For the Masses

Sometimes I feel like I'm cooking for the masses.  Well, most times.  It's been hard for me to get out of cooking for my entire family like I had been doing since about 17.  That is cause for a great amount of leftovers and as shameful as it is to admitt, I rarely bring my lunch to decrease the amount of leftovers that get thrown away week in and week out.  All this came to mind yesterday, as I stared at a pot of seafood alfredo that had been sitting in my fridge for about a week.  And here I was getting ready to make spaghetti and meatballs..another family style meal.  The good thing about that is, there are hardly any leftovers when I make spaghetti.  Spaghetti is my favorite meals and it's one of the few times where I'm not lazy..I bring my lunch to work.  Some days, I forego making a completely new meal and have a clean out the fridge day, where me and my son will just choose to eat something out of meals that were previously prepared.  So the moral of the story is waste not, want not....~SMOOCHES....XOXOXOXOX~

Where's the Beef

So burgers tonight.  Nice beefy, juicy hamburgers, with sharp cheddar and swiss cheese.  Once I come up with the main idea for a meal, the supporting paragraphs (sides) take on a life of their own.  So with that, I'll make fries..probably waffle fries.  A salad may accompany the meal as well.  It's a balmy 70+ degrees out, so a shake would be ideal to wash this down with.  Only problem with that is if I want to make a stop at the store to get the ingredients.  More than likely I will.  Once my mind is made up on a meal, I have to execute.  So tonight, burgers and fries will go with that shake.  ~SMOOCHES....XOXOXOXO~

Sunday Special

Sunday's are usually the big food days in my house.  The only thing that really seperates Sunday from any other day of the week is the fact that included in my Sunday menu along with a big dinner is a big breakfast.  Yesterday I didn't make a big breakfast however.  I had a grilled turkey and cheese sandwhich and a bowl of New England clam chowder for lunch.  For whatever reason, I didn't get hungry til around lunch time. I enjoyed it in peace; I treasure those moments.  Dinner was pretty modest as well.  I made a one pot wonder:  a homemade chicken pot pie.  It was pretty darn good if I say so myself.  Nice flaky crust (top and bottom) and chock full of mixed vegetables and chicken breast cubed into nice hearty pieces.  I'll have the pleasure of devouring it again today since there are plenty of leftovers.  Sunday's are so special in my household.....~SMOOCHES.....XOXOXOXOXO~

Fajitas & Margaritas

Last night I had some really great food with some really great friends and family.  Just sitting back, reminiscing about old times; it was a good time.  I cook the majority of all my meals and it is very gratifying to know that a meal that I create brings many together.  So from the title, you can probably tell what I made last night.  You had your choice of steak, shrimp, or chicken, with yellow rice, black beans, and to wash it all down:  patron margaritas.  I found a great recipe on patronsocial.com to make the margaritas.  I was up way past my bed time, laughed til my stomach hurt, and was almost in tears over the memories we all shared about my late brother's passing..but I didn't mind-those moments are always freeing.  Tonight, I'm doing it all over again.  On the menu is fried fish, steamed shrimp and crablegs.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  I have margarita mix left from yesterday, so that will be the drink of choice. So cheers to the weekend..get out and share some food with friends...~SMOOCHES..XOXOXOX~

The Weekend

Well, it's the weekend..my time to unwind.  For me that means running errands and spending time with the lad, but it also means that I will be cranking out at least three meals a day.  Well, Friday's are my eat out days, I rarely cook on Fridays.  I would say it's like my day off from cooking, but who needs those..LOL.  Tomorrow I'll be making fajitas, black beans and yellow rice..yummmooo.  The thing I haven't figured out is Sunday's dinner or breakfast.  Sunday's breakfast is pretty much always the same, a breakfast pastry/bread alongside fried potatoes with onions and green peppers, bacon, sausauge and some style of eggs, but I haven't figured out what pastry to do; in thinking about it, just now, homemade cinnamon rolls came to mind..hmmm.  I guess blogging really helps get the creative juices flowing.  Let's see if I can't create Sunday's dinner in my head...hmmm still nothing.  I've made pot roast, rosted chicken, baked chicken, lasagna, and smothered steaks recently, so I do know what I'm not going to make.  I really can't beleive I'm drawing a blank here...ohhh a whole roasted turkey sounds nice with homemade cornbread stuffing, yams and collards.  The lightbulb has went off.  YAY for me!!!!  I typically bake a cake every Sunday, so dessert is a no brainer-maybe I should do something different like a dump cake or a gingerbread trifle; they both sound good but the trifle really would tie in with the pre-Thanksgiving Dayesque meal.  Well,  I have grocery shopping to do, so I'll say ta ta for now and compose that list.  Side note:  Is grocery shopping a huge deal for anyone like it is for me??? I LOVE IT!!! 

Curling Up With a Good Cook

Lately, the only time I feel fulfilled is when I am in the kitchen whipping up a good meal.  It touches on all of my senses and is satisfying on so many levels.  For instance, the smell of a big pot of chili simmering away in the kitchen reminds me of the first time I made it for a pot luck lunch at work, and how everyone loved it.  Making Sunday breakfast had been a tradition in my home growing up, and back then I vowed that it would be a tradition that I would carry on, and every Sunday when I am cooking breakfast, I am reminded of the times when my mom would be playing her gospel music, making pancakes, sausage, eggs and such, and us getting ready for church, and then enjoying that wonderful breakfast.  After a hard day's work, I can come home and fix a full course meal and find that too be soooo relaxing.  I've lived and breathed food and creating and experimenting in the kitchen since I was very young.  Sometimes things would come out great, and then sometimes not so great, lol, but I vowed to learn everything to be a success in the kitchen.  It's funny because the only things that I could watch (on the rare occassion I was on punishment) were Jeopardy and my cooking shows.  Back then it was Yan Can Cook, Justin Wilson and Julia Child's Cooking shows, Caio Italia, and The Frugal Gourmet.  I was glued and always tuned into those shows back then just as I am now to all shows food orientated, the new Cooking Channel, everything Food Network and the Travel Channel's Food Paradise's and Man vs. Food.  My ultimate goal is to open a bed and breakfast and expand my culinary world above and beyond.