Recipes to Go: 507 460
Weeks to Go: 52 47
Recipes Made This Week:
Melon with Serrano-Mint Syrup
Foolproof Pie Shells
Rustic Roasted Vegetable Tart
Mini Chicken Salad Croissants
Calico Salad
Salmon with Polenta
Russian Cream
Mexican Casserole
Pavlova
Morning Muffins
Tasty Tossed Salad
Pepperoni Lasagna Roll-Ups
Yes, I did make 12 recipes this week. I had only planned on 10, but when fate intervenes, you cut some mint and run with it, and make this:
Melon with Serrano-Mint Syrup. Here's the story behind this one. Remember those Best Cookies Ever from last week that The Husband didn't want me to give away? Well, I did anyway. I went to our neighbor to introduce myself. We had mutually heard of each other through a friend at church, so I felt obligated, as the party with the least busy schedule to be the one to extend a hand of fellowship. So I packed up 6 cookies and walked with The Captain across the street. We had excellent timing as she pulled up in her car just when we arrived. We had a nice chat, and she gave me a cucumber, vidalia onion, cantaloupe and watermelon in exchange for my cookies. Well, I knew the melons wouldn't last long in the fridge, they were right on the edge of ripeness. This is one of those times when I am grateful I've flipped through the cookbook so many times. I knew there was a recipe for melon salad somewhere. It didn't take long to find, and the syrup was very easy. I happened to have been hanging onto one lemon in the fridge, and had fresh mint growing in the backyard. The ingredients were almost literally falling into my lap. So I grabbed my kitchen shears and fate and I did a little waltz right there in the kitchen.
I will admit, I have no idea what Serrano pepper is, so I just used regular freshly ground black pepper and I think it still served it's purpose. This was even tastier when I got to eat the leftovers the next day and the syrup had soaked into the cantaloupe.
It wasn't until Tuesday that the food started exerting its own power. I used the Foolproof Pie Shell to make the crust for this Veggie Tart. And I used the zucchini from our garden. The tart was delicious, however, the burn it gave poor The Captain was not.
More food anyone? Luckily for you, there is no picture of the Chicken Salad. Okay, it's not so lucky, but I was really hungry on Wednesday and they were so tasty . . .
The Calico Salad was tricky. It's always difficult with the recipe yield is for 148 servings. That is the problem I've had with some of the Potluck recipes. So I just eyeballed the dressing. I'm happy to report that I've gotten smarter and I put the wet ingredients in first then added enough mayo to make a good consistency. So this whole experiment hasn't been in vein.
Strike #2 came from the Polenta part of the Salmon with Polenta on Thursday. This was my first experience with polenta and it jumped out of the pot to burn my hand. Not a little burn, either, well little in size, but not in intensity. I got a blister, so it must have been at least a 2nd degree.
It was my 1st time eating polenta, but not so for The Husband. Which was nice because it would have been very disappointing otherwise. I don't think I will be trading it for rice or cous-cous any time soon, but it does pretty well as a starchy base, especially with fish.
Speaking of fish, this salmon was very fishy. Sad, since I still have some in my freezer to use in other recipes.
The tomato sauce was yum, yummy, though. All that simmer time on the stove did its work. Oh, did I forget to mention that Thursday afternoon The Captain also stepped on something while I was hanging up laundry and got a nasty cut on the arch of his sweet, little foot. Poor kid.
For Friday's dinner, I made Mexican Casserole. There's no picture for this either, but let's be honest, Mexican food doesn't look at all appetizing in pictures. And this was pretty much like all Mexican food, not pretty to look at, but oh so tasty.
But on a prettier note, here was the Game Night treat, Pavlova. Which I learned means air. But probably not really. It was a meringue and beautiful until I tried to move it onto something equally as pretty to serve on. That was a mistake. Next time I will use the parchment paper to help. Anyway, I covered it up with Cool Whip and fruit.
Not as pretty as it could be, but pretty enough.
Saturday morning I got up to make these:
the first legitimate muffins I've ever seen. But still tasty enough to warrant 2 for breakfast. Plus The Captain likes them. And they are very filling. But while I was shredding the carrots to go in them, I shredded my fingernail. Almost got my finger, but by Saturday I was catching on to the insurrection.
Dinner was a Tasty Tossed Salad, very similar to ones The Husband and I grew up eating. So the nostalgia factor was pretty big for this one. The Captain loved the dressing, of course, and has apparently changed his love from cauliflower to broccoli. Don't think I'll complain about that one. There wasn't any cheese in the salad because both the graters were in the dishwasher, thanks to the muffins. Still good, though.
The rest of the meal was this, Pepperoni Lasagna Roll-Ups. Small serving size, easy to prepare, and winner of the best recipe of the week award. And in the interest of full disclosure this picture was taken Sunday evening when I made a second batch. This is the first recipe I've made twice.
Then Saturday night to close the week of pain, The Captain slipped and fell in the basement to this effect:
As fun as calling him Fat Lip was, next week will be better, I hope.
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