We Didn’t Die.

Well, it’s been awhile. We’ve been busy purchasing and moving into our first house! So that was pretty exciting. And then we got a dog, Percy, to keep us company. And then there’s things like cooking, parties, cleaning, etc. on top of getting all situated in our new space. All of which to say, I haven’t been good at taking pictures so all you get is links this time around. But a number of them are really good – trust me!

Recipes We Tried in July

• Peach Basil Sorbet – for super fancy dinner party for Steven’s B-day and our anniversary V
• Beef Tenderloin – ditto
• Hasselback Potatoes – ditto. Basically a gussied up baked potato with a few spices/butter/sliced every 1/4 inchish almost the way through. Makes it a tad crispy. LOVE them. V
• Artichoke Shrimp Sauce – ditto above, for on top of the beef tenderloin. skipped the artichoke though F
• Creme Fraiche – ditto above, served with a not new recipe for Avocado Buttermilk Soup. delish. V
• Strawberry Sauce – served over brownies & ice cream for dessert at party ^^^ V
• Hot Fudge Sauce – ditto the strawberry sauce V
• Bacon Infused Old Fashioned cocktail – also for the dinner party. They were on the menu at this fancy pants restaurant we went to but they were out. Steven was tickled pink to make them. We would say to try to let it “infuse” for at least two days for more bacon flavor…
• Spicy Honey Chicken – some of the best chicken I’ve had
• Green Goddess Salad Dressing – I loved this along with all the women at the party, Steven was not a fan. Too much work for an every day dressing but yummy for special occasions. H
• Southwestern Cheddar Steak Fries – these were good, but I feel they would have been just as good without all the cheese and extra fat stuff added. V
• Chili Oven Fries – from the Southern Living Cookbook. Some of our new favorites. Very little fat (2 T of OO for a whole cookie sheet of fries), but lotsa spice. V
• BBQ Shrimp – from Southern Living Cookbook. Was pretty good but we’ve had better shrimp. F
• Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Salmon – I’d never say I LOVE fish, but I’m starting to think I’ve been missing out on this category. Very healthy tasting but yummy. Which is rare. F H
• Basil Balsamic Pasta – This was a big mistake. First off, reducing Balsamic Vinegar smells TERRIBLE. Like. So gross. I can’t even describe it. No wonder they sell it pre-reduced in the store. yick. And yeah. we took two bites and went for the mac ‘n cheese. couldn’t handle it. -500 stars V H 
• Chocolate Coconut Bars – if you need a smashing but easy dessert this is it. V
• Lentil Soup – This was no where near as bad as I was expecting. That being said, I think it could have a lot more flavor. I forgot that I was going to follow all the tips from the first comment underneath the actual recipe. Will need to try again sometime. Lentils are pretty awesome because they’re like a bean, but they don’t need to soak overnight V H
• Shrimp with Spicy Garlic Sauce: This was a tad too spicy for us so we’ll probably tone it down a step next time. Really good though! H F
• Apricot Dijon Pork Chops: Steven LOVED this recipe, I’m not a big mustardy person but it was still pretty good.
• Antipasto Pasta Salad:  Nothing to write home about but way better than a blah sandwich for lunch at work. H if you use whole grain pasta anyway…
• Tomato Tart: Super famous recipe down here…everyone makes it and loves it. Originally from the Jackson Junior League cookbook “Come On In” which I followed to be precies. It’s super easy though and the link does it justice V

V = Vegetarian
F = Seafood/Fish
H = Supposed to be healthy. at least a little.

Fettuccine Alfredo

We never ate creamy pasta growing up. I’m not sure how much of it was my mom doesn’t like it and how much of it was she just wasn’t going to feed us fattening dishes, but we didn’t.

Now days, it’s one of my favorite things ever. I could eat it daily. Could but shouldn’t. In an effort to reduce the creaminess damage, here’s a healthier version. Still probably not healthy, but at least better. The best part is we can’t tell that much of a difference.

Spaghetti Carbonara

You have fancy meals. You have healthy meals. And then you have quick comfort meals for Tuesday nights after you get home from work and grocery shopping. Which you’d like to be at least a little bit healthy. Enter, Spaghetti Carbonara.

Kung Po Chicken

My husband and I both loooove Chinese Take-Out, but our budget does not. Thankfully, I stumbled across a recipe on Allrecipes.com that I tweaked a bit and now fits us perfectly. Cooks up fairly quickly as long as you marinade in advance. Perfect for Sunday lunch…all you have to do is wait on the rice.

Bean Burritos

A dear friend shared this recipe at “Week-Night-Recipe Swap” …and it is one of the best weeknight meals with the best lunch leftovers I’ve come across. Did I say it’s cheap? It’s cheap.

Hawaiian Chicken with Cilantro Rice and Honey Pineapple

I’m generally a thyme/garlic/pepper/rosemary/lemon sort of girl when it comes to flavoring chicken.

And I’m generally a potatoes or pasta sort of girl when it comes to sides.

And I’m generally a don’t-mess-with-fruit sort of girl when it comes to that.

but it’s good to mix things up sometimes ya know?

Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche

I didn’t used to like eggs. At all. Not green, not scrambled, not fried, not with bacon, no way. But I got converted almost exactly a year ago, which means I can now like quiches.

Sadly, quiche isn’t really all that great for you. Between the eggs, the cheese and that puffy pastry crust…sheesh.

But, you can make them crustless. If you grease the pan well, it’s amazing how well they hold their shape and the edges kind of get browned into a sort of egg crust anyway. And this one doesn’t have -THAT- much cheese in it.

Black & White’s

Apparently there is some Seinfield joke I am supposed to make here, but I haven’t seen that episode yet.

But I do know that these cookies bridge the gap between vanilla and chocolate icing lovers. And that the cookie is fluffy and cake-like without being too crumbly.

Turkey Tostadas

So…after you roast that turkey of yours, you can make that pot pie…and still have leftover turkey in your freezer. What to do what to do…

You can switch things up with some spicy mexican food that’s what. Super quick and easy and a delicious change from the heavy, creamy pot pie.

Orzo With Sauteed Vegetables and Roasted Almonds

90% of my favorite foods are bread, pasta or potatoes, so I find it very easy to eat the same carb four times a week. Sadly, that’s not all that good for you. At least, not of they’re good mashed potatoes/pasta/bread (i.e. made of white flour and combined with lots of cream, cheese, butter etc). So I’ve been trying to diversify the carbs that we eat. Maybe get into some grains or something. Orzo sounded all weird and different…so I found this recipe and thought we’d experiment. Then I get to the grocery store and discover that it is just rice shaped noodles. So not all that different. But hey…it is good!