Our kitchen annex (aka. our basement kitchen) is starting to come together. Peep those the beautiful cabinets that were handcrafted by my dad.👀 These were the cabinets that hung in the kitchen of the house where I grew up. That house has since been torn down and replaced with a new home but... the cabinets live on in our newest kitchen space. Just to be clear - I take no credit for this amazing space on the lowest level of our home. All the recognition goes to our talented and creative contractor, my parents for donating and delivering the coolest cabinets, an insightful plumber who moved pipes and gas lines to make this possible and my uber patient husband who gracefully listens to all of my crazy design ideas.🤣 I can hardly wait to start doing some cooking in my new bonus kitchen. Actually, what I'm most excited about is moving some of my extra cooking supplies into those new/old cabinets. 😂 Filling the cabinets with my duplicate pots, pans and extra utensils is really going to make some much needed extra space in my upstairs kitchen cabinets. Anyone else have extra (or older) pots and pans that they don't use on a regular basis but they don't want to get rid of? I don't know what my first meal in this beautiful new kitchen will be but I can assure you that it will be something that reminds me of my childhood. Something that my mom would have made in that kitchen that I have such fond memories of. So while I think about that first meal and my dad who provided the cabinets and my mom who made us the most amazing meals while we were kids - I'll share a yummy Baked Pasta with Spinach and Mushroom dish. Baked Pasta with Spinach and Mushrooms 2 Tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 16 ounces mushrooms, sliced ¼ teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 teaspoons Italian herbs 3–4 ounces baby spinach, chopped 2 cups chicken broth 25 ounce jar marinara sauce 8 ounces dry pasta 1 cup ricotta cheese ¼–1/2 cup finely grated parmesan 1/2– 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese Fresh basil for garnish
Ciao!
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No one will ever accuse me of being a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of girl when it comes to dinner. I'm the exact opposite. There are times when I plan meals for up to three weeks in advance. 🤣 I know, I know - it's borderline obsessive but, I suffer from dinner anxiety and I lose sleep over the lack of a well organized meal plan. 😜 The funny thing is that even though I go through the trouble of meticulously planning out my meals, things hardly ever go as planned when it comes to dinner. I've been know to actually stretch three weeks of meal planning into twice that many dinners because well, life happens. There are nights when I run out of time to fix dinner. There are days when we decide to go out to eat for a meal when I had intended on cooking and then there are nights when I'm just simply not in the mood to eat the meal that I had planned. #Icravepizzaeveryday 🍕😅 I love salmon and I was so excited about trying this Salmon with Lentils recipe that I added it to my meal plan almost immediately after I found it. I even bought all of the ingredients to make it.🐟 And then life happened - an impromptu birthday meal, a date night dinner out, a last minute invite to dinner with friends and a refrigerator full of leftovers from a Super bowl party that we didn't get to attend - all took precedence over making salmon. So, I did the thing that I hate to do with fresh fish - I tossed it in the freezer. 🥶 More than two weeks after I originally planned to make this yummy meal, it finally made its way back to the top of my meal plan. And it was delicious. Worth the wait. And the fish that I was worried about freezing, turned out to be very good. Salmon with Lentils 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, minced 1 celery rib, sliced thin 1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin 1/4 cup + 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 garlic clove, minced 1 Tablespoon tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper 2 1/2 cups water 1 cup lentils 1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 4 salmon filets
Divide lentils among bowls. Arrange salmon over lentils to serve.
Ciao! Fun fact about me: I really like to hike. A beautiful, cloudless Saturday afternoon spent hiking through the North Georgia mountains is my idea of a way to spend a great weekend. 🚶🏻♀️ This was our hike through Blackrock State Park. It was challenging and taxing but boy, did I feel accomplished when I finished those strenuous 7 miles. There's something special about setting a hiking goal and conquering it. I've hiked a lot of miles in my life but unlike my outdoor-loving husband, I've never worn out a pair of hiking boots. 🥾 I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself, but he literally walked the sole right off of his hiking boot. (That's a lot of hiking. 🤣) Hiking requires fuel. And fuel in the form of delicious, energy giving snacks, is the very best kind. It also helps when that fuel is simple to make and can be tossed in my pack for a quick pick me up during a hike. Hello - Cherry Pie Fruit Bars. These 3 ingredient snacks are just about the most perfect little treat for hikers - and anyone who likes dried fruit bars. 😂🍒 Cherry Pie Fruit Bars ½ cup dates (about 5) 1 cup dried cherries ½ cup almonds Soak dates in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain. Place ingredients in food processor. Process until smooth. Spread mixture into a parchment lined 9" square baking pan. Freeze 30 minutes. Cut into squares. If you happen to find yourself in North Georgia - check out Blackrock State Park. It's a beautiful place to visit.
Ciao! It was only 5 months ago that I was able to make the trip to Greece and yet somehow, it seems like a lifetime ago.🇬🇷 I think that it was all so surreal that I've categorized it into the area of my brain that stores all of my too-good-to-be-true experiences. I remember those things almost as if they didn't happen to me and certainly not as if they happened in my recent past. The country of Greece has incredible scenery, history and FOOD! We had some of the most amazing food, both on the island of Santorini and in Athens. I had quite possibly the best meal that I've ever eaten in my life while dining on the veranda of a small Santorini restaurant, under a full moon. If you ever find yourself on this beautiful island - go to Metaxi Mas and order the squid - you will NOT be disappointed. 😋 It's safe to say that when we left Santorini and flew to Athens - we had high expectations of Greek cuisine. And, the food that we ate in Athens lived up to our expectations. I had a shrimp risotto that was so extraordinary, that I fear that all other risottos that I eat for the rest of my life will pale in comparison. The oversized slices of feta, drizzled in olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper and served on top of my salads in Greece was really very different that the feta that I was accustomed to picking off of my salads here.😅 The texture was firmer and the cheese was nuttier. It was really, very tasty. Feta is also the star of every Greek salad over there because there is no lettuce component to Greek salads in Greece. Feta, vegetables, olives and oil. Simple and delicious. I'm slowly working my way through the feta options that are available to me at my grocery store, to find the most authentic Greek feta cheese. I've haven't quite found one that replicates what I ate in Greece but maybe it's the lack of blue domed white buildings that's affecting my taste buds.😂 Don't worry though - I'm committed to continuing my search to taste test all the different brands of feta and testing it in the best way that I know how - in Greek salads.🥗 My lettuce-less Greek salad is my nod nod to the amazing country that taught me to appreciate good feta cheese. Greek Chickpea Salad 15 ounces chickpeas, rinsed and drained 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved 1 English cucumber, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved 1/3 cup chopped red onion 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley salt and black pepper, to taste Dressing 1/4 cup olive oil 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon honey 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon dried oregano Combine chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, olives, red onion, feta cheese, dill and parsley in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. If you have a brand of feta cheese that you love - please share it with me. I would love to know what kind of feta, all of you are eating.
Ciao! |
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