will make some damn fine chicken salad for lunches! All I did was preheat the oven to 350 degrees, drizzle olive oil all over the chicken, dust

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-29099902148352937122009-07-28T14:01:00.002-05:002009-07-28T14:19:37.544-05:00

After about a month of being out of town and letting J cook, I finally got to cook Sunday night! I did a nice summer-y steak dish with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes on the side.Peppered Filet on Garlic Toast with Tomatillo/Cherry Tomato/Cucumber Salsa6 cloves of garlic, not peeled3 c. water10 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved2 tomatillos, cut in small wedges1 cucumber, peeled & diced1/2 red onion,

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-26201478305250191812009-06-01T21:00:00.002-05:002009-06-01T21:05:17.161-05:00

When June arrives, I begin to be attracted to lighter, cooler dishes. To celebrate the arrival of June, I threw together a Mexicanish chicken salad, which we had with a round of sourdough, tortilla chips & fresh salsa (Trader Joe's, not mine) and big hunks of sweet pineapple. For the chicken salad, I diced and sauteed a couple skinless, boneless chicken breasts. I mixed the chicken in a bowl with

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-82271370725361327152009-05-30T10:55:00.002-05:002009-05-30T11:06:58.004-05:00

We don't usually have a lot of fish here at home, but for some reason, we both made fish this week---two nights in a row! Thursday night Jeannene broiled some tuna with pineapple mango chutney from her plant. I made some Thai peanut noodles from a box and she treated us with corn on the cob. Last night, I sprayed a skillet with cooking spray and browned a couple of halibut fillets. I tehn set

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-87340484468681414532009-05-26T17:14:00.002-05:002009-05-26T17:58:38.984-05:00

I did not intend to become a baking fiend over the weekend. To many of you, baking 2 desserts in one weekend hardly qualifies one for the title "baking fiend" but to me, the non-baker, it's a lot. Friday night, I made a batch of cherry turnovers and Sunday, we had coffee cake with our supper. The boys did not gobble these desserts up the way I expected, but I heard from J that when Pie did eat a

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-1770114618304024552009-05-22T16:35:00.002-05:002009-05-22T16:46:29.515-05:00

Okay, so the pasta itself was not from scratch, but I did make the sauce & meatballs from scratch for our dinner last night. We skipped the salad, but did have some garlic bread to go with it. The meatballs & sauce are Nigella's, although I made some modifications. Her recipe is here:http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/9122971I skipped the directions to blitz the onions etc to a pulp, just throwing

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29121183.post-19755482107528633362009-05-19T16:44:00.002-05:002009-05-19T17:20:13.401-05:00

Although I am not making tonight's brats that way, we did grill our ribeyes yesterday! I am delighted with the warmer weather and the sunshine! Last night, we made ribeye steaks with hot pepper-chive butter, baked potatoes, corn on the cob (first of the season) and a romaine salad with oil & vinegar. Fabulous! J liked dinner so much that she is willingly ceding all her cooking nights this week to

Daria de la Lunahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13381237390370161570noreply@blogger.com0