In the past few years, I've fallen in love with food in a borderline Foodie way. Eating, the obvious, easiest way to lap up the goodness and cooking, which has become one of my favorite things to do. When the excitement I feel for planning a vacation mirrors that I feel when selecting a recipe, well, I know the extent of this love affair. I flip feverishly through each month's subscription to Cooking Light, searching for those have to make dishes that will liven my week and inspire my taste buds. I may have a problem.
Since I've adopted this let's just call it 'hobby' (so not to seem creepy) I've acquired quite a collection of magazines that hold these nuggets of gold we foodies use to make our masterpieces. Needless to say, after years of a loving, adoring relationship, the stacks of pages piled up, overflowed and cramped much of my living spaces. What to do with these momentum's, collected through the years together? As I was told, so I did. "Throw them out!"
It was not a heartless parting, mind you. Quite the opposite. Hours were spent extracting these gems, seperating the piles into appetizers, chicken, meat, pasta, pizza, salad, dessert, vegetables, sauces...oh there was definitely a method to my madness. A big black binder, stuffed with these chapters of menu bliss, came into my life. It was an end to my weekday angst, an end to the endless search for fullfilment in a last minute creation. I now had my Food Bible.
From then on, I would sit down on a Sunday night and choose two or three new recipes to make that week. Now, religiously? No, not every week. In lieu of actual plans? No, if Brad and I made plans with friends, family, or each other, we'd forgo our cooking ritual to explore outside the kitchen. But this helped keep my love for cooking moving forward. Which happens to be what I'd need to do after all those meals...move forward.
Here's the past week of dishes painted in pictures...minus Wednesday's meal, where I was too hungry to take a picture (homemade split pea soup & turkey bacon, apple and provolone grilled cheese) and Thursday (spent at StoneRose, with lots of wine & wedding talk...a subject that deserves it's own post).
Sunday Potstickers & Spring Rolls, made with chicken, chopped carrots and shredded zucchini rolled up into wonton wrappers and fried in peanut oil. Oh yes, they were delicious.
Cajun Shrimp & Orzo pasta in a white wine garlic & caper sauce. Interesting combination, with an extremely delicious sauce with a spicey finish.
Mini Meatloaves with a roasted red pepper & artichoke pasta salad. I've never made meatloaf in a muffin pan, but let me tell you, what a managable meal, especially when you are cooking for two or watching your figure. There's no way to over-eat when you have a muffin sized portion.
All-in-all, a fabulously food-filled week!
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