Just Had the Most Fantastic Salad

So I was running around doing house stuff (we bought a house!!!) and I passed a lovely restaurant here in Jax called Native Sun. I went to the deli and got a salad custom made. Oh. Em. Gee!!!!! Must must MUST recreate at home. I had:

• spring mix
• tomatoes
• cucumbers
• roasted red peppers
• dried cranberries
• strawberries
• almonds
• chicken
• feta cheese
• citrus dressing

There aren't enough words to explain the yumminess. I can't believe I forgot the onions though. :(

Something New to Try and I Know I Suck

I have photos. I have recipes. I just haven't had the time to write the posts. I'm sorry, I suck. :(

That being said...I saw this on a forum and I was intrigued. I will be trying it next grocery trip.

CHEESEBURGER CASSEROLE!!!! Yes, Im yelling.

1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped dill pickles
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded American cheese (6 oz)
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury Crescent refrigerated flaky dough sheet
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon sesame seed

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in pickles, water, ketchup, mustard and pepper.
2. Spoon beef mixture into 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. Unroll dough; press into 12x8-inch rectangle. Cut into 6 squares; place on top of cheese. Brush with egg; sprinkle with sesame seed.
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until deep golden brown.

I top mine with sliced american and tater tots instead though. Its better that way.

Drew really really REALLY likes burgers so I'm thinking....this could be fun? We shall see.

I have a new toy!

I bought this today:

http://www.crock-pot.com/Product.aspx?cid=113&pid=389

I am SO excited. Tomorrow we're having pot roast.

Fettuccine Alfredo

This is SO versatile. And relatively easy.

Yet hard to grasp.

I don't just plan to blog about the successes that I have in the kitchen. I wanna share the whole journey. I, Joy LastNameHere, can not make alfredo sauce from scratch. It either comes out with the right flavor but entirely too thick and gluey or the right consistency but bland as a piece of paper. Which is a shame because I LOVE fettuccine alfredo.

So I make due by tweaking a jarred sauce. Add some spices and some sour cream and half and half and some cheese and just keep it moving. It works but one day I'd love to be able to master a sauce.

Anyway, earlier this week we had seafood alfredo. I minced garlic and onions and sauteed them in butter, adding salt, pepper, parsley and oregano. Then I tore up some flake-style imitation crab meat and put that in the pan along with some small already cooked shrimp. (Add in a little more butter because...well just because.) Add a bit more seasoning. At this point, pour in the jar of sauce. Fill up part of the jar with half and half, shake and pour into the pan. (I'm all about getting my money's worth.) Then add about 2-3 spoonfuls of sour cream for thickness and tang!

That's pretty much it. At the end I added in a couple of handfuls of spinach to just add a bit of green to the dish.

It was amazing and the next time I make it I shall have pictures for you!

FISH!

So.....

I have been cooking fish at least once a week. This has made for a very happy marriage. Joy gets to go to Whole Foods and just roll around in the vibes of freshness and Drew gets fish. Which he loves.

Last week it was tilapia. I cooked about a pound of it in a foil packet. Drizzled some canola oil on the foil, laid down the fish, sprinkled it with salt, lemon pepper (of the salt free variety) and red and black pepper.

Drew ate it in about....10 minutes. (Didn't want any for myself.) And loved every bit. It was nice to see him inhale like that. I kinda patted myself on the back.

No pictures though. Hopefully I will get pictures of the salmon I'm making tomorrow. I'm not sure how I'm going to prepare it just yet but I do know that dill will play a huge factor.

Stay tuned!

Chili Deferred

I made chili tonight. I will edit this post and add the recipe, because I didn't write it as I cooked it and my husband's insistence that I make something else (that was basically cook meat and add to contents of the bag) made me space and lose it.

Here's pictures of the final result, I have step by step ones that aren't worth shit without the steps.

Loaded Hash Browns

I tried these. They were great. Drew refused to try them because we didn't have ketchup. (I'm not going to get into how I resisted the urge to be offended.)

• 3 russet potatoes
• 1/2 medium yellow, white, anything that ain't red onion
• 1/3 large green bell pepper
• 4 slices of canadian bacon
• shredded mexican cheese blend...or cheddar it's all good
• sour cream
• chipotle chile pepper
• garlic salt
• crushed red pepper
• garlic powder
• lemon pepper
• roughly 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• skillet/saucepan with a lid

Ok so I didn't buy ingredients with this recipe in mind so I just used up an onion and cut up enough bell pepper to just about equal the same amount of onion. And all spices are to taste.

1. Peel and rinse taters. Place in a pot of cold water and cut it on high. Put lid on it.
2. Dice onion, green peppers, and canadian bacon (roughly the same size as you plan to do the taters).
3. Add green peppers to a warm skillet. The oil shouldn't be super hot but not cold. The potatoes should be boiling and rolling by this point. Cut off the heat underneath them and move them to a different eye.
4. Add onions and stir everything around. While that's going, cube the potatoes. They're gonna be sticky as fuck, it's because you cooked them halfway and all the starch hasn't cooked out/broken down. It's all good. (If you leave them in the water, it's likely the pot will retain heat which means the water will still be rather hot warm. If you wear glasses (like I do) and they're dirty (like mine are) you might miss the steam over the pot. For fuck's sake don't put your hand in there to get those potatoes out. It hurts.
5. Add potatoes to skillet. Add more oil if pan is bone dry. Toss to coat. Taste and reseason if needed. (I tend to underseason in the beginning and add more towards the end when everything is settling or gradually add some when I add each ingredient.)
6. Add canadian bacon. Toss to combine. Put on lid and let it cook till potatoes are completely fork tender.
7. Plate. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and garnish with sour cream.