Sheri on Apr 27th 2007 Hairdroppers, Main Dishes, Quick and Easy
Need I say more?
But when you look at this face….
It’s all worth it.
Cue the “duh…duh, duh…” music:
“Momma, what’s this?”
“Oh, shit. Damn you, Momma!”
As you can imagine, getting in the kitchen to crank out something faster than a salad or sandwich has been nigh impossible with Gidget around. Heck, even sitting down at the keyboard must involve Princess Piddle.
Needless to say, I have been hankering for some real food. Not boxed mac and cheese, not a handful of crackers, not anything that should be eaten standing up so a certain puppy that shall remain nameless can stick her face in your plate or bowl.
Yesterday was filled with the first vet visit for my girl and a chiropractic appointment for me. And lots and lots of naps, both dog and momma. She just kicks my ass. I am supposed to take her visiting at the office this afternoon, but that means I need sustenance.
So I grabbed a Pamela’s Wheat-free Bread Mix and managed to turn out focaccia. I ran to the store (gasp - puppy went into the playpen. Yes, we bought a play pen. Shut up.) to pick up a few things that had been making my mouth water with just the thought.
Momma can’t live by junk food alone.
Chicken Sandwiches on FocacciaMakes 22 squares focaccia
1 good-sized handful arugula
2 roasted red pepper halves (buy ‘em if you don’t have time to roast - I sure as hell didn’t)
2 slices provolone cheese
2 thin-sliced chicken breasts
Olive oil
Paprika
The juice of 1/2 lemon
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Sea salt
2 tbsp roasted garlic mayo
Thinly sliced red onion
Prepare the chicken first so it has time to marinate: place the breasts in a bowl; drip the lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil over the top, then sprinkle paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt. Go lightly here - no more than 1/8 tsp of each and even less of the paprika. Cover and place in the fridge for half an hour.
Drain the roasted red peppers and pat dry. Set aside. Wash the arugula if you haven’t already. Dry the leaves either in a salad spinner or on some paper towels, if Gidget hasn’t taken off with the roll.
Preheat a skillet on medium heat with about a teaspoon of olive oil; add the chicken and saute until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side (more if you use chicken thicker than 1/2 inch).
Slice the focaccia squares in half through the middle. On the crown, place 1 tbsp of the mayo, then a few rings of red onion, a slice of roasted red pepper, then half of the arugula. Place one chicken breast on each heel and top with a slice of provolone. Combine the tops with the bottoms and inhale delicately.
Sheri on Apr 22nd 2007 Hairdroppers
I am planning on getting no sleep tonight. When I found out that 2 litter mates left yesterday and the other is leaving tomorrow, the only reason I would have to not bring her home is the near-definite lack of sleep. So Gidget is home.
Heaven help me. Knock her out all night with no whining.
She is already a momma’s girl.
Sheri on Apr 22nd 2007 Main Dishes, Quick and Easy, Snacks
I was in the mood for quesadillas, but I didn’t want to make anything I had done before (other than the corn tortillas, of course. Those I will be happy to make again and again). I found a recipe on Epicurious that I liked, but it involved going to the store. So I tweaked it.
This recipe would probably fill eight 6″ tortillas, but I made teeny weeny Gidget-sized ones (FYI If I haven’t mentioned it already - she comes home Wednesday) because I am betting that this will be damn good as a chip dip. I wanted some left to snack on later.
Pinto Bean & Cojita Quesadillas
Adapted from a recipe found on Epicurious
1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley (better with fresh, I am sure)
1 heaping tsp chili powder
1 scant 1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, peeled
8 corn tortillas
2 cups grated cojita cheese
In a blender or food processor, combine the pinto beans, onion, parsley, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Pulse until well combined but still a little chunky. Place into the fridge for an hour so the flavors can meld.
Prepare your tortillas if you are making them from scratch. If not, hang out for a while. Snuggle with the animals or something.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread a tablespoon or two of the bean mixture onto one tortilla, sprinkle a good amount of cheese (3-4 tablespoons), and then place another tortilla on top. Continue until you either use all your tortillas or the filling is gone.
Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are crispy.
Sheri on Apr 18th 2007 BS, Main Dishes
It was worth waiting an extra day to make the recipe that was rolling around in my head. I had intended to make it yesterday but….well, migraines happen.
Short and sweet post tonight - just the pictures and recipe.
Rolled Flank Steak1 pound flank steak
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled, cut in half, and then sliced thinly
8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine
1 tsp worcestershire
2 dashes hot sauce
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a skillet over low heat, melt the butter and olive oil together. Add the onion and coo, stirring occasionally, until they are very soft, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until they release their juice, about 10 more minutes. Add the wine, worcestershire, and hot sauce. Mix well, then bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is gone. Turn off the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
While the onion/mushroom mixture is cooling, prepare the steak by releasing your frustrations with a mallet (aka tenderizing). Believe me, you need to do this - flank steak is a tough cut of meat! Spread the mustard over one side of the steak. Pile the onion/mushroom mixture down the middle of the steak (go the long way instead of the short way). Gently roll the steak into a “jellyroll.” Place into a baking dish and place into the oven. Bake for 1 hour for medium.
Serve with lumpy ol’ mashed potatoes.
Sheri on Apr 18th 2007 BS
Flamenco Mom emailed me 5 interview questions at my request. I thought it was a cute idea - a chance to get to know whose stuff you’re reading!
1. What is your favorite meal to cook? Well. I just love to cook, period. But if I had to pick something…it would have to be cheesecake. Because no matter how it looks coming out of the oven, you can cover it up with something and it still tastes good!
2. You’ve just won the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, darling. What do you do after Ed McMahon hands you the giant check? After picking myself up off the floor since I never win ANYTHING, I would call the boss, then pay off all our debt, then start the ball rolling to open a natural foods store. Oh, and buy myself a rose-gold Powell flute.
3. You, The Man, and the pets have to get out of town - fast - and you’re not sure when (or if) you’re coming back. What do you load up in the vehicle? Family pictures. Everything else is covered by insurance or can be shipped.
4. Where would you go on your ideal vacation? I would just stay home and spend time with the boys and Gidget. Maybe take a short jaunt to see my family up in Wisconsin.
5. If you could choose between living in the mountains or living near the ocean, which would you choose? Oh boy. I am a solitary soul, so probably living in the mountains, but I reserve the right to own homes in both places - I did win the Publisher’s Clearinghouse, right?
So if anyone out there wants to participate, post a comment with the request for me to interview you. I will email you five fresh questions. Update your blog with the answers to the questions. Include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Sheri on Apr 16th 2007 BS, Hairdroppers, taste-testing
Since I forgot to take the flank steak out of the freezer when I stopped at home for lunch today, the recipe that is creating itself in my head will have to wait until tomorrow. I promise, it will be a good one.
As I mentioned briefly the other day, I went shopping. The kind that I have fun doing. Grocery shopping. I know, I am sick and twisted. I went back to the little natural foods store in Joliet on Saturday morning so that I could really poke around to see what they had. $170.00 later, I had Kinnikinnick hamburger buns, frozen bread, and a bread mix, hot dogs, bacon, 2 different kinds of honey, cookies, vitamins, colloidal silver nasal spray…..and a bunch of other stuff that I can’t think of right now. I hauled out one of the hamburger buns for dinner Saturday and I decided that the Ener-G buns I have are better than these Kinnikinnick ones. The bread, however, is very good. I had a very satisfying ham sandwich for lunch yesterday.
For dinner yesterday, I had a visit with Gidget instead of food. And it was worth it. The Man and I ran out to pick her up a little before 5 and took her back to her dog mom at 7:15. It was a lot of fun having her here, although the cats may disagree with that. We played and played, napped, and played some more. I know I am in trouble because when she peed an inch away from the puppy pad (I should mention that it had been a good 2 hours since her last potty break by this time), The Man and I looked at each other, said, “She piddled,” and giggled like a couple of school girls. We need to definitely get past that, don’t we?
Humorous happenings during the visit:
As long as Baby can go up to Gidget, he is pretty much fine. He sticks his nose in her hair/fur, sniffs, and backs away (but no more than a foot or two). If she goes up to him, we have a hiss-y fit.
During nap time, Gidget and I were kicked back on the couch. Within seconds of bringing Gidget into the house, Vester was under the bed. When she crashed, Vester ventured out and hopped into my lap to snuggle. “Um, mom? There’s a dog there!” Pupils huge, he darted away. I giggled so hard I woke up the dog.
We bought that stuffed squeaky toy thing that Baby tried to take over - I introduced Gidget to it yesterday. Damn if she didn’t attack that thing right off the bat and cart it around, even though it’s bigger than she is.
The innocent face with the toy. This is before she peed on the carpet.
She wanted you to see her butt, too. This is immediately before peeing on my carpet.
And of course, because I can’t leave the boys out:
Baby in the kitty carrier that’s too small for his big ass. He’s crammed in there, but content. He goes in there all by himself. To think that when it comes to a vet visit, he won’t go near it…
Vester sunning himself on the back of the couch this afternoon. I made this afghan the week of my father’s triple-bypass surgery a year and a half ago.
