An Update From Austin

Okay, things are a little crazy this week. I am in Austin for work and there is a lot going on, but I made some good food this weekend, so I desparately need to update! (Also, this computer does not have automatic spell check, so please excuse my spelling mistakes).

This weekend's recipes:

1. Apple Crisp (a.k.a. Apple Betty)- I made this from organic apples from H-E-B. I cut the apples and tasted them before baking the Apple Betty, and they were gross. Once baked, the apples tasted yummy. So, at the very least, this recipe is a good use of mediocre to gross apples. This was an easy recipe that included cut up apples and a streusel on top made of oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. I think this recipe will be perfection with less nutmeg (just a tiny pinch!) and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top. Shane loved this and has eaten it for breakfast for the past few days!

2. Lemon-Dijon Baked Chicken- If you know me, you know this was a BIG DEAL. Raw chicken FREAKS ME OUT! Interviewing people who had bloody diarrhea and vomiting from foodborne illnesses for work will do that to you. Shane brought me home some gloves from the hospital to handle the chicken. This was a Shake 'n' Bake style recipe. I dipped the chicken in a mixture of melted butter and dijon mustard, then shook it in a baggie full of parmesan cheese and bread crumbs (acquired by mashing a 3-day-old loaf of french bread with a potato masher). The results were delicious! I was so amazed at how the disgusting, pink, slimy raw chicken breasts turned in to real, yummy food at the work of my hands!

3. Garlic Smashed Potatoes- These were red potatoes mashed with the skins still in with garlic and parsley. The recipe called for sour cream and did not call for any butter. I think this was a mistake. The result tasted something like an un-seasoned baked potato. I think this recipe needs 1. more garlic and 2. butter and 3. possibly less parsley and/or more skin so it tastes less like plants. Meanwhile, Shane solved the problem by treating them like a baked potato and melting cheese on top of the leftover potatoes. (I feel like such a good fiance; I left Shane at home for this conference in Austin all week and I left him with real, home-cooked leftovers to eat!)

4. Cooked Carrots (Boiled)- This recipe was so simple! It was actually easier than buying steam-in-a-bag carrots and the result was much tastier. Once I peeled and cut up the carrots, I boiled water with a little salt and a lot of sugar in it, put the carrots in, covered the pot, and boiled them for 7 minutes (which is about how long it takes to microwave a steam-in-the-bag!). Shane LOVES cooked carrots, and you will notice in the picture of our plates that his carrots are already gone :). These were perfection. We didn't even add any other seasoning once they were cooked.

My next post will be a full-on project status update. Also, shoutout to Cousin Beth, Joel, and Jane, who gifted me the awesome apron I'm wearing in the picture. Please disregard the state of my hair and the kitchen in this photo. I was focused exclusively on my cooking :).