Date Nigth--June 7, 2013

It certainly does seem like this week's Date Night has been a loooong time coming.  But here it is, and slowly but surely I'm getting it ready.

Cocktail Hour--
I will be having a whiskey and soda (4 pts).  I will be making something gin-ny for Josh.  Probably a Gibson. 

We will be enjoying "Everything Pretzel Crisps" from the snack factory (I think) with a smear of Rondele light cheese spread. (3-5 pts, dependent on how many I eat)

Main Course--
The best flank steak ever.  A full serving is 6 pts--I'll probably only eat a half portion. (3 pts)

Smashed potatoes (3 pts)

Broccoli prepared in an aluminum foil package on the grill while the steak is cooking. (0 pts)

Dessert--
Ahh dessert.  I made Lemon Bars.  With about 3 T of zest.  Ooh the lemony.  I have some blueberries with which I think I may top them.

Lemon Bars Recipe – 3 Point Value

Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
To make crust, mix flour and light brown sugar using a food processor until fully incorporated. Toss butter into flour mixture and pulse to combine using short bursts of power until butter is cut into tiny pea-sized pieces and dough appears lumpy. Sprinkle crust mixture onto an ungreased 13 X 9 X 2-inch baking pan as evenly as possible; press down with a spatula to create a packed surface. Place crust in middle of oven and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make lemon topping, beat eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until well blended. Add vanilla extract and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar; mix well. Add lemon juice and remaining powdered sugar; mix until powdered sugar is completely dissolved and then add zest.
As soon as crust is finished, remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Immediately pour lemon mixture over hot crust. Bake completely, about 30 minutes; cool, and cut into 24 bars. Yields 1 bar per serving.
NOTES: The crust must be HOT when you pour on the lemon mixture.
You’ll need approximately three lemons to yield the amount of juice and zest in this recipe.
You can increase the lemon flavor of these bars by adding more zest or eliminate the zest altogether for a less tart taste. You can also change the flavor completely by subbing fresh lime juice and zest for the lemon.

Now if you've been calculating my points, you know I'm at 16 or so.  I have 20 pts left for the day.  So those 4 points will be imbibed.  Maybe in a coffee drink, maybe in an after dinner drink, maybe in a glass of wine.

Date Night--10/16-12

So it's a Tuesday.  What's up with that?  Our friends are taking us out for anniversary tomorrow.  So we'll do date night tonight.  We're nothing if not flexible.

So what is Date Night this evening?

The best flank steak Josh has ever eaten...complete with shallot and mushroom "ragu."  A TBD veggie.  I'm thinking asparagus, but I'll see what's available at the market. Oh and those really good cottage fries.  YUM!!!

Dessert.  I'm going to try this apple crumble recipe.  I have all the ingredients on hand; and these days, that's really important.

Appetizers.  Some kind of cheese and crackers.  Maybe with bruschetta.  Maybe just cheddar.  I'll let Josh choose.

Cocktails.  Up to the mix master.

That's all for now.

happy cooking!

I haven't really been hiding...

I started the South Beach diet again about a month ago, and while we've been eating really yummy food, I just haven't been inspired to post about them.

But then I had my in-laws for dinner last night.  And MIL extraordinaire noted that 1) I haven't been blogging of late and b) that last night's dinner was blog worthy.

 So here goes.

Appetizers:  Bruschetta with a tomato topping that I read about in one of the Trib's  magazines on Sunday.  It had halved cherry/grape tomatoes mixed with minced herbs (basil and chives), capers and olive oil.  I also had fresh guacamole and salsa.  (I made toast points and chips for myself from multi-grain flat bread and tortillas.)

Dinner:  The flank steak with the mushrooms and shallots that Josh loves so much.  I did use a Splenda/Sugar blend in the marinade.  I didn't have any of the mushrooms because they were made with butter and real sugar.  I did not feel deprived in the least.  I like the flavor in the beef without the mushroom ragu.

I also made a barley risotto.  It's just what it sounds like.  You use barley instead of arborio rice.

For green things we had roasted broccoli and a cucumber salad.

Dessert:  Fresh fruit.  Pineapple, mango, kiwi and strawberries.  We ate the fruit a with few dark chocolate morsels.

Tonight's dinner is spaghetti squash with my gravy   Also sausage (Turkey) peppers and onions.  Oh...and the rest of the cucumber salad.

happy cooking

Cooking with Kate

Kate is my Mother-in-Law's sister. She is in love with my dog. And she likes to play with my knives (I do have a pretty awesome and near complete set of Wusthof knives.)

Sonny--my dog

And she has made an appointment to cook with me. I think maybe the dog is the main draw for this, but she says she wants to be my sous chef (that would involve "playing" with my knives), so we've made a date for Monday 10/24.

Everybody (my mom, Josh's mom, my sister) says I've over-scheduled our day. I think we'll be able to handle this with few problems.

This is what we are making:
1.  Meatloaf
2.  quesadillas 
3.  sausage, pepper and onion pasta thing to be baked at a later date
4.  the "best flank steak" Josh has ever eaten
5.  mushroom soup

I'll admit that does seem a little over ambitious.  Allow me, please to explain why I think this is doable.

1.  I can marinate the steak on Saturday.  We will likely eat this without the sauteed mushrooms but sliced over a salad with the mushroom soup.
2.  I will cook the chicken on Sunday for the quesadillas.
3.  I will make my pasta sauce on Sunday (For future reference, I'm Italian...we call tomato sauce "gravy."  This is what I mean when I refer to gravy.)  I can also cook the pasta.
4.  I will saute my onions, carrots, and celery for the meatloaf on Monday morning before Kate joins and we go to the market.  I can also make the glaze (ketchup/chili sauce, cider vinegar and brown sugar) and mix some of the other ingredients.

My plan is that on returning from the market (this market deserves a post of it's own), we will mix the meatloaf and fix the quesadillas for lunch.  After lunch, we'll saute the sausage, peppers and onion for the pasta dish.  Then we'll make the soup.  When Josh get's home and is fixing us Daiquiris, I'll grill the flank steak.

With a "sous chef," the cooking, and especially the clean-up should go more smoothly.

At least, that's my plan.  I'll let you know how it goes.

happy cooking