friday nights

friday

cheese

wine

compliments

fellowship.

mac and cheese for the little one.

flavors.

then

the movie

begins

and the candy is laid out

ice cream is eaten.

friday family movie night.

a new tradition.

new years meals

so i have followed through on my new year's resolution to cook more. it doesn't mean i'm cooking every day (let's be real here folks) but i have made a few meals and the reviews are going well!

first meal was pork kebabs with squash and sauteed greens, and ended up being a huge winner. i learned how to prepare pork for the first time and the flavors were phenomenal. even though my husband barely had a sense of taste and smell, it went well. i would definitely make and eat it again.

my second meal was chicken tortilla soup. this particular choice was from scratch... everything was done from scratch, it was a lot of time and a whole lot of work (just ask christina who sat at my kitchen table chatting with me as i did all the prep work :)) i wouldn't pick it to make again but i am thankful that i learned a few things from it. i learned a few ways to cook chicken, learned how to make a chicken soup base from scratch, and got to use cotija cheese (which will be my new obsession).

all in all, i learned a few things about myself.

1. the hardest part of cooking is picking the recipe

2. getting to the store & keeping my little man interested as i get all the ingredients is the second hardest part

3. i don't mind getting my kitchen dirty

4. prep work is super fun

5. it's so rewarding eating my hard work

6. there's nothing like making my boys happy with cooking

Grilled Cheese

Simple, yet perfect for a foggy day like today...my husband taught me how to make the best grilled cheese at the beginning of our marriage, and I've never turned back!

Used sliced parmesan bread (from Fresh n Easy) and butter (I soften the butter so it spreads easier, about 7-10 seconds) the outsides. Then sprinkle parmesan cheese onto the butter and lightly sprinkle shredded cheese on the outside. Flip to outside quickly so all the cheese is under bread, grilling. Add shredded cheese inside the sandwich and put the other buttered piece on top. Sprinkle more parmesan cheese and shredded cheese on that side for when you flip the bread over. Results are the most amazing crispy cheese on the outside, soft cheese on the inside grilled cheese sandwiches.

Grilled Cheese

Butternut Squash Soup

so now that lobster season is back, i've been trying to think of fun, festive fall sides to go with. after all, my husband has perfected lobster scrambled eggs, lobster mac n' cheese, lobster grilled cheese, lobster dip, everything lobster...

today, after cleaning the house (and loving every minute of it!), i decided the fog was beckoning me to stay in my kitchen and get creative. so i set out to do something creative with my butternut squash that my husband harvested...

so i found this recipe for butternut squash and pretty much followed it, with a few tweaks here and there...

i cut the squash in half, dug out the seeds, laid them face up in the baking dishes. i then drizzled olive oil on top, sprinkled pretty liberal amounts of salt and pepper, and then decorated with ginger, ground cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg, and cloves. i roasted them for 30 minutes on 375 and then turned them over and roasted them for another half hour. then i dug out the meat inside half the squashes and blended them with whipping cream. then i sauteed 1/4 of a chopped white onion and one chopped shallot. blended it all together. then took out a dutch oven, sauteed a shallot with olive oil and poured the soup mixture in, and then the scooped out meat from the other half of the squashes. finally, simmered the soup and dished it out! had enough that i was able to bring them to our somis neighbors too!:)

Fresh 'N Easy

I had my doubts.

It seemed grim and looked expensive.

I have to admit, my husband went first.

...and we haven't turned back since.

If you want amazing prices and good food,

look no farther.

The best sourdough bread

the yummiest, thick english muffins,

pomegranate seeds....

Try it.

You'll love it.

My favorite part:

The $5 off coupon I get in the mail every week!

This week's deal:

A box of Macaroni and Cheese 99 cents. There are other off brand ones for 39 cents, but I thought that for a few cents more, it was nice to know the brand...

Anyways, Mac N Cheese is amazing if you mix cream cheese in with the packet, the butter and sub 1/2 of the dairy needed with heavy whipping cream and then milk. YUM. Pop some cooked and cut hot dogs in, and you have yourself an afternoon lunch for your toddler. (Okay, maybe I "sampled" some....)

great baking activities for toddlers

What a blessing Jiffy Mix was today for my little man and I to bake today! I highly recommend the 50 cents it takes to buy a box, as there are three ingredients and it is a very simple and enjoyable activity for the both!