A Very UnBetty Recipe: Bacon Cheddar Biscuits

For some reason, I get loads of catalogs at my apartment. I have never lived in once place for more than about nine months before now, and I guess that's what happens when you dig in somewhere (and do all of your shopping online!) A couple of weeks ago I got a Williams-Sonoma catalog that had a bacon cheddar biscuit recipe next to the All-Clad skillets. Okay, does that not sound freaking delicious? Bacon... Cheddar... Biscuits???

Here's how it went... I cooked six pieces of bacon in my skillet (not all clad, but a similar type of shiny silver skillet) which created a ton of bacon grease. I put the bacon on a paper towel to soak up the excess grease and poured out the extra into a Bon Maman jelly jar for safe keeping, burning the crap out of my hand in the process.

Next, I mixed up the biscuit dough along with diced bacon, shredded sharp cheddar, shredded parmesan, and a little bit of pepper. I kneaded and rolled out the dough on my first ever floured surface (hard to believe I have a counter clean enough for that, right?) with my new pink silicone rolling pin handed down from Mom.

Next, I spread out the bacon grease on the bottom of the skillet and cut out the biscuits. Target didn't have biscuit cutters, so I found the closest thing, Nordic Ware cookie cutters! We now have a Ziploc container of heart and scalloped square-shaped biscuits on the counter. They're a little burnt, but sooo good! Thanks Bacon Grease!

Now I'm off to make a practice pumpkin pie. There's a pot luck Friday at work, and I gotta get it right!

Black Bean Soup Didn't Miss Her

Last night I made yummy black bean soup, and now we have some in the freezer! And proved once again that anything tastes delicious with bacon grease :)

I cooked bacon for a minute in the bottom of my Chantal saucepan (stirring a TON, so I didn't end up with another burnt, stinky french onion soup type situation) then added onions and garlic powder to a little bit of bacon grease and cooked them. To that, I added chicken broth, chopped carrots and celery, crushed red pepper, and parsley which I diced up with my new nifty new Oxo herb dicer from Target. Cooking causes a whole new type of unnecessary Target purchases. It used to usually be just clothes that I'd impulse purchase, now I've added cooking gadgets! Good thing I got a new job too :)

I boiled all of that until the carrots and celery were tender, then added a can of black beans, 1/2 cup of them mashed and cooked that until the beans were soft. This made a delicious soup! I ate a bowl and froze three. This morning I grabbed a frozen container of soup and took it to work for lunch. Yum! And healthy... aside from the bacon grease. But fat makes brain cells, right??

Unhealthy Yet Delicious... Cheesy Penne Bake

The only healthy part about this recipe may have been the whole wheat penne, and maybe the crushed tomatoes if you want to stretch it, but it sure does taste good!

First, I cooked up some Italian sausage (which I NEVER would have found if Momma wouldn't have told me to look by the bratwurst) in the frying pan. Italian sausage looks a lot like bratwurst, but you bust open the sausage and squeeze it out so it looks kind of like ground beef. You can eat the casing too, apparently, as it showed on the package. So that whole squeezing out sausage thing was really gross, and nearly made me loose my appetite.

Next, I mixed a large can of crushed tomatoes with basil and garlic powder. For recipes that call for garlic and leave the option of using garlic powder, I always use garlic powder now. It's just not worth cutting up a piece of garlic and having my eyes water like crazy just to get the yucky taste of garlic! A sprinkle of garlic powder'll do.

While I was prepping all that, I boiled the whole wheat penne. The recipe called for rigatoni but that was nowhere to be found at H-E-B.

In a glass pan, I layered the pasta, sausage, tomato mixture, mozzarella and parmesan. I always mess up when I have to layer things! Messed up my lasagna, too. It ended up okay in the end though, I just added more cheese to the top :). This turned out great. It's not as great as the lasagna, but it wasn't nearly as much work. Made a good dinner/leftovers/lunch at work.

My final picture today is of GERMBOT. Shane is going to teach some kindergarten kids about handwashing next week using GloGerm, and this will be their box to look at their hands under the blacklight. We made this together yesterday :).

Aaaaand she's back!

Phew! It's been a busy few weeks. For the past three weekends I--went to a wedding with Shane, gave a lecture at the Texas Academy of Family Physicians conference in Houston, and gave the same lecture in Dallas. During the weekdays, I worked and did Pilates two days a week. It's been busy, but good busy!

Needless to say, I had to take a break from the Abby/Betty project. But I'm back! First thing today when I got home from Dallas I sat down and picked out some recipes, went to the grocery store, and came home and made two things. Also, I couldn't resist the red polka-dotted pie dish at H-E-B. I'll use it to make my pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving :).

Today for dinner we had Turkey Caesar Wraps. I bought a Caesar salad kit from H-E-B, two roma tomatoes, and a rotisserie turkey breast, and we wrapped it all up in tortillas from H-E-B (the kind you buy raw, so they are delicious once cooked up). This was yummy, and totally realistic for a quick dinner after work for Shane and me.

I also made (and just tasted today, we didn't eat it yet) Lemon-Basil Pasta Salad with Turkey. The recipe consisted of boiling spiral pasta, adding asparagus with about 3 minutes to go, draining that, then adding parmesan cheese, lemon zest, olive oil, garlic powder, and turkey. I tasted it, and it's yum! It will be better tomorrow when it's all cold and all the flavors have mixed together. Good lunch for work :).

Coming up this week: tuna salad. I've made tuna salad before, but I've been meaning to make it for a while (we both like it) and it's in my Betty book! Well, I'm super glad to be done with my two lectures, and I hear they went well. No matter how I do, I always think my own lectures are bad. Okay, gotta go watch Brothers and Sisters now! Happy to get back to Abby/Betty :).

Abby/Betty Project Status: 43 down, 69 to go!

There are 112 recipes total, and I’ve made 43, so I have 69 recipes to go. My goal is to finish this project by our wedding day, May 21, 2011. That gives me approximately 7 more months, which is still about 10 recipes per month!

Here is a list of what I’ve cooked since my last update on August 28:

29. Scrambled Eggs (I have made an executive decision to just include this, because it’s one of the few things I knew how to make before I started the project. My latest creation with it was a sweet breakfast taco. I love jelly on my eggs, so I made a breakfast taco with scrambled eggs, mozzarella, and raspberry preserves wrapped in a tortilla. Yum!)

30. Hard-Boiled Eggs (Same executive decision. I actually make these all the time. The perfect recipe, never fails: put eggs on the stove in cold water, bring to a boil, boil for 11 minutes, immediately put the eggs in ice water. A good use of the last few eggs before they go bad! Just eat ‘em straight up. Also a good way to kill all the Salmonella.)

31. Greek Salad (Yum! We need to eat more veggies, and this will help!)

32. Caesar Salad (This is another one that Shane said to count among his favorites. I agree! Rubbing garlic on the sides of the salad bowl is a great trick to get a garlic taste that’s not overpowering.)

33. Veggie Lasagna (Nothing special. Healthy, edible, and pretty easy. Next time, no mushrooms!)

34. Quesadillas (Quick, easy, and tasty.)

35. Chipotle-Black Bean Burritos (Turned out really well, but Chipotle peppers are wicked hot! Definitely need to cut them up really small and only put a little bit.)

36. Chili (Yum!)

37. Tortilla Soup (Soooo easy, pretty healthy, and delicious. A good after-work throw it together dinner.)

38. Eggs Over Hard (Yummy, but I want to learn Eggs Sunny Side Up because they’re prettier!)

39. Veggie Chili (This was good, made a ton, and made for good leftovers through the week.)

40. Banana Bread (Yum! Just next time move the rack to the middle of the oven.)

41. Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Homemade Marinara (Delicious, and also made good leftovers. Good for after work or at work!)

42. French Onion Puke (Never. Again.)

43. Linguini Alfredo (Delicious, and I could make Strawberry Shortcakes or Chocolate Mousse with the leftover whipping cream :)

French Onion Puke. And some pretty good Linguini Alfredo.

It's almost too soon to talk about the French Onion Soup. I ruined it in many ways. First, I chopped an onion (which always makes me cry to the point that I can't even keep me eyes open, and spreads whatever godawful eye-irritant is in onions throughout our whole small apartment). Then, I proceeded to burn most of it onto the bottom of my Dutch oven, which created an unbearable, nauseating smell in the apartment that I can only imagine is what gorilla puke would smell like when boiled on the stove. For some reason, Betty decided to tell me to caramelize onions by first cooking them on high for five minutes. I won't turn on you now, Betty. I'm sure this disaster was due to my error. But let's just say next time I won't be doing it that way. While those were cooking, I "toasted" some bread under the broiler. Our last four pieces of French bread. I took them out of the oven blackened and had to scrape off the burnt parts into the sink. After transitioning the onion mixture into another pot in an attempt to get rid of the burnt nastiness, I added beef broth and a bay leaf to the mixture. I heated that up to a boil, then poured it over the toasted bread into my oven-proof Fiestaware (thanks for the hand-me-downs, Mom and Dad!). On top of that I added mozzarella and parmesan cheese, then put them under the broiler again, this time watching very closely and for a very short time.

Now, having worked very closely with the gorilla puke smell for almost an hour now, I was nauseated and could only handle one bite of the soup. Shane told me it was good, and that it was better than some he'd had at Jason's Deli. He even ate the leftovers today. But for some mysterious reason, he just doesn't like it enough for me to make it again. Who knows if that's because he didn't like it, or because he'd rather not have anger cooked into his food, but I will gladly oblige.

Okay. French Onion Puke, check, move on. Yesterday, I actually made something really good! H-E-B whole wheat linguini with homemade alfredo sauce. I melted butter in heavy whipping cream in a sauce pan, stirring constantly. Then I turned down the heat and added parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, and stirred until the parmesan cheese was melted and the sauce was smooth. Shane ate half the pot, and now counts this among his favorites, although it hasn't entered his top three, which are meatloaf, strawberry shortcake, and lasagna. I loved the linguini alfredo, and ate the leftovers for lunch at work today. It didn't re-warm too well. The butter separated from the sauce when I warmed it up again. It still tasted fine, but didn't look too pretty. Maybe that's just how alfredo sauce rolls.

All in all, I am happy with my recent Abby/Betty efforts. I will be on hiatus this weekend, as we are attending Katherine (grad school buddy) and Michael's wedding. I find myself looking forward to the break! But still, I love cooking more than I ever thought I would. Guess it's genetic (from Mom's side, NOT Dad's!). I'm also glad that my future children will have something other than Kraft Mac'n'Cheese and PBJs to eat :)

Banana Bread and Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Homemade Marinara

Yum yum. I'm going to start with the successful recipes for this weekend. First, I made banana bread. I started with over-ripe bananas collected over weeks (it's hard to strike a balance between Shane eating them all before they get ripe and us forgetting about them until they're brown and mushy). I kept them in the freezer (see picture) which made them turn gross and brown. Even the cookbook warned "they won't look too good but they'll work just fine." They weren't kidding! I thawed them out in the refrigerator, then took them out and squished the banana contents into a bowl. I added walnuts and cranberries to the recipe, and I wish I had a picture to show how pretty that made the slices. I'll have to get those when we cut up the second loaf that's in the freezer now. The banana bread turned out delicious other than one issue: the recipe said to put the oven rack in the bottom position to bake the bread, which made it all burnt on the bottom and raw on the top. Somehow, it still tasted delicious! Next time I'll put it in the middle and I think it will turn out just right.

Next, I made spaghetti with homemade marinara. I sauteed onions and a green bell pepper in olive oil with some garlic powder, then added diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and simmered all that for about an hour. I added oregano, salt, and pepper to the sauce. Along with some H-E-B whole wheat spaghetti, this made for a DELICIOUS and healthy few meals! I was quite happy with myself. Then my next post happened. See above :)

Tortilla Soup, Eggs Over Hard, Veggie Chili, and Cornbread Muffins

This has been an eventful week in the Abby/Betty project. The more I cook, the more I want to cook! And the more I cook, the easier it is to decide to cook and whip something up.

My first meal for this week went--gasp!--undocumented! I made tortilla soup Saturday night when Shane got home from work. The recipe was really simple: 1 carton of chicken broth, half a jar of salsa (I used H-E-B peach salsa), and 2 cups of cooked chicken (for which I used an H-E-B rotisserie chicken). You bring all that to a boil, then pour it in a bowl over broken tortilla chips. On top, you add avocado pieces, monterrey jack cheese, and cilantro. Making this meal came so naturally, I forgot to take a picture! It's a shame, because with all of the toppings it really came out beautifully. With such a simple recipe, I'm sure I'll make it again and have a chance to photograph it :).

The next thing I made was for myself on Sunday morning. I wanted a big breakfast, so I decided to try to make eggs sunny side up. The cookbook said to heat butter on a hot skillet, carefully break the eggs into the skillet, then turn it down so the eggs just gently sizzle. I did this, and even after the whites were done the yolks were runny. Runny eggs are not my thing, so I ended up flipping the eggs over and kind of making eggs over hard. I had them with some H-E-B buttermilk waffles with raspberry jelly. This made for a delicious Sunday morning breakfast!

Last night I came home before Zumba class and had about an hour to spare. I really wanted to make the veggie chili before the veggies went bad, so I whipped it up. I had a minor mishap when making the chili in that it said to "bring the ingredients to a boil," but the ingredients up to that point were essentially just a pile of vegetables. There were potatoes, an onion, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and a cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. I had to call mom for stat cooking advice. She told me I should add some chicken or vegetable stock, but I didn't have any, so I added a cup of water. She thought that might make the chili bland, but it turned out sooo good! The other ingredients were zucchini (which I put in later), cumin, and chili powder. Shane liked it to. Zumba class sucked. Tall girls were not meant to dance! I think I'm more into Pilates/Yoga... stretching, breathing slow, and working on my posture.

Today I made cornbread muffins to redeem myself for the grody cornbread I made last weekend. Mom said I stirred the cornbread too much, or possibly put too much flour because I packed it in the measuring cup. I made the cornbread again today, stirring the dry and wet ingredients separately then just giving them a quick whip together. Two things: buttermilk is a vile substance and my cornbread muffins are freaking delicious!!

Chili, Cornbread, and Bundt Brownies

Sunday night after Ryan left I was feeling bummed out. I guess it's always a downer when a houseguest leaves. I felt that maybe cooking in my pretty new Vera Bradley apron April got me for my birthday would cheer me up, so along with my planned chili and cornbread, I made some Bundt brownies in my new Bundt pan. I couldn't resist buying it last week at Target, so this week I decided to make the recipe that came with the pan: cheesecake brownies.

First things first though, the chili. I browned ground beef with a chopped onion and a sprinkle of garlic powder in a pot. After draining off the juice, I added a can of diced tomatoes with the liquid, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and red pepper sauce. I knew it must be right because with the spices it started to smell like my mom's chili. I cooked all of that for one hour covered (which was too long because it burned on to the pan) and then added kidney beans and cooked it for another 30 minutes uncovered. The chili turned out delicious! I put waaay less chili powder than it called for, so it wasn't too spicy, which is the way we like it.

For the cornbread, I used a vintage Youens recipe which I am not sure I am authorized to share online. Other than the fact that it got a little crispy because I cooked it too long, it tasted great! Next time I'll try 15 minutes to start and check it until it's done. The cornbread is sweet (it has two tablespoons of sugar) and I like to eat it with jelly. Shane likes to put it in his chili. My dad has been known to drown it in about a gallon of "squirt butter" and honey.

Finally, the Bundt cheesecake brownies. This was a from-scratch brownie recipe, even starting out with melting unsweetened baker's chocolate and butter. I have the best thing for that: my silicone measuring cups. As advised by Chef Linda, I use them to melt butter and chocolate in the microwave and it all comes out easily with a silicone spatula and washes easily. I am sure this is far less messy than heating up chocolate and butter in a saucepan, as the recipe called for. Along with the brownie mix, I mixed up some cream cheese, powdered sugar, and egg for the cream cheese part. Into the mini Bundt pans went a dollop of brownie mix and a dollop of cream cheese mix. The brownies turned out great, and even came out of the pan, but I learned yet another trick from Chef Linda: when you are flouring a pan to make something chocolate, use cocoa powder instead of flour to avoid the white residue. Ideally, Chef Linda recommends the Pam spray or Baker's Joy that already has flour in it.

All around this was a successful meal! I am considering declaring October "soup month" and going through the soup recipes in my book like tortilla soup, veggie chili, and black bean soup. We are having as close as Houston may come this year to "soup weather" and I don't want it to pass by without finishing the soup recipes! Okay, now back to watching vintage ER. I am on Season 1, which I used to listen to from my bedroom when I was 9 years old and it came on past my bedtime. It's really quite good!

Oh, and C-boo's 10 months and can pull up on her own now :).

Ryan-Abby-Shane Team Effort Burritos!

I had a little help with my Abby/Betty recipe today: Shane and his brother Ryan. Ryan is in town visiting for the weekend and he's also learning how to cook now. We made Chipotle Black Bean Burritos and actually ate them at our dining room table!

Ryan mashed the beans, Shane cooked the tortillas, and I chopped the onion, tomato, and chipotle peppers. I used garlic powder instead of chopping up garlic. I just put less garlic powder than the recipe called for (1/2 tsp instead of 3/4 tsp) because it's GROSS if you put too much. We cooked up the onions and garlic powder in vegetable oil, then added the tomatoes, beans, and two tsp of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. The chipotle peppers were supposed to be "finely chopped," which I kind of ignored and just cut them into smallish pieces. That was our only complaint about the meal: about three bites were delicious, then the next bite had a pepper and was really hot! I would definitely make this again, with the following changes: bigger burrito-sized tortillas instead of the little ones we had, and chopping up the chipotle peppers into tiny pieces. I also might make a double recipe, because the burrito insides could be saved to make more burritos the next day. Otherwise this was yummy, topped off with some mozzarella cheese, sour cream, and H-E-B peach salsa.

Now Shane and Ryan are playing some Red Steel on the Wii (some kind of game where you shoot people and things), and when I'm done blogging we're going to play some Rock Band. Also, we opened the window and turned on the fan because we were cooking the onions, which caused Frankie and Animal to gather by the screen door and be really sweet. :D

Oh and P.S., the cupcakes were delicious, and were a big hit at work!

Quesadillas and Cupcakes :)

This week so far I cooked two very simple recipes, so I'll include them on the blog for a change. The first was quesadillas:

tortillas

2 cups of cheddar cheese

1 small tomato

a few green onions

small can of green chiles

On a cooke sheet, split the ingredients among all the tortillas, and fold them over or stack another tortilla on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

These were yummy! We used the H-E-B raw tortillas from the refrigerated section that you cook up in a skillet. They weren't as yummy as the Costco ones, but they were still sooo much better than the ones that come cooked in a bag. We made six and ate three for dinner one night and three the next night. Super convenient and quick!

The second recipe, which I'm actually in the process of making now, is from Real Simple magazine. You can find the recipe here. I substituted mellowcreme pumpkins on top instead of candycorn. I mean, they're pumpkin cupcakes, duh! Also, the longer I live, the more I discover that I'm just about the only person in the world who likes candy corn.

Shane's brother is coming to visit for the weekend, and he'll be our first house guest! I'm planning on making chili and cornbread, plus having the cupcakes ready when he gets here tomorrow. The recipe made a full 2 dozen cupcakes, so I'm going to take some to work tomorrow, I think. Unless we try them tonight and they're gross!

Yum yum! Caesar salad, veggie lasagna, and a joint b-day celebration!!

This weekend I got a lot done, even though I have some kind of yucky cold and had to eat some soup and take a few naps. I got all the laundry done and cleaned and organized my desk (which was a day-long project, I haven't organized it since college!) Shane and I also went out to dinner with a bunch of our friends for a joint birthday celebration for Katherine R. (a grad school mate), Natalie (a grad school mate and now a coworker), and me! Our awesome friend Jen (a grad school mate and also a new coworker) planned it all out for us. We went out to eat at Hugo's Mexican Restaurant, which was awesome, and had some Sprinkles Cupcakes for dessert :). Hugo's is a fancy Mexican restaurant, which I highly recommend. The food was awesome and reasonably priced, and the atmosphere was high-end. I had tuna ceviche (loove me some ceviche!) and Shane had absolutely wonderful tamales. Then we went to a martini bar that had all different kinds of martinis and some hardcore clubbin' music. We followed up by hanging out at Jen & Natalie's apartment for a few hours. It was a wonderful night!

Before we went out to eat on Saturday, I made two Abby/Betty recipes. I wanted to make a light lunch Saturday because I knew we were going out to eat and that we'd be having cupcakes, so I made a Caesar salad. It turned out wonderfully, and Shane has declared it one of his top three, along with Strawberry Shortcake and Lasagna. We ate all of it, which makes me kind of sad because it would be a great thing to take to work. Next time I'll have to buy enough lettuce for a double recipe! The recipe including making the dressing in the bowl, which I though was cool. I cut a clove of garlic in half and rubbed it on the sides of the bowl, leaving some pieces of garlic in the bowl; then I added lemon juice, olive oil, mustard powder, salt, and pepper and mixed the dressing in the bowl with a fork. I added the romaine lettuce to the dressing and tossed it together with my awesome wooden salad hands. Then I added parmesan cheese and croutons (H-E-B brand Caesar croutons) and served it. I left out the anchovies, 'cause that's just gross :).

Then, on Saturday afternoon, I prepared the vegetable lasagna to bake on Sunday. I shredded a zucchini and added it to some Paul Newman Marinara, mixed together some cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, and thawed-out chopped spinach, then layered it with oven-ready lasagna noodles, canned mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese. I kept it in the fridge until today when we were ready for dinner and baked it. This wasn't an entirely homemade recipe, but it turned out really well and was super convenient. Once you have it all made and in the fridge (where Betty says you can leave it for up to 24 hours) it takes about 55 minutes to bake, which is about the same as a frozen lasagna from the store! It turned out really well, and I got Shane to eat his veggies again :). We had H-E-B Poteet Strawberry Ice cream in waffle cones for dessert. Yum!

P.S. I can't figure out how to rotate a picture on here.

Greek Salad, Harper's Birthday, and a Donut!

I did make the Greek salad as promised a couple of weekends ago, and now I'll post pictures. It turned out quite delicious! My ranch pasta salad and my Greek salad made a good lunch for the first few days of my now job. I'll have to work hard to bring my lunch to save money, because it's super tempting to eat out at my new job! There are tons of yummy food options within walking distance.

The Greek salad had butter lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, and olives. I love raw black olives, and so does Shane! The dressing for the salad turned out really well. It was lemon juice, vegetable oil, sugar salt, and pepper. So simple, yet so delicious!

For those of you who know me well, you may be wondering if I truly just craved vegetables for a weekend. The truth is, I have a super sweet tooth almost all the time, so Shane and I supplemented our veggie weekend with donuts from H-E-B. Zebra donuts are my favorite! I am also throwing in some pictures of my nieces, Harper and Clara. I went to Harper's first birthday party over labor day weekend (it was my birthday, too!) and had a wonderful visit.

Coming up this weekend: veggie lasagna and caesar salad! :)

Abby/Betty Project Status: 28 down, 84 to go!

So, it turns out my original count of the recipes was wrong. I thought there were 105 but there are actually 112, so last time when I said 16 down and 89 to go, it should have been 16 down and 96 to go!

Here is a list of what I've cooked so far.

1. Chocolate Mousse with Raspberries (Yum!)

2. Strawberry-Spinach Salad (Yum!)

3. Buffalo Wings (Yum!)

4. Strawberry Shortcakes (Shane and I agree this is the best thing so far)

5. Guacamole (Yum! Say the nurses Shane works with)

6. Ham and Cheese Egg Casserole a.k.a. Egg Strata (Yum, although too salty because of preserved ham)

7. Fruit Salad with Lemon-Honey-Poppy Seed Dressing (Yum!)

8. Blueberry Muffins (A little dry, but apparently had perfect peaks!)

9. Lasagna (Yum! Probably the second best thing so far, and made the house smell good!)

10. Tirimisu (Yuck!)

11. Italian Salad with Garlic Lemon Vinaigrette (Double Yuck!)

12. Garlic Bread (Yum!)

13. Apple Crisp a.k.a. Apple Betty (Yum, although had too much nutmeg)

14. Lemon-Dijon Baked Chicken (Yum!)

15. Garlic Smashed Potatoes (Need work)

16. Cooked Carrots (Yummy, simple, and fast!)

17. Meatloaf (Yum!)

18. Mashed Potatoes (Masterpiece)

19. Green Beans (Yum! Bacon makes things taste good.)

20. Outrageous Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Yum!)

21. Oven Fried Chicken (Good, but a little dry)

22. Macaroni and Cheese (Good, but weird recipe with onions)

23. Broccoli (Yum!)

24. Spinach and Chicken Stuffed Pasta Shells (Pretty good)

25. Roasted Garlic (Pretty disgusting)

26. Beef Pesto Panini (Yum! Fancy Grilled Cheese)

27. Veggie Focaccia Sandwiches (Made with ciabatta instead-Yummy and healthy!)

28. Ranch Pasta Salad (Haven’t tried it yet!)

My goal is to finish this project by our wedding day, May 21, 2011. That gives me approximately 9 more months, which is still about 10 recipes per month. I am on still on track to finish! And I think I'm a little ahead, which is good, because somehow I don't think there will be time to cook in the few weekends before the wedding!

Pasta Salad with Lemon Pesto Dressing

This is a recipe for a delicious pasta salad that I had at Shane's parents' party. It's kind of like a caprese salad, but with pasta. This makes a great lunch or light dinner! Yum. :)

Pasta Salad with lemon pesto dressing

1 pound of cavatappi or your favorite pasta (shells, corkscrew)

1 cup of basil pesto

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 cup of grape tomatoes cut in half

4 scallions, chopped

20 fresh basil leaves, snipped into strips

1 lb tub of mozzarella balls (HEB has them in cheese section)

Boil a large pot of water and add salt and pasta when it is boiling. While pasta is cooking make dressing with pesto, lemon zest, lemon juice, tomatoes, scallions, basil, and cheese in large bowl.

Drain pasta and rinse with cold water and drain well. Add to dressing and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Super-Duper Vegetable Weekend!

I have been craving lighter food, like delicious salad and veggies, lately. I picked three recipes for this weekend, all of which are rich in fresh veggies. Today's recipes were Veggie Focaccia Sandwiches and Italian Pasta Salad (But I made Veggie Ciabatta Sandwiches and Ranch Pasta Salad instead).

1. Veggie Focaccia Sandwiches- Super yummy! To make these, I caramelized onions, yellow bell pepper, and orange bell pepper in Sass brand balsamic vinaigrette. Yum! Personally, I could eat caramelized onions and veggies on their own, and the balsamic vinaigrette gave them an extra tang/sweetness that made them even better. I put this on ciabatta bread, sprinkled it with fresh basil and shredded mozerella, roma tomato slices, and then put the rest of the ciabatta bread on top to complete the sammy. Shane liked these, too! This made four sandwiches, so I saved the extra two in the fridge and I'm planning on heating them back up in the George Foreman grill panini style tomorrow, so the bread will taste toasty instead of stale and the cheese will melt on the veggies.

Our H-E-B has an awesome bakery! You can even talk to the baker. I asked him if he had any focaccia, and he said he was going to start making it next week. Thus the ciabatta, which tasted yummy anyway, but I'll have to make these again with focaccia one day.

2. Italian Pasta Salad (I substituted H-E-B Buttermilk Ranch for the Italian Dressing)- Pasta Salad is one of my very favorite foods. Especially when it has extra goodies besides pasta, like olives and tomatoes. For this pasta salad, I cut up green onions, half a cucumber, a tomato, and a red bell pepper, then added ripe olives. We haven't tasted this yet, because it always tastes better after you let it sit in the fridge for a while. We might bring this to a barbeque we're going to later, but I'll have to see how Shane feels about that. Sometimes he's not too keen on me letting other people eat all the food I make! I will update tomorrow on whether or not this tasted delicious. At any rate, it felt good to eat a bunch of fresh veggies today, because when I'm not cooking we still revert to our not so great diet of pizza, Beenie Weenie, etc.

Coming up this weekend: Greek Salad, a pasta salad recipe I got from one of Shane's parents' neighbors, and an update on overall Abby/Betty progress.