It's a feast!

I've slowly been experimenting more and more in the kitchen, but mostly I have resorted to old favorites and lots of processed foods. My aversions have come back, hard, and I cannot seem to stomach fresh veggies. I have also been extremely exhausted and my feet swell if I am on them too long... hence why I have been pretty absent from the blogging world.

However, the other day Brent and I were at the grocery store and we decided we wanted ribs for dinner. Now, I LOVE ribs, and he loves ribs but neither of us had ever made them before. I tried looking up several recipes, but I didn't like any of what I found (mostly because they called for a 1 1/2 hour to 3 hour cook time and I was starving :P), so I decided to try it my own way.

We spiced them up with BBQ sauce and an assortment of other spices and put them under the broiler for about 15 minutes, checking on them somewhere around the 7 minute mark. This somewhat worked, the meat cooked but the BBQ sauce burned into a hard crisp shell. Don't get me wrong, it was still extremely delicious.. I just think next time I will try something a little different in the preparation.

On the side I made some homemade mashed potatoes.

Fun fact: Before he started dating me Brent hated potatoes with a strong passion, claiming they were disgusting and swore he had tried all kinds before. Now he loves them. He begs me to make potatoes (he especially loves them baked) with dinner! Success, if I do say so myself :)


Fun fact #2: Kenji loves mashed potatoes. It is a well known fact that Kenji is spoiled worse than most children, so of course when he smelled the delicious aroma of a new meat being cooked he all but dived into the oven to investigate. When we sat down to eat he jumped up on my chair (this is typical, he sits next to me in my chair while we eat waiting for me to give him bites), so I tore off some rib meat and scooted it over to him. He ignored it and instead stuck his entire paw into my potatoes and proceeded to lick it all off, then stuck his paw back in for more. I almost died laughing. :)

Overall, I would say the dinner was a success...

potato love

I have been on a giant "I have to be in the kitchen" kick recently. I'm not sure if it's a nesting thing caused by pregnancy or because I just want to cook and try new things? or it could be I'm just trying to occupy my time since Brent got promoted to full time and I have nothing else to do to while he is away. Maybe all of the above? Either way, I am loving it and so is Brent, obviously. :)

Yesterday he ended up opening the store (which was wonderful because he almost always closes and making a nice meal for myself isn't always super fun) AND because Megan was coming up for the weekend so I could make a really nice meal for everyone to enjoy.

I started cooking, and then got a text from Megan apologizing that she wouldn't be up this weekend. Totally understandable, seeing as how life seems to be in a slump for most of my friends now-a-days, especially sad because everything was looking so up and happy for a change. Le sigh. Nonetheless, dinner must go on!

We had BBQ pork chops (crock pot style), baked potatoes, corn, salad, and a fruit mix.



I ended up eating my potato loaded with butter, sour cream, and cheese. YUM. I am such a potato nut. In my salad was a mix of romaine and spinach with cucumber, cherry tomatoes (buried), and a hard boiled egg topped with catalina dressing. Fruit was peaches and grapes... I had a plum too but my tummy could not wait for the picture so it was consumed before this shot ;)

For dessert I made funfetti cupcakes.. not extremely adventurous but the box and icing some how found its way into my cart at the store.. sneaky sneaky.



They were delicious nonetheless. :)

Overall great meal... unfortunately the storm or ridiculous drama that followed it kind of ruined the evening, so maybe it was better that Megan wasn't here. Such is life, I suppose. Brent is once again slaving away at work so I may go try a new recipe.

Quick and Easy

It has been forever and a day since I last posted here, I apologize! I swear I haven't stopped cooking, but I've been having more really weird cravings and lots of aversions. I've also been feeling nauseous almost all the time and haven't felt up to photographing food or getting big into preparation.

However, here are a few things that I've put together that are quick and easy!


Fruit Kabobs
Simply take a skewer and put on any fruit that you like. Mine were for Brent's step-sister's, Haily, graduation party. They included a colby jack cheese cube, strawberries, grapes, and cantaloupe. They were a huge success!


Oreo Toads
Another favorite at the graduation party. This was Beth's (soon to be mom-in-law) idea, that she found on the interwebs! Start with an oreo cookie, smear some vanilla frosting on the back and attach two pretzels for the feet, then put a dab of frosting on the front and place two M&M's for the eyes. Definitely a hit with the kids!


Panini? Wrap?
I really wanted a turkey sandwich for lunch, but since I am not allowed to eat cold lunch meat at the time I had to get creative. I used a small flour tortilla, half a slice of provolone and a couple slices of turkey. Fold. Grill (I used the George Foreman).. I added a little mustard for dipping, a few chips and some natural cinnamon applesauce. Delicious!


Summertime!
This dinner screams summertime to me because I love the taste of barbeque. However, this one was made in the crockpot. I marinated a few chicken breasts in BBQ sauce for a few hours, then steamed some corn and green beans... and the staple, mashed potatoes! Seriously my favorite meal, ever!
Confession... those are Bob Evans instant mashed potatoes, which I am absolutely addicted to at the moment (and have been for quite some time), they are just soooo good. :)

aaaaaand, it could never be summertime without... WATERMELON! so delicious! :)