bread pasta

so, i've had to eat wheat for two weeks (i think we're now getting into three... grrrr). so that sucks beyond your imagination! BUT i got to have "real" honest to goodness pizza, from nick's if you're wondering.

nick's also has amazing garlic rolls, sooo we had to get some of those as well. (wheat is sneaky and multiplies when you're not looking). what do you do with leftover rolls, you ask? make bread pasta. i think i originally got this idea from (rachael ray) eep. but eh, it's yummo regardless.

saute bread with spices and some evoo (i can't stop myself). i also added some spicy olive pizza topping. and then some tomato sauce to finish. it's bready, its crispy, its chewy, it's tender, it's [insert annoying pet name for bread here]. "how good is that?" ya know, for someone who's ashamed of having a rachael ray recipe you sure do know a lot of her catch phrases... you know what? you shut up.

osaka

mentioned in eat this!'s prestigious best foods of 2009 osaka sushi lives up to it's name! hee hee. let's see. best sushi buffet ever. on this plate: green beans with carrots and sesame seeds, cali roll, some sort of crab roll, salmon roll, salmon sashimi, crab salad roll, and probably a crunch roll. mmmmm. it's such a great way to find out how you like your sushi. at dinner they even have a scallop volcano roll which you have to try because it will change. your. life. (or at least your sushi experience)

spice cake

ya know those bananas that have been mocking me? i got them again, they're in this delightfully teensy spice cake (namaste mix). this little cake was heavenly! i added three (?) frozen brown bananas and used milk for the liquid. quick tip: freeze your brown bananas for cakes, thank me later.

pork, pork, rice and beans

another one of my mother's favorite things to make is "lombo de porco." or fer us 'mericans, pork loin. she used to make me grill this in the wind and rain and possible killer pointed hail. i braised this loin in the oven for about an hour, let it rest. then served perched on black beans and rice. then crumbled bacon (from the beans) with chives on top.

baked ziti part deux

made baked ziti again with the brown rice spirals only. matt conceded that they were super delicious. i love baked ziti! so cheesey and wonderful.

simple dinner

did i mention i love cabbage? well, i do. sautéed for a bit to caramelize the edges (add a little water/broth to soften at the begining), served with cube steak al a karenann and tx basmati rice. did i also mention i love this rice? and it's gluten free? well, it is and i do.

stuffed cabbage

we made stuffed cabbage with ground beef and tomato sauce. matt got the recipe from his step-mom judy. i love cabbage all by itself so this recipe had to be recipied. they were filling and a little sweet at the same time. served over tx basmati rice.

bananas

we've been getting a lot more bananas lately (and oddly enough, i haven't had as many cravings for jelly coconuts). i hate brown bananas, so i've been trying to figure out something to do with them. i've frozen them for banana bread (still to come) but what else? saute them up with a little brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. finish them with a dollop of cream cheese. mmmmm!

smoked salmon salad

smoked salmon salad with hot baby corn, romaine and sun dried tomatoes. this salad was divine!

roses

flowers from matty pac

cupcakes

mmmm, cupcakes! i made these from a muffin mix by namaste. i used milk instead of water for the mix and they were moist and delish. i packed them up in a zippy and stashed them in the fridge along with some icing for later. they were good with breakfast plain or for dessert with the awesome icing i got from shelly! (who i miss already!)

banana bread

seasoned asparagus

chicken spring rolls

i am in love with the vietnamese salad rolls at pei wei! they are so awesome (and with the sweet chili sauce they're gluten free). so i gave them a shot at home a la bec. they were pretty good. the rice wraps are pretty easy to work with and the ingredients pretty much speak for themselves. i would not do the snow peas or the sprouts because they did not make for elegant biting. i would also marinate the carrots a little longer in the rice wine vinegar.

a slice is nice

can you say "a slice is nice" without an italian accent? i can't, that's for sure! especially with the tiny little chef on the box. matt got a slice o' pizza from the new market street which i knew about because of my mother (thanks mom). anywho, i love it!