lunch!

for lunch i had tomatoes, mozz, MY OWN basil, the last remaining lamb dolma (not from that time, eew) and a dab of hummus. so yummy!

chili

found some jarred chili that was gluten free. added meat and such. then served with polenta and ricotta cheese.

oven corn

oven corn is the new black. i'm telling you, this is "the awesome" and you will cook corn this way forever! ok. so, you're making a tin foil packet of corn and butter or olive oil and spices. they go in the oven for 30 minutes at 350-400'F depends what else you have cooking. when they're reasonably soft, open the packet and broil the corn until they're browny and delicious (this is my cooking philosophy in a few words). the pan drippings (all the spices and herbs) are slathered all over the corn for spicy goodness. so great!

best meal ever!

we found some artichokes at the grocery store. they were hidden but we found them. anywho, i looove artichokes. however, there is a artichoke controversy in the becky household. matt wants to boil them and i want to roast them in the oven because they are so very much better the way i make them. obviously. (he only checks this thing sporadically so i'll assume that i'll never be contradicted. this will be a one sided story. the right story. the end.) the way i do it is to cut the top off, scrape out the pointy bits, sprinkle with acid (lemon juice or i used rice wine vinegar), slather them with butter and herbs and spices and olive oil and stuff (mostly the first stuff i said). then i settle them all in a pan together, pour a little chicken broth on the bottom, tin foil the whole lot to keep in the steam, oven them at 400'F for 40minutes, take off the foil, turn over, reduce to 350'F and roast until the tops are browny and delicious.

the steak i pan seared (in a pan) until seared. then the pan goes in the oven to your desired doneness. this is by far the best way to do this thang. easy and delicious. then i made a red wine sauce with the pan drippings/browny bits.

oven chicken breasts

skin on chicken breasts, smothered in herbs and a little olive oil, in the oven. simple, classic, wonderful.

what happens to corn tortillas in the crockpot?

yeah, mooosh! that's what happens. good moosh, but moosh, nonetheless. chicken enchiladas with black olive, jalapenos and a lot of cheese. maybe i can cut back on the cooking time.

too much bacon?

fingerling potatoes are the best thing ever! i've been ovening them with bacon (oven bacon is the other best thing ever!). have you tried oven bacon? oh, oven bacon, how i love thee! i do it for 15 minutes at 400'F, then twist the pan, then like another 15 minutes. depending on your desired level of crisp. be careful with the nitrate free bacon it only needs about half the time.

for the potatoes i do them at 350-400'F until they smell wonderful and have a little browning on the cut bottom. i keep bacon in the freezer, so i throw some on top while the potatoes are cooking, to thaw. when thawed, squish the potatoes to one side and cook the bacon flat like above. remove from oven when crispy. crumble bacon on top with sharp cheddar cheese and chives. then die happy.

shrimp and grits

well, ok. it's actually polenta. mmmmm, polenta, shrimp, capers and parm cheese. i've found these already made tubes of polenta at the store. i dress it up by sauteing the polenta and adding milk or cream. deeeelish!