Dusting Off My Apron

After a hectic couple of weeks, I finally got back in the kitchen. I made dinner four nights last week, breakfast on Saturday and did a little baking too. It felt great to mix and measure and stir once again. I'm pretty sure I heard my Kitchen Aid mixer whisper that she missed me.

On Tuesday, I made Giada's amazing Penne with Spinach Sauce again. It was just as good as I remembered. When made with whole wheat pasta, this is a fairly healthy dish. I plan to make it for my dad when I go home to visit next. He's on a quest to eat a bit healthier since his recent heart troubles. (He continues to do GREAT - thanks for all your sweet words and well wishes!)  I think Dad would love this with some grilled chicken and cherry tomatoes tossed in.

These turkey zucchini burgers are another fast, healthy meal - perfect for a weeknight dinner. I served them with oven potatoes. (My go-to lazy side dish. Cubed potatoes of any kind, tossed with minced garlic, olive oil, and S&P. And fresh herbs if I have 'em. Bake at 450 until crispy on the outside and tender inside.)

Thursday night, I made soft tacos. I'd eat tacos five nights a week but Brian grows tired of tacos much more quickly than I do. (I assume. I've never turned down a taco.  Resisting urge to make TWSS joke...) To make taco night a bit more exciting for B, I decided to make a new side dish. A Mexican restaurant my family frequented when we lived in CA served a scoop of spoonbread with their entrees, so I thought it would be a good accompaniment to tacos. It sure was! This was a home run. Brian loved this. He ate one measly taco and a giant scoop of this spoonbread. We ordered pizza Friday night and he had more spoonbread with his pizza. In fact, he ate the leftovers as a side to every meal we had until they were gone. I can't guarantee you'll love this as much as my husband did, but it was very tasty and would make a great side for Mexican food.  I think it would also be great with a spice rubbed pork. 

Spoonbread, recipe and picture from Noble Pig

1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
1 can (15 oz) creamed corn
1 cup sour cream (I used light)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 box (8.5 oz) corn muffin/corn bread mix (I used Jiffy)
1/ 2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine corn, creamed corn, sour cream, eggs, butter, corn muffin mix, salt and pepper.  Place corn mixture in an oven-safe baking dish and bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm. (*Note - I despise canned veggies of all kinds and ordinarily wouldn't touch creamed corn. But I loved this. Don't let an aversion to canned veggies stop you from trying this.)  

Saturday morning brought a craving for pancakes. I tried a new recipe and it's the best I've tried yet. (Only change - skim milk instead of Silk. Faux milk gives me the heebie jeebies.) I've used Alton Brown's recipe previously with varying success but this one topped it. They were fluffier and the recipe was less fussy. I'm still searching for the recipe that will give me diner quality, mega-fluffy pancakes but these were pretty darn good.

It was my sister's birthday on Saturday (Happy Birthday JB!), so I made her favorite - Mud Pie. I made it for her last year too but she didn't want something new this year. It's so easy to make, I didn't bother to argue.

In the spirit of attempting new things in the kitchen and trying to keep things somewhat healthy, I'd like to try my hand at quinoa. If anyone has any tips or good recipes for a healthy quinoa dish, please share them.