Overdue, minor surgery... No worries!

Good stuff in a couple days

I've raved about, and repeatedly made what I dubbed 'breakfast pockets' in a couple variations. The original sausage is great, I've tried cheeseburger (with some ketchup and pickles for 'authenticity'), chicken with bbq sauce... but my favorite has always been spinach and bacon. I always try to keep some in my freezer for 'on the go' meals, and I ran out a couple days ago Time has definitely been at a premium lately... Today there was no way I had the time to allow the dough to rise – but I DID have some whole wheat tortillas... A new 'method' to the same great end was born! So I fry about two-thirds pound of bacon, remove to drain, and then saute a 10 oz package of chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry). Seasonings next – s&p, nutmeg, smoked paprika, and my new favorite, lemon garlic salt (really brightens and heightens the flavor of the spinach)! Next go the potatoes (about a cup and a half, diced)– I chopped my own instead of using the frozen recommended – if you use this method, you will want to par-boil or nuke them before adding, as the cook time is nothing at all. Six or seven eggs whisked together with some milk or cream (and a dash of hot sauce, if you like)... Stir until eggs are ALMOST set, sprinkle with cheese (I used Monterrey Jack this time), and set aside until cheese melts. Scoop onto tortillas and fold/roll. This made TEN delicious burritos – bake for about 15 minutes, and then if you freeze like I do, microwave for about two minutes to thaw and reheat before serving. Having made these so many times, I no longer refer to the original recipe, but my hat's off with much gratitude to the Budget Gourmet Mom who got me started. [NOTE: the original link from Budget Gourmet Mom has gone inactive - here's the basics]

FINALLY, a lazy day, time to clean out the fridge, use up the leftovers, make a new shopping list... Most critical: cooked chicken, potatoes, milk – yeah, all good, but not for much longer. So what does that combo suggest? CHOWDER!!! I know I have corn kernels in the freezer, I just KNOW it! So Spicy Corn Chowder with Chicken sounds perfect. Start the bacon sizzling, add the onion, jalapeno, bell pepper and potatoes – now just WHERE the heck is the corn?!?! What?!? Just Broccoli? I won't be daunted - it will do. I really DID, well, pretty much, follow the recipe. Thyme & chicken - GOOD. Broccoli, well in my mind that needs garlic and paprika - added. Smoked paprika, if available. Good choices! Now here's the thing. Since I'd already gone down the 'chicken and broccoli' road, why not add some mushrooms (had a can of sliced just sitting there)? OH, and what goes better with broccoli soup than cheese? YAY, there's cheddar in my freezer!! Oh, and when using cheese, a dash of Worcestershire is required. Honest, it's a rule! THIS is what I love about cooking – no matter what you have in the pantry, freezer, fridge... If you have even the slightest of a road map, you can always end up with something wonderful. Detours be damned – it's what's at the end that matters – and this turned out pretty awesome! Wish I could share a bowl with you. <3

For that grilled lamb dinner recently, I wanted something different from a simple baked potato, and french fries or mashed would NOT have been a good fit. Wanting something simple yet elegant, I remembered a technique I had seen, but not tried. Using scrubbed potatoes, I closely sliced them cross-wise ALMOST all the way through – I used skewers as guides on either side the first time, but with thin-skinned red potatoes, this broke down into a 'fan' of slices, which still worked nicely. For fancier results, I might suggest chop sticks? Before I wrapped each individually in foil, I sprinkled lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic. Baked at 425F (in my toaster oven) for about an hour. I checked about 40 minutes in, and decided to add a touch of butter, which was delightfully absorbed. I opened the foil the last 10 minutes to lightly brown. Either standing upright or lying flat, a little extra effort makes a pretty plate ************** Now, remember that lemon garlic salt? I found that method in another recipe for potatoes, uniquely titled Aerosmith Potatoes? Sweet and salty and sassy – kinda like Mama Kin??? These certainly have different twist... Making the salt blend is the most labor intensive part which is why I did it early, and it's actually kind of simple... I had to try this whole method, because I'd NEVER thought of adding sugar to potatoes?!? Yeah, you mix that with some oil, add the salt blend (I used an amount equal to the sugar), toss with your cubed potatoes and then spread on a tray and roast for a while, flipping once or twice. WOW!!! These are the BEST potatoes that you have NEVER HAD BEFORE!!!! Please – try it, and soon! SO – tators two new ways!! Enjoy

A great tip from Salyab...

Words are NOT needed

First off, I apologize! I didn't even think of taking pictures of the various steps - though few. This was just something to prepare in order to make something else later... But the results are SO kewl!!!

Lemon Garlic Salt – I can see SO many uses! I'll share the recipe that inspired and informed me later, but you MUST try this. Zest 3-4 lemons – I really don't like the 'grating' method (perhaps it's my grater?), so I used a vegetable peeler and removed the outermost, yellow layer of 4 lemons. Spread them out on parchment, on a baking sheet, and baked at 200F for about 20 minutes. As my pieces were larger than requested, I turned the oven off and left the zest to dry for another half hour as it cooled.

I started to pulse the strips of semi-dried lemon zest in the food processor, then slowly added a cup of coarse Kosher salt. Once that was fully combined, about a quarter cup of roasted garlic flakes (purchased) went in...

Oh, there's lots more, but this will just give you a hint. My kitchen smells OH SO GOOD at this moment!!

Store in an airtight jar, and I promise – I'll show you an AWESOME way to use this in a couple days!

My last trip to the grocers I saw something that is rare (at least here, this time of year) – a butterflied leg of lamb! In a moment of self-indulgence along with a few fleeting memories, I had to purchase same.

Grandmother made roasted leg of lamb often – served with mint jelly, and cooked SO 'well done' that you could hardly taste anything other than that jelly. But it's a memory – so let's accept that – and make it better.

I started with a marinade – balsamic vinegar, rosemary, lots of garlic, cumin, coriander, s&p... honestly, I got this off the package of lamb, and just adjusted the measurements to my pleasing. Got called into work early, and of course stayed late – so I marinated about 10 hours, not the 2-4 that was recommended...

Grilled on med-lo for about 40 minutes, only flipping once...

Delightfully delicious dinner, with the fanned potatoes and roasted broccoli being done in the toaster oven? More about those later...

Wish you were here to enjoy!!

Personally, for the clouds I would whip some softened cream cheese with heavy cream (a touch of sugar and maybe vanilla) for a slightly tart contrast to the sweet fruit. It's a little more stable than simply whipped cream as well

I had an opportunity to pack a delightful catered picnic for a friend, but I simply didn't want to do the 'same ole, same ole'... So I've kept the traditional entities: chicken, potato salad, coleslaw... But I've mixed it up a bit? It seems to me that EVERY family has their favorite version of a mustard based potato salad – so I made one with so little, it's actually white. Used a favorite recipe from America's Test Kitchen for American Potato Salad as a guide, except that I use plain non-fat Greek yogurt as a sub for half of the mayo. I've used this recipe for years, and it produces a red potato salad much like you buy at a deli – but just a touch better ? Add crispy bacon if you'd like... A touch more 'vinegary' than the family classic, and definitely less sweet – the 'trick', which I've used on pasta as well, is to add the vinegar and some seasonings to your freshly boiled potatoes so the flavors are well absorbed. I did these steps the night before, and then 'dressed' with the creamy sauce the day of the serving. Oh, and I omit the eggs... Now – since I hadn't used much mustard or any sweetness in the potato salad, why not in the slaw? So this sweet and sour recipe from Southern Food fit my bill. Honestly, once all your veggies are prepped, this goes together in just a few minutes, and then you chill for a couple hours before serving... A tad too much oil, if you ask me... so I drained some off before packaging. The chicken was simple – butterflied then grilled with a constant and generous basting of Salamida's State Fair Chicken Sauce . Cut down the middle for two generous servings. Done. And you know me – a little time left over, so what else can I do? Some garlic and cheddar biscuits - heck they only take a few minutes... I'll include a jar of those Horseradish Pickles for good measure. OH MY! I almost forgot!!! Dessert is that MOST enjoyable Lemon Ice Box Pie... Not a bad picnic, eh? Couldn't resist the 'portioned' plate that is so infamous at chicken barbeques... It WILL be enjoyed, I assure you!

I didn't really feel like anything too heavy for dinner tonight - needed something that I could nibble for lunches later in the week as well... Let's see, some chicken, lots of cheeses, hey – soft taco shells? I got it – chicken enchiladas! I've had a lot of tomato based stuff recently, so I searched “white chicken enchiladas” - while I didn't read all 2.7 MILLION posts, the ones I DID see were sort of all similar to this one from the Pioneer Woman. While you've witnessed that I don't MIND a big fuss and lots of ingredients, I wanted to simplify just a touch. So I seared and then braised my chicken breast the way I've grown to prefer for this type of application, and let them cool a little while before I shredded them. In my freezer, I found colby, jack, and cheddar cheese – mixed together an equal amount of each cheese until I had about as much as I had meat (approx 2 cups?), then stirred half into the chicken shreds. I had 10 shells, so I divided this mixture in half, and then eyeballed it to divide it equally – this was actually super quick to roll them up, and I set them down in a sprayed 10x13” pyrex dish. More than halfway through, I realized that I should probably have added more seasoning than the salt, pepper, and garlic powder I had sprinkled the chicken with, so I played with my sauce. A simple veloute sauce (a fancy name for a gravy that starts with butter and flour) made with the seasonings of those used on the chicken, plus cumin and smoked paprika was next. No heavy cream in this one, but after it had thickened I stirred in some non-fat plain greek yogurt for the sour cream 'feel' (I simply LOVE that stuff!). For some reason I didn't have any fresh, frozen, or canned peppers, so a slight palmful of dried jalapeno (diced) was the finishing touch. I don't know why I was feeling so contrary, but I just did NOT want the cheese melted into this delightfully spicy yet cool sauce – so the sauce got poured over the chicken rolls (ewww) and then I sprinkled the remainder of the cheese over the top. As 350F seems to be the universal cooking temp, in they went for about 20-25 minutes, with me checking on them every five until the cheese started to brown. Ok – I've got to say it – I'm pretty pleased with myself! Maybe a touch too much jalapeno, but I've got a creamy sauce, crispy cheese on top, the tortillas and chicken have almost a silky texture? The pic doesn't do it justice – but a simple garden salad, an enchilada (cut in half to show you the middle) – and I've got an enjoyable dinner in about half an hour after the chicken cooled. AND – lunches