Food Glorious Food

The last few days I had plenty of school work to do. I made progress reading papers and doing some prep. However, as a reprieve from work and a reward for my efforts, I spent time in the kitchen. Everything I made was fairly easy but very yummy.

Friday afternoon my husband and I went to the commissary (on base grocery store) to stock up on a few essentials and buy items needed to cook over the weekend. Luckily, everything on the "must have" list were available. When we got home, we put the food away, then opened a bottle of wine and started dinner. I made Harvest Creamy Corn Choup (a Rachael Ray recipe--a choup is a cross between a chowder and a soup). With bacon and corn and cream, it warmed the bellies. I did substitute carrots for the zucchini. I thought they would hold up better. It turned out very well. I could have eaten half the pot, but I got too full. Here's the link to the recipe: http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=612

For Saturday I had planned a seafood dinner. Luckily, my younger son Eric decided to come home from college--we really needed his help eating the pan of Crab and Ricotta Cannelloni. Wow, was that rich and tasty. The recipe called for a pound of crab plus two kinds of cheese and made 12 stuffed (and I mean stuffed) pasta shells. Then a creamy white sauce was pored over them and more Parmesan was sprinkled on top. For an appetizer I made prosciutto wrapped scallops. They were good, but not as good as the main dish. These are recipes from Giada De Laurentis. Here are the links: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/crab-and-ricotta-cannelloni-recipe/index.html and http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/prosciutto-wrapped-scallops-recipe/index.html

Sunday Eric wanted pizza before he returned to Carbondale, so I used Pillsbury pizza dough (I can make it myself but didn't this time), and we topped it with Trader Joe's pizza sauce, lots of cheese (mozzarella and a a cheese blend) as well as pepperoni and spinach. It was cheesy and yummy too. Sorry, no real recipe, just roll the dough out (I put on a large cookie sheet--I like a thinner crust), then top as desired and bake around 12 min. on 425 degrees.

Monday (technically it was a holiday, so I'll include it) I decided to use the boneless chicken thighs from the freezer. I had watched Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals on Saturday morning, and she had made orange-balsamic glazed chicken. I had all the ingredients to make it, and it looked good, something different too. Wow--what flavor, a little tangy, a little sweet, and the sauce kept the chicken moist. The recipe is here: http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=2965
Along with chicken we made rice (with sauteed onions, cooked in chicken stock, not water) and oven-roasted grape tomatoes (from the garden) and zucchini. The dinner was balanced, nutritious and delicious as well as quick cooking.

Now it's back to the work-week routine. What's for dinner tonight? I don't know yet, but it has to be good. I can't eat take-out or drive thru much anymore. Freshly cooked is where it's at.