This meal was so simple and delicious, I will definitely be making it again and again.


» Recipe for Linguini with Clams & Tomatoes

Trader Joe's sells an artichoke antipasto spread that I absolutely love. I can't buy it very often though, because I tend to want to eat an entire jar in one sitting, spread onto stone-ground wheat crackers.

Last week, as I was searching the kitchen for dinner inspiration, I came across an unopened jar of the spread and decided to try it on chicken. I recently discovered this perfect way to cook chicken breasts, thanks to not martha, so I followed that method (minus the flouring step) and topped the chicken with the artichoke spread and a few handfuls of frozen chopped spinach. It turned out so well that I made it again last night, only this time without the help of a pre-made artichoke spread. This dish is a new favorite!


» Recipe for Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Breasts

The search is on for the perfect whoopie pie. It needs to be nice and chocolaty and not cloyingly sweet. A harmonious balance of chocolate and vanilla that must freeze well and stand up to an 8-hour car ride. That's not too much to ask for, is it?

The plan is to make these for our wedding, either as a dessert option or just as favors to put at each place setting, individually wrapped and tied with a pretty bow (and maybe these super adorable miniature lobster buoys). I thought it would be fitting - along with lobsters, clam chowder, and blueberries, these just scream Maine to me.

For this trial I used a recipe from Gourmet for the chocolate cake part, and Rose Levy Beranbaum's mousseline buttercream for the filling (the Gourmet recipe called for a marshmallow fluff filling and I'm not really interested in that). I used my 1 1/2 T scoop to portion both the cakes and the filling which gave me 36 cakes (18 when assembled) and filling for 15. They're really good, and at first I thought the filling may be too sweet, but that might have been due to too much sampling on my part. I just had a day-old pie and it was delicious.

I will keep testing recipes though and possibly go even smaller, using my 2 tsp scoop.

» Gourmet's Whoopie Pies
» Piece of Cake: Rose Levy Beranbaum's Whoopie Pies
» The Way the Cookie Crumbles: A comparison of four vanilla frostings

I made The Pioneer Woman's stuffed shells yesterday and they were delicious! I thought it would be a good idea to make a double batch of the shells to stash in the freezer. It turns out that a single batch of the filling would have been plenty - after filling all the shells I still had about half the filling left over! I guess I'll have to make lasagna soon.

One of the perks of having an awesome client like Marina of My Better Butter is that every time I see her she sends me home with a jar (or two) of her delicious peanut butter spread. I have to restrain myself so that I don't eat the entire thing in one sitting.

As I was working on the website I couldn't help but to start brainstorming recipe ideas. That's just what I do. And, since half of my freezer is being taken up with super-ripe bananas (I really should stop buying bananas), I thought a banana bread would be the perfect starting point.

And then I went and cut my hand on a broken plate, rendering my right hand 95% useless. Fun. I haven't cooked anything for nearly a week. Last night I decided I could probably make banana bread one-handed, and fortunately it turned out pretty well.

I basically replaced the butter in my favorite banana bread recipe with Nutty Chocolate Chip Better Butter. It gives the bread just a hint of chocolate flavor with tiny chocolate chips strewn throughout.


» Recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread

This soup really hit the spot this weekend. I pulled up most of the leeks from my garden (which, by the way, were such an easy, low-maintenance vegetable to grow, I'm definitely going to plant a lot more next year) and figured soup would be appropriate.

When my parents got back from the UK a few years ago (Wales, specifically) they mentioned that they had leek and potato soup everywhere they went, and while they were all good, no two were alike. This is my version, and I have no idea how traditional it is, but it sure does taste good!


» Recipe for Leek & Potato Soup

Our ancient gas oven has decided it no longer wants to light. I discovered this as I was trying to bake a loaf of bread and had to resort to using the toaster oven to bake it.

So, what to do with the chicken I'd intended to roast? I've been meaning to try cooking a whole bird in the crock pot, so here was my incentive. I generously salted the chicken then lightly browned it on both sides before sticking it in the pot. I grabbed a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme from the garden and put them underneath, inside, and on top. I topped it with a few pats of butter for good measure and plenty of pepper. I would have put some onion in there too but I was fresh out. I set the crock pot to high and left for work.

When I came home from work the house smelled amazing. The chicken was done and falling off the bone. Unfortunately, we wouldn't be eating for a few more hours (I get home fairy early) so I ended up turning it off, taking all the meat off the bones, and making gravy with the juices. When Matt got home I tossed some of the chicken pieces into the gravy to reheat.

Next time I'll salt the chicken a day ahead like I would if I were roasting it. I would probably skip the browning step also and cook it on low so it's not done way early. I might also try adding some vegetables during the last couple hours. Maybe apples and butternut squash? The possibilities are endless.

We watched "I Love You, Man" a few nights ago and the scene where Peter and Sydney were eating fish tacos made us hungry. Matt suggested we try making some. I'd never had a fish taco before, let alone tried to make them, so I turned to the trusty internet to show me how. I decided to use Elise's recipe as a starting point. I used flour tortillas (already had some that I wanted to use up), tilapia, homemade pico de gallo, avocado, and green cabbage. Next time I will definitely use mango salsa, season the fish with more than salt and pepper (cornmeal, cumin, chili pepper?), and make a spicy sour cream sauce. I can hardly wait!

These turned out great. They smell like chicken & rice soup and although I didn't personally taste test them (I'm guessing they're a bit bland for lack of salt), the pup has no complaints. Not that I was expecting any from that eating machine. The only thing I would change would be to process the oats and the rice (and any other chunky ingredients) so that the dough is smoother and easier to cut out.


» Recipe for Dog Treats: Carrot, Rice & Chicken Broth

With all the squirrels stealing tomatoes out of my garden I'm amazed there are any left for me to eat. Fortunately there are plenty and they made for a quick and tasty dinner. I just wish I'd made a little more.


» Recipe for Shrimp with Tomatoes