A try at Koftas

Sorry, no picture ... after the laborious process of making Palak Kofta, I dug right in before snapping a shot. I think I used the wrong type of potatoes for these koftas. Mine were a bit gluey and hard to form into a ball ... make sure to use a floury potato. However, even though my dumplings were subpar the sauce was incredible! I would try the sauce again but sub eggplant and paneer maybe ... it was great ... a very authentic tasting curry.

steak and baked potato with sauteed onions/mush

Kerri posted this a while back when we did family favs. So, while I was in town, my family and I had to make it. The marinade really is key...it is almost sweet or something. I believe that the soy sauce is key to making it so tasty. I don't think that Kerri mentioned the song we used to sing about steakandbakedpotatoes ...and salad too of course!

Spiced Chicken and Barley

Tonight I made Wirrek's post from April for this Spiced Chicken with Barley. Wow, this was totally amazing. I took wirrek's advice and used less barley (3/4c) and broth (1 can), but kept everything else the same. I did let it simmer for 45 minutes and it was delicious.

The only problem is that after I finished dinner, I realized I forgot the green onions. Oh well, it was incredible. Can't wait to make it again.

Quick and Easy - Thai Chicken

I needed something quick and easy so I looked back at our Dec. challenge and found that KAJ submitted a family favorite, Thai Chicken , so we gave it a try. We really liked this one as well. It is really similar to the Peanutty Noodles that I submitted last month. I served mine with jasmine rice but noodles may have been better with the rich and plentiful peanut sauce. I used a zuchini (quartered and thinly sliced), a chopped yellow bell pepper and some scallions for my veggies.

June Soup????

Can you believe it actually cooled off enough here to think about having a soup for dinner? Oh yes, so I checked the blog and found this Harira soup submitted by Mel and tried it last night. This is a very good, flavorful, and healthy soup. With chickpeas, lentils and potatoes it is also very filling. I served it as a stew with a side of couscous next to it. We really liked it and I plan on adding it to my line of winter soup rotations this next season.

That Curry again!

I have been wanting to try the curry recipe that Robin has been raving about. I made it for my parents. For some reason, I seem to alter most recipes and added carrots and potatoes. We didn't have any zucchini or beans. I used green curry paste instead of red and regret that decision. The green isn't spicy enough. The meal was delicious and relatively simple!

A Great Summer Salad

Remember our fresh and local farmer's market challenge last summer? Well, this one submitted by KristiB, a Summer Mediterranean Supper Salad, has been on my list for a while now and I just got around to it last night. Another HIT ... we loved the salad!!! And, this dish took no heating up of the stove or oven ... which is great because it is really heating up here and we have no A/C in the apartment so the thought of cooking is not something I feel like doing in the afternoon.

I couldn't find celery decent enough to buy nor sugar snap peas so I subbed a small head of mini romaine salad and had to use a couple of sardine fillets for the anchovy because I also couldn't find them at 2 different supermarkets (or else I was looking in the wrong section). It all seemed to work together. I was really concerned about the wetted down bread but they just tasted like croutons that had been splashed with vinigarette ... a great way to use up leftover bread.

Thai lime beef salad and oatmeal cookies(with chocolate chips)

I hope I am scoring some major bonus points for making my sister Thai Lime Beef Salad last night. We had Crispy Oatmeal Cookies for dessert. Talk about pregnant...she delivered the next day. I had not had the salad before and was concerned about the 7 T of Fish sauce, but it was delicious...lots of chopping!



I tried to get the lake in the back ground :)

The cookies are great as well. I added some chocolate chips because I love chocolate and felt that just oatmeal cookies might actually be too healthy.

Remember this one?

Maybe not, it has been a while. This is one posted by lbmartinez in July of last year, Pasta with Lentils and Arugula. I followed the recipe as stated but subbed fennel for onion. We loved this dish ... very light tasting summer pasta dish. This is the first time I have tried a lentil sauce over pasta although I have seen many recipes. I really love it ... a wonderful vegetarian main. Next time, I may leave out the arugula or sub spinach as she did because the arugula tended to have a slightly bitter taste to it. Be generous with the salt otherwise you may end up with a bland lentil sauce.

I make the best fruit salad EVER!

In my opinion anyways...



Perhaps this post is a stretch. I'll go ahead and play a pregnancy card. If I had to pick a reason for this recipe, I will say that this one falls under using an old topic of what could be in Kerri's Greatest Hits.

Cause like I said, it is the best fruit salad ever.

I guess it is a personal taste thing to determine the best fruit salad, but I think what put mine in the winner category is that there is no melon. Mark and I are just not melon people. I also hestitate to call this a recipe, it is just something I make. The secret is good fruit, instead of fillers, the addition of just a little bit of fat in the form of coconut and nuts to make it more substantial, and just a pinch of mint. I like to make this salad as a side of BBQ, or any other time I feel like I need a fresh, light option to balance out a meal. The kids love it. Well, to be honest, not all kids, but mine likes it.

Best Fruit Salad - serves 5 adults and 3 kids plus a little leftover for a snack tomorrow
One pineapple, cubed (err on the side of cutting too small)
One naval orange, cubed
Most of a pint of strawberries, sliced
Blueberries also work good in this, but I forgot to use them today
3 T toasted coconut
3 T toasted sliced almonds (I have used pecans in a pinch)
5 leaves fresh mint, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Mix gently until combined. Can make a few hours ahead, but it doesn't keep all that well.

Blue Cheese Pepper Steak - 2 ways

A couple of weeks ago after KAJ posted her results from this recipe, I tried it as well and followed it as written. What a winner ... we loved it.


And, last night we tried it again ... only put it over romaine tossed with a purchased Caesar dressing. The only other difference I did this last time was to let it braise in a little white wine instead of the water, it called for.

June challenge

A year ago, I started a cooking challenge on my other blog, and it turned into a blog of its own. For this one year anneversary, I want you to...cook from this blog. Use the recipes that were posted, or if you want to revisit some topics we have covered, go right ahead. The only rule, try not to share a recipe you already have. Bonus points to those who share what you have made with someone who just had a baby!!