Chicken and Barley Casserole

A while back I bought some barley at the Asian market, because I had something I wanted to make with it. Fast forward several months, possibly even as much as a year, and there's me, standing in front of the cupboard looking at a bag of barley, thinking... "I had a plan for that!"

Absolutely NO idea what that plan might have been. None.

So... Chicken and Barley Casserole. I had chicken thighs in the freezer, and I needed to make room for other things. I had carrots left over from another recipe. It seemed like it was meant to be.

Marinated Steak Stir-Fry

After an approximately 847-year hiatus, I actually got to cook again *and* had time to create a new recipe while I did it! Ever since I made the decision to only write blog posts for recipes I create instead of those I get from other places, it seems like I hardly ever post any more. My Facebook page has a new recipe every day M-F, but most of those lately have been recipes I found online somewhere or were something simple I threw together that didn't justify an entire blog post.

This, however. This was amazing! And I made notes. And took pictures as I went. It's nothing short of astonishing I remembered to do both of those things, really.

Pasta Primavera with Ham

A hundred years ago, I made a recipe I found online that used farfalle, ham, asparagus, and chive & onion cream cheese. It was... blah. I mean, it wasn't bad, it just had no pizzazz. No excitement. Nothing special. I filed it away, intending to make it again someday with changes.

Fast forward something like eight years. The first asparagus of the season is in the store (not from here, but from this country). Ham slices, pasta, and cream cheese were all on sale. And somehow from the depths of my brain I dredged up the recipe. The trouble was, that was at least four computers ago and I have no earthly idea what it was or where I'd found it.

Chicken and Artichoke Hearts in Dijon Cream Sauce

Most of my best recipes are born because I'm standing in my kitchen trying to figure out what the heck to make the day before grocery day. Which is exactly what happened here. I had chicken breast in the freezer, a can of artichoke hearts on the shelf, and a box of whole wheat couscous in the cupboard. I also had part of a carton of heavy whipping cream.

I love that I can start with that and come up with a meal that not only tastes good but falls well within the dietary restrictions I am hobbled by!

Everything But the Kitchen Sink Cookies

Sometimes, you've just got to have chocolate chip cookies. I used to just use the Toll House recipe on the chocolate chip bag. I figure if it was good enough for my entire childhood, it's good enough for my adulthood. Makes sense, right?

And then a number of years ago I met a friend online who went by the name Ralf_Kramden. This recipe started out as his, but then I added some stuff to it because it didn't quite have everything I wanted as he wrote it. And now I almost never make just regular Toll House cookies, because these are so exponentially better I can't even explain it. And every time I make or eat one, I remember Neal, and I smile. He passed away a few years ago, but he was really the one who got me started on this whole making and posting recipes online thing. Who knew when we started talking on a now defunct computer tech message board's "kitchen" forum, I'd end up here?

Super Bowl 50 Food Report

As you know, last Sunday was Super Bowl 50, with the Panthers taking on the Broncos. As you also know, the Broncos quite handily won the game, giving Peyton Manning another ring and leaving the sports world ranting over Cam Newton's behaviour.

Whatever. We didn't have a dog in that hunt, and while we love football we are ALL about the food!

Quick Shrimp and Vegetable Stir-Fry

Every time I write a new recipe for a stir-fry, I giggle. Because stir-fry, much like quiche or stew, is pretty much a catch-all for whatever you feel like throwing in it. This one was born because I had a bag of salad shrimp and some winter blend vegetables in the freezer and I needed the room. I also had a green bell pepper I couldn't remember why I'd bought that was about to go bad, so I threw it in. Had it been a plan, I would've used a red pepper for contrast, but so be it. This was really tasty!

Chicken Tortilla Bake

File this under "Things I Found in My Pantry" or perhaps "Let's See What This Tastes Like". I had a couple of tortillas left from making Breakfast Burritos, and I didn't feel like just spreading something on them and eating them. Since I also had some Mexican taco blend shredded cheese left, I decided to make a casserole.

Freezer Stash: Breakfast Burritos

My work schedule is nothing if not erratic. Consequently, I tend to have a fairly large stash of leftovers in my freezer so even on those days when I can't cook and might not have leftovers in the refrigerator, I can still serve something decent for dinner. But one thing I miss is breakfast.

A couple of years ago I was putting a pan of enchiladas in the freezer and it hit me: I could make breakfast burritos and freeze them! I don't know why I didn't think of it before.

Peasant Bread

I love fresh-baked bread! And while I have horrible luck baking with yeast, there are almost endless varieties of quick breads that soothe my cravings while still being possible or me to make. Peasant Bread is incredibly dense, mildly flavoured, and easily adaptable to other flours or flavours as you desire. And it's definitely quick and easy!

I made this loaf to go with a batch of Brown Ale and Cheddar Soup recently, and they complemented each other quite nicely.

Sausage and Bacon Breakfast Casserole

This was originally going to be a crustless quiche (or frittata, or whatever you want to call it). But by the time I got done adding all the stuff I wanted to use, there was no way this was fitting into even my deep dish 9-inch glass pie plate, so I went for a casserole dish instead. Which works, because nutrition wise this isn't all that healthy, and a casserole lends itself to more servings better than a quiche.

I served this with some steamed fresh vegetables, but a salad would be even better. Maybe some cottage cheese. Or just eat it by itself, that works too.

Five-Spice Pistachio Pork

This isn't something I would normally have thought to make, but it's been almost a month since Christmas and I still had leftovers of the Five-Spice Pistachios I made. I'm writing the recipe to be made without having to actually make the pistachios, but I would recommend making some. They were wonderful!

My original idea was to use them to make a crust for fish, but I didn't have any fish in the freezer. I did, however, have boneless pork loin chops, so I ran with it.

Broccoli with Bacon and Feta

This one almost didn't make it as a blog post, because it's really pretty simple. But since I've been slacking the last couple of months (or longer), it felt like I should write it up anyway. And since I'd taken the pictures as I went, I figured I might as well use them. Because who can't use a simple yet tasty (and fairly elegant looking if you're serving company) side dish?

Butternut Squash with Crab and Feta

A few days ago, I got some bacon out of the freezer to defrost so I could make soup the next day, but when I went to put it in the refrigerator I discovered I'd taken a package of imitation crab out of the freezer the night before and never used it.

I had no earthly idea why I pulled the crab. None whatsoever. Couldn't even find any notes or a bookmark or anything that might offer up a clue as to what I was thinking.

I ran with it.