Becky Novacek Photography

i am an admitted foodie. the thing is, i not only like to eat, i like to shop for good food, i like to use food as art in my kitchen, i like to slice, dice, and cook. there is very little that is as comforting to me. at times, i haven’t made cooking and mealtime enough of a priority, but i’m learning. now, i know that when mealtime is hurried or unimportant, we tend to eat bad food and miss out on opportunities to sit at the table and talk. mealtime is a time to enjoy a tasty, healthful meal that nurtures more than our bodies. i want it to be part of our daily ritual…not hurried, but thought through and satisfying. not necessarily complicated. yesterday, i put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker and went about my day. my house smelled better and better as the day went on and i was pretty confident that the soy ginger chicken would be a winner with tom. i made steamed rice and broccoli tossed with a little sesame oil to go with the chicken. so simple, but so good! here’s the thing that i notice about eating a good evening meal….i am satisfied and don’t go to the fridge or pantry looking for something an hour or two after dinner. i went to bed without a snack last night! that’s huge people! and i didn’t overeat at dinnertime. it was just that satisfying.

our cooking club theme was sort of based on julie and julia. we went to dinner and saw the movie together last fall and thought it would be fun to cook a dinner from mastering the art of french cooking together. we planned our menu, split the grocery list and got together earlier in the day than we normally do, knowing that our menu was more tedious and time intensive than usual. oh and we all wore pearls in honor of julia.

menu:

field of greens salad with homemade vinigrette (from the cookbook)

boeuf bourguignon

roasted herbed potatoes

french bread (we cheated and bought the bread)

la tarte tatin

after a wonderful afternoon of cooking together, we had a new appreciation of the task that julie took on, making every recipe (from the book) in one year. unbelievable actually. all 4 of us were doing something in preparation for the whole 4 1/2 hours before we sat down to eat. i feel as if i learned more as far as technique from this meal, any other meal we’ve prepared. nothing fancy, just simple tips. (like don’t crowd the mushrooms when sauting).

her hands have made many pie crusts and stitched many quilts. beautiful, right?

i used my camera shop gift card to buy a remote. so much fun! i really should embarass the guys and share the shots they took when we were in the kitchen….but i think i’ll just continue to use them as leverage : )

i am so glad we’re back on track with cooking club. we took a break and haven’t been real committed, but i think that’s okay as long as we don’t let it go too long. i think our next dinner is going to be fondue.

i’ve been writing so much about food and cooking lately, that i thought i would link some of our recent faves.

• soy ginger chicken    tom and i both gave this one a thumbs-up. it will be entering our regular rotation for sure. broccoli was the perfect side dish to serve with this entree. yum. we’ll be eating leftovers tonight.
• pasta with roasted summer vegetables and basil i know it’s the dead of winter, but we eat yellow squash year round, so it doesn’t seem that summer-y to me. other than basil from the backyard in the summer. add a seasoned chicken breast for the carnivores in your family and you’re good to go.
• homemade blue cheese dressing. i heart homemade dressings. when i went to visit tara, she got me back into how simple it really is. so worth the little bit of effort. i think i tore this recipe out of cooking light:

blue cheese dressing:

1 c lowfat buttermilk

1/4 c mayo

1/4 c lowfat yogurt

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/2 t chopped fresh thyme

4 oz blue cheese crumbled (i left some good sized chunks)

salt and pepper

whisk all but cheese together, then stir in cheese. chill and store up to 3 days.

• layered hamburger pie:

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1 egg

1/4 c dry bread crumbs

1 t salt

1 t oregano

1 t basil

1 t marjoram

1 t dry mustard

1/4 t cumin seeds ground

1/2 t garlic powder

1 1/2 c potatoes

1 medium onion sliced into rings

1 1/4 c mushrooms

1 c cheddar cheese

1/2 c swiss cheese (i used freshly grated romano)

2 T parsley

mix beef with egg, crumbs and all herbs and spices. pat evenly in pie plate to make crust. fill crust layering potatoes, onion and mushrooms.

cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour. remove from oven, remove foil and top with cheese and parsley. return to oven until cheese melts.

• jennifer’s potato soup

this is the recipe that kicked jamie’s butt….

6 c water

7 t chicken bouillon

2 -8 oz pkgs cream cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dill weed

1/2 c chopped onion

30 oz pkg southern style hash browns (thawed)

1 pkg cooked peppered bacon (in my opinion, it’s important to used peppered bacon….totally MAKES this soup)

bring water to a boil and add bouillon.

cut cream cheese into cubes and add to the boiling water.

cream cheese does curdle, but it eventually mixes in.

use wire wisk for blending.

put mixture in crock pot and add remaining ingredients.

i cook on high for 1-2 hours, then on low for a couple of hours.

jennifer served this when we celebrated Christmas and it is SO good! it’s very rich, so as good as it tastes, be careful! i’ve already shared this recipe with lots of friends and everyone seems to like it!

that’s all i have today! have a good evening and God bless!