Archive for the ‘Lydia's Food and Feasts’ Category

I will never purchase store bought granola bars ever again…

September 21, 2009

Just tried out a recipe for Granola Bars from Smitten Kitchen. Oh my, oh my…YUM!

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I do solemnly swear to NEVER buy granola bars from the grocery store ever again (sorry Quaker Oats).

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Easy to make (just a few simple steps), easy ingredients (oats, honey, nuts, dried fruit, with the addition of chocolate chips for me, of course) and easy to eat (not sure if it’s healthy for us anymore, considering we’ve eaten a 1/4 of the pan already).

Delicious. Period.

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Go make them. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Last Week’s Meals

August 25, 2009

Last weeks meal recap…..

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MondayPot Roast, Simply Recipes

VERY basic ingredients and SO quick to throw together, I thought this pot roast wouldn’t have enough flavor. But, my friends, it did! Was DELICIOUS! Loved it. Served it with the carrots that roasted in the juices along with some cous cous. Great Meal.

TuesdayTomato and Goat Cheese Tarts, Ina Garten, with side salad

The Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts…they were good, but not amazing or anything. I think I’ll definitely go for this recipe again, but maybe put my own spin on things…maybe try a different cheese and throw a bit more flavor it. Good, but not amazing. Worth trying though! And, I’ll definitely look it up again….they were so easy and still pretty good!

WednesdayCoq Au Vin, The Pioneer Woman

Awesome. Although I made the mistake of overlooking the fact that AFTER you cooked the chicken in the skillet, you had to THEN bake the chicken in the oven for over an hour (WHOOPS!), it was still delicious (although we didn’t eat until about nine ‘o clock at night!!) Wondeful flavor…but, what doesn’t have wonderful flavor when bacon is involved!!

This dish does take a bit of time for preparation and bakes for a while, but it is TOTALLY worth it! So good!!

Thursday- (Community Group, food for 10 peeps)- BBQ Pulled Beef Sandwiches

Another great dish! The slow cooking of the beef was super easy and simple. The BBQ sauce was a bit too tomato-y for my taste, but a bit more vinegar and additional spices did the trick to making it more tasty! I think I just liked the idea of making your own BBQ sauce,…but in all honesty, it probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference if you had just poured in a bottle of store bought BBQ sauce. So, if all else fails,…go for that. But, the sandwiches were DELICIOUS as well as the best chocolate sheet cake ever, which I’ve made before!

FridayPotato Bacon Torte, Melissa Darabian

Totally didn’t feel like making the homemade pie crust (I got lazy) so, I ended up making a crustless Potato Bacon Torte with rosemary instead of thyme and sharp cheddar instead of guyere….also added in some chopped green onions. This was good, but more like a gourmet scalloped potato dish. If i had gone for the crust, I’m sure it would have been a bit more like a main course dish.

Now to plan this weeks meals,…a little behind!

This Week’s Menu

August 18, 2009

I’m trying to put a little organization back into my life.

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I figured one of the ways I can do this is through planning our meals each week. I know this won’t happen perfectly each week, oh no,…not perfectly at all!! But, I figured with us being part of a local CSA and now having meat and eggs as part of our monthly pick up (Whoo hoo! A new addition to our CSA!), I need to make sure I’m using everything we receive each week (instead of it going bad and not getting used). I have realized that most days we figure out what we’re having for dinner 30 minutes before we make it. It ends up that, most of the time, we’re not using the fresh fruits and vegetables we have on hand, nor are we using the loads of organic, grass fed beef and free range chickens we have in our freezer. Yes, I know it’s pathetic…so, that’s where the weekly meals comes in.

My hope is that each week, I’ll write out the meals for the week, followed by links. If I get around to it (hopefully!), I’ll write notes on the recipes I loved and those that I wasn’t so fond of. I’m figuring this will be great for my organization of good recipes I find. A lot of times, I try a recipe on a website, but then the next time I think of making it, forget where the recipe came from. Hopefully this will help me out!

So here goes,….

Monday- Pot Roast (on the stove right now as I type this…smells good), Simply Recipes

Tuesday- Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts, Ina Garten, with side salad

*saw this on the food network last night,…looked pretty good!

Wednesday- Coq Au Vin, The Pioneer Woman

*I have a chicken in the freezer and am over roasting….figured I’d try something new!

Thursday- (Community Group, food for 10 peeps)-

*still undecided, but thinking of BBQ pulled pork sandwiches with homemade coleslaw.

Friday- Potato Bacon Torte, with Cafe Green Salad, Melissa Darabian

*another food network viewing…wanting to try out one of her recipes!

We’ll see how it goes!! Wish me luck!

Calzones!

June 23, 2009

What’s the difference between a Calzone and a Stromboli? Anyone know? I didn’t. A few weeks ago, before we left for our east coast trip, J decided he wanted to make homemade dough for Stromboli’s. I kept calling them Calzones. So, whats the difference? Well, I didn’t take the time until now,…a month later as I type this, to finally figure out what the difference was between the two.

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Turns out we made Calzones, not Stromboli. Wikipedia told me that it’s pretty much the way you put them together. Calzone’s are pockets of dough filled with the stuffings of your choice, while stromboli is the same thing, but rolled into a long loaf, resembling a burrito shape and then sliced to serve. So there’s your answer,..in case any of you were wondering and simply dyyyying to know!

So, homemade dough… You know what? It’s really not hard at all. You need a few hours, of course, to wait for it to rise. But, J and I decided earlier in the day we were going to venture into our dough making. It did take a few hours to rise and by the time we were ready to assemble the dough, it was a bit late for dinner (like 9:30 at night), but it was worth it and SO good.

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The dough. Super easy. Flour, olive oil, salt, water, and rapid rising yeast. I found the recipe to the dough here.

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Mix everything together. I used our cuisinart mixer to knead for a bit. But, you can also use your hands,…[so old fashioned, i know].  The above picture is BEFORE I mixed it in the cuisinart.

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Stick the dough in a bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise for about 1 1/2-2 hours until it’s doubled in volume. Once it rises, roll out the dough to a flat circle,…thin, but not too thin.

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Fill it with whatever you wish! We did one tomato sauce, pepperoni, mushrooom, black olive, and basil and another with pesto, grilled chicken, spinach, and goat cheese. Both were delicious.

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Fill the half side of the circle. Fold over. Pinch the edges shut. Secure it even more with a fork, by pressing down the edges. Much like you’d do a pie. Cut a few slits in the top. Stick it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

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This is what it looked like when we first stuck it in the oven.

Sorry there’s no finished result. It was super late by the time it came out and we devoured it before we could snap a pic.

See, but doesn’t that prove to you that it was good. Delicious. :)

Casapulla’s, anyone?!

March 3, 2009

My mom arrived last Tuesday to come out for the birth of our baby girl. It’s been wonderful having her here. Not only do I enjoy the company, but I have to admit, her constant help with the laundry and dishwashing is wonderful. I’m for sure going to be spoiled by the time she leaves. Ahhh,…it is a wonderful thing.

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One of the things I miss most about the East Coast is the food that you just can’t find out here,…like say,…..SUBS. Subs to Southern California is Subway. I’m sorry, my so-cal friends, but those just aren’t subs. Anyone that can lose 240 pounds from eating Subway is not eating a real sub. Nope,…I hate to break it to ya, but it’s just not the same.  

So, right before my mom left the East Coast to fly out here, she asked if I’d like her to bring me anything,… I immediately responded with Tastykakes and a sub from Casapulla’s. I honestly just said it jokingly, not expecting to get anything, because I knew it was quite unrealistic. 

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But, can you guess what was in my mom’s suitcase when she arrived last week?! Yes,…my friends,…subs from Casapulla’s. Oh my, oh my,….wrapped in tin foil, with the lunchmeats and toppings wrapped separately, it was truly a sight to be seen. 

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They even included containers of sweet and hot peppers, pickles, and even a bottle of oil…. oh man.

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I have to admit, we were a little skeptical to see if they had traveled well, but they tasted exactly like a Casapulla’s sub should taste! My mom packed them on ice packs, which made them still cool and fresh when they arrived that evening.

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Here’s my mom’s hand,… showing off the sub!

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This was the scene,… J and I were so excited (sorry for the crazy lighting,…it was late at night when I took these)!

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Can you now guess what I’ll be asking for whenever anyone flies out here from the East Coast?!  Yup,….your right. Casapulla’s subs,….