Friday, January 19, 2018

Food for Thought

It's been an odd week.  Just felt off.  I've got my lists burning in my brain (and energy and motivation to tackle it), but on the top is taxes - blech!  Taxes are a mood killer.  It didn't help I didn't have a menu plan. this week.  I did manage to clear out leftovers by remaking them, but all I can say is we were fed.  

If you're looking for more than getting by and cleaning out the 'fridge, I've got a few recipes here.  Since I was cooking without a net this week, they aren't from this week, but a few weeks ago (you'll see how long ago), as I work through my backlog of unposted posts.


I don't do regular oatmeal - heaven knows I've tried.  I can't get past the texture of it.  But when I tried my first baked oatmeal recipe, I was hooked.  I've made a variety of baked oatmeal, and this Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal is just one in a long line.  This is hearty and filling without being sweet.  I bake it and eat it all week long.  A quick pop in the microwave and a splash of milk.  You could top it with a few chopped nuts.


Now you find out how deep my backlog of food posts is - this Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake I made for Christmas Eve dinner.  And it was awesome, the second time I made it.  The first time I didn't add any extra flour, for altitude adjustment, to the boxed mix this cake starts with, and the weight of the cake flattened my first attempt - though it still tasted good.  The second shot was perfect - rich chocolate and with flavor of raspberries, all topped with a velvety chocolate ganache.  


Another Christmas Eve recipe, served as a side to the Ham was Cranberry Almond Rice Pilaf.  I wanted something light, but with a touch of the season.  It was a good choice.  Light and fluffy, with a pop of dried cranberries and crunch of almonds.  It would remake well as a fried rice with any leftover ham tossed in.


We enjoyed Deep Fried Prime Rib for New Year's Eve.  It was good, well seasoned and because of the deep frying, that great crispiness on the outside.  And if we had relied on a thermometer instead of the timer, it would have been perfectly cooked.  I'm pretty sure we deep fried it long enough, but it was the resting where we messed up.  Just a good reminder to always, always rely on temp, not time.


This lovely Honey Glazed Ham was the centerpiece at Christmas Eve dinner.  I love a spiral cut ham, but they always get dried out when you reheat them.  This was so not the case with this recipe.  Cooked in a bag, and slathered with a sweet/savory sauce, it was amazing.  Definitely a do-again!


I love watching The Kitchen and Pioneer Woman on the FoodNetwork.  One of the pre-Christmas shows of the kitchen served up some holiday recipes.  That's where I saw this Cheesy Yorkshire Pudding and knew immediately that I was making that for Christmas Eve.  It was so easy, and it was sooo good!  Instead of blue cheese, I dropped in cranberry goat cheese.  YUM!  They are soft, chewy and light and then the cheese . . . oh my.


After the Christmas food fest, I was looking for something lighter and Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps seemed like the perfect fit.  And it was.  They were filling without being heavy and they reheated well.  It would also be good on a rice bowl with additional chunky cut veggies.

Off to deal with the taxes.

Happy Friday,

Lori

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