menu : week nine

SUNDAY
Oven roasted pull pork sandwiches
coleslaw
homemade fries

MONDAY
Pasta with pecorino and black pepper (Back to Basics, page 143)

TUESDAY
Vegetable soup

WEDNESDAY
Broccoli and cheddar and bacon and cheddar loaded baked potatoes

THURSDAY
Pulled pork tacos
black beans and rice

FRIDAY
I am going to make another attempt to take the kids into NYC to meet my husband for dinner.

menu recap : week eight

SUNDAY
The indian dinner that I made turned out great. It is a ton of work and took hours to make that many dishes, but it was worth the effort. Everyone loves indian food and there was just a bit left that I packed in the lunch boxes.

MONDAY
Pasta with roasted vegetables and arugula was just a ok. I will not make it again.

TUESDAY
The Pan Bagnat was a success. It is a great make ahead meal. Everyone likes theirs a bit different, but they are not hard to make so it is fine. I can never make enough rosti, all four love it.

WEDNESDAY
Pork Stir Fry over Crispy rice is a fast and good dinner that all the kids love.

THURSDAY
Pasta with sauce is one of my husbands favorites. I made a big pot of sauce that allows me to freeze some to use for other dishes.

FRIDAY
I tried a new pizza dough but was not impressed with the recipe. I will go back to mine. It took me almost a year to come up with the one that I use all the time now. See below for my recipe for dough.

Pizza Dough
3/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 envelope active dry yeast

2 cups (or more) all purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Cornmeal

Pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir in yeast. Let stand until yeast begins to foam, about 5 minutes.

Add sugar, salt, and olive oil into the yeast mixture and mix. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until dough forms a ball. Test dough to make sure it is not to sticky. If it is, add more flour by tablespoons until dough is no longer sticky. Mix for a few more minutes until dough is smooth.

Lightly oil a bowl with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and turn dough in bowl to lightly coat the dough with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then cover with a dish towel. Let the dough rise in a warn draft-free area until doubled in size.

After the dough has risen punch the dough down. Split the dough into 2 or 3 balls. Cover the balls that you are not using. Dust working surface with flour and roll out the dough. Start in the center and work your way out. Make the dough a little smaller then your baking sheet.

Preheat over to 550 degrees.

Sprinkle baking sheet lightly with cornmeal, this will prevent the dough from sticking to the pan. Transfer rolled out dough to pan.

Top with whatever you desire.

Bake pizza until it is browned on the bottom and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

perfect : decor

Wall art by Prairie Path.

photo by prairie path.

perfect : garden

Seeds by The Balcony Gardener.

perfect : fabric

Gnomes white and green by Heather Ross.

treat

Today was the kind of day where you think to yourself I really need a treat. However the day was such that it has drained me and even looking for a treat is a task. If I could treat myself to a treat I would have one of these.

photo by levain bakery

menu : week eight

SUNDAY
Onion Bhajis (Food Bible, page 50)
Naan (The Joy of Cooking)
Raita (The Joy of Cooking)
Chana Masala (The Smitten Kitchen)
Aloo Patak

MONDAY
Pasta with roasted vegetables and arugula (Food Everday, January 2010, page 13)

TUESDAY
Pan Bagnat (Food Bible, page 89)
Rosti

WEDNESDAY
Pork Stir Fry over Crispy rice

THURSDAY
Pasta with sauce

FRIDAY
Homemade pizza

menu recap : week seven

SATURDAY
The roasted turkey, avocado, bacon and balsamic onion marmalade sandwiched from 'wichcraft were really good. I could put the onion marmalade on everything. The kids always love homemade fries.

TUESDAY
The pork dumplings turned out well. I changed the recipe a bit, but I think it was for the better. I also made my new favorite scallion pancakes that I posted about already.

WEDNESDAY
Prosciutto ravioli are easy and a hit with everyone. I made a sage brown butter sauce to serve them with for the kids. I then made a fast fresh tomato sauce for my husband.
spinach

THURSDAY
Tuscan bean salad with crispy italian sausage is a dish I make often. No. one decided he did not wnt to eat it this week. Whatever!

FRIDAY
The stir fried turkey in lettuce wraps turned out to be a huge, huge hit. They are crzy easy to make. I made white rice and we put it in the wraps. Next time I will double the sauce so we have more to serve on the side.

etsy

I added these note cards to the shop. They are a new product.

scallion pancakes

The last time I made scallion pancakes I thought they were bland and I knew I needed to find a new recipe for the next time that I made them. This week I tried them again using a recipe that I found here, they were so much better. The new pancakes have much more flavor and also have a better texture. Give them a try!

more winter

The snow never seems to stop around here.

menu : week seven

SATURDAY
Roasted turkey, avocado, bacon and balsamic onion marmalade sandwiched ('wichcraft, page 122)
homemade fries

TUESDAY
Pork Dumplings (Family Fun, February 2010)

WEDNESDAY
Prosciutto ravioli (Everyday Pasta, page 103)
spinach

THURSDAY
Tuscan bean salad with crispy italian sausage
crusty italian bread (I might try to make some)

FRIDAY
Stir fried turkey in lettuce wraps (Food Everyday, January 2010, page 92)
rice

happy valentine's day

What can be better than a Krispy Kreme heart shaped doughnut for Valentine's day?

menu recap : week six

I switched the menu around a bit this week. After being snowed in on Wednesday and outside playing and shoveling, a pasta salad did not sound good, so I switched the meal to the three bean chili. Then on Friday I had to make eighty cupcakes for the kids Valentine's Day parties at school. They had a two hour delay that day and then I went with no. four who had no school and ran my seven miles. After that we headed over to the school for the parties and for some reason they take a lot out of me. Trying to organize two of them and then running around to three of them is not my idea of fun. By the time I got home from the school it was late and I was drained, so we ordered pizza that night. Saldy we are no longer a two pizza family (only with the trenton style) and I only got a slice because the kids were hungry. Next time I know to get three.

MONDAY
Tuna and roasted tomato melt was a hit. It is easy to make, but the roasted tomatoes take a long time.

TUESDAY
Potato gnocchi with pork and wild mushroom ragu was a hit with no one and three as well as my husband. No. two was sick, so she did not eat it and for some reason no. four did not care for it. It is time consuming to make. I think next time I would make the gnocchi the day before.

WEDNESDAY
Three bean chili over rice was perfect for a snowbound evening. I put out salsa, cheese and sour cream to top the chili with.


THURSDAY
The Antipasto Salad is always a hit. I have made this a few time before. It is a good dish to make ahead if you need to. I think that it gets better as it sits.

winter

winter

menu : week six

MONDAY
Tuna and roasted tomato melt ('wichcraft, page 113)
homemade french fries
roasted beets and celery root

TUESDAY
Potato gnocchi with pork and wild mushroom ragu (Bon Appetit, February 2010, page 73)

WEDNESDAY
Antipasto Salad (Everyday Pasta, page 81)

THURSDAY
Pork Dumplings (Family Fun, February 2010)

FRIDAY
Three bean chili over rice

The other day my son had to bring his favorite chocolate item into school for a chocolate party. They have recenly read a chocolate themed book and the teacher thought it would be a fun treat for them all to share their favorite. He decided to bring in Heath Bars. I had a half of bag left over and decided to make some heath bar cookies. They were a huge hit.

Heath Bar cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 - 1 12-ounce package small heath bars, coarsely chopped (use as much or as little as you would like)

Directions
Heat oven to 375° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in the heath bars.

Drop tablespoon-size mounds of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until light brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

project : valentine's day cards

Still don't have the Valentine's Day cards done? Print out these colorful Valentine’s Day gift tags from Hello, Good Gravy and attach to a pencil or sweet treat.

new

New item added.

menu recap : week five

SUNDAY
Grilled cheese and short rib sandwiches with pickled caramelized onion and arugula were crazy good. We will make these again. I only made half of the short ribs which was plenty. Also, instead of slicing the onions, I would dice them next time.

MONDAY
Rigatoni with sausage, peppers and onions is an easy and good pasta dish.

TUESDAY
Cheddar, bacon and chive biscuit ham sandwiches were delicious. The recipe makes a lot of biscuits, so I gave them to the kids for lunch the next day.

WEDNESDAY
I changed the dinner to grilled cheese and bacon panini. Our schedule changed and I needed a fast dinner.

THURSDAY
Shrimp dumplings, rice and scallion pancakes turned out well. The kids loved the scallion pancakes. I thought that they were a bit bland. If I make them again I will look for a different recipe.

FRIDAY
Mac and cheese is always a hit. I have a few different recipes that I use, but this one is our favorite. I served it with spinach on the side so there is something a bit healthful.

project : valentine's day cards

More free printables for Valentine's Day.

Love and Rockets printable Valentine’s Day cards by Cameron of Cottage Industrialist.

project : valentine's day cards

Free printables for Valentine's Day.

Sweet owly Valentine’s Day cards and bookmarks by Amy at Living Locurto.

spring

Thinking of spring.

two years

It has been two years since I started selling on etsy. The first year went well, but this past year was a disater. I think I spent more money trying to sell stuff than I actually made.

Here is to a better third year.

I added these italian print tags over the weekend. I love the patterns.

In celebration of the third year, buy and three items and get free US shipping. Just mention third year in the message to seller. I'll keep this offer up until Sunday.

etsy

Still adding new items to my shop.