CEIMB: Emerald Stir Fry with Beef

I have pictures to post from this week's recipe but not with me -- so that will be a separate post. The recipe this week was chosen by Alyssa of Alyssa's Two Bites. I was really excited about this recipe because I love me some stir fry! I thought the combination of vegetables was going to be interesting and very different from the usual onions, carrots, green peppers, and broccoli that I normally put in stir fry. I followed the recipe as written with the only change being the addition of some red pepper flakes and garlic to the beef while cooking and adding some Siracha to the sauce.

However, I hate to say that I was very disappointed with the results of this recipe. I thought overall it was very bland and lacked a lot of the richness stir fry usually has. In fact, I made a container of leftovers to eat for lunch yesterday and they are still sitting in the fridge. I opted for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich over the leftovers. Not a good sign.

I think this recipe has a lot of potential it just needs some major tweaking!

CEIMB: Arugula, carmelized onion, chicken, roasted red pepper and feta pizza

So, I had quite a few additions to the recipe this week. I wanted to make the pizza hearty enough to have for dinner and since I am back to "running" I needed something more than arugula and onions. So, I added grilled chicken, garlic, and roasted red peppers. Plus, I used gyro wheat pita bread for the crust instead of just a wheat tortilla. Oh, and I substituted feta cheese for the goat cheese. Result -- I thought the pizza was fabulous. Although it took a little while to get all of the toppings prepared, the pizza turned out very well. I served the pizza with an arugula and tomato salad dressed with a lemon vinaigrette. So yummy! I will definitely be making this pizza again. Thanks Maria for a great pick this week!

CEIMB: Crab Cakes w/ Tarter Sauce

I was hesitant about making this recipe because I have mixed feelings about crab cakes. Sometimes I love them -- sometimes I hate them. But in the spirit of the holidays I decided to give them a go (since I didn't have the excuse of not being able to find crab meat!)

I thought these crab cakes turned out great! I made the tarter sauce substituting Wickles for the pickles and I left out the capers. If you have never tried Wickles you should order some. They are sweet/ spicy pickles and are delish! Plus, I added a bit of lemon juice and some fresh dill to the tarter sauce. I will definitely be making these crab cakes again. Thanks to Bella Baker for choosing the recipe this week.

On a side note - yesterday was almost the perfect mail day. What, you don't know what a perfect mail day is! Well its a day when you get nothing in the mail other than Christmas cards! See, I am slightly obsessed with Christmas cards. I wish I was creative enough to come up with a cute picture for the Christmas cards. Last year, some people got cards of the cats in their Christmas outfits. However, I was afraid that the cat Christmas card was possibly crossing into crazy cat lady territory. So, this year I went back to holiday themed cards. Anyways, I digress. Yesterday I got 6 Christmas cards and 1 piece of junk mail in the mail. See -- almost the perfect mail day.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Kitchen Picture post (sorry it took so long!)

OK, so I know I promised pictures of my new kitchen forever ago, but I have been impatiently waiting for my cabinet folks (who shall go unnamed) to finish some of the cabinetry. Yes, it took them over three weeks, but who's counting anyways.

So, here are some before pictures (I know, it was hideous!)

Wait for it........

Here is the after. There are still little things that need finished but the big stuff is done! Yay for a "new" kitchen! I also have lots of in process pictures, but those are for another post.

Enjoy!

CEIMB: Maple Mustard Chicken

The recipe this week was chosen by Tessa of Handle The Heat. Instead of using chicken thighs I used whole bone in breasts to keep the chicken moist. Then for serving, I cut the chicken off the bone. I thought the chicken turned out well and flavorful.

However, I violated one of my cooking cardinal rules and bought the chicken at walmart -- something I normally refuse to do. It was late last night and cold and I really didn't have the energy to stop at the grocery store after fighting the ridiculous lines at walmart! And they. were. ridiculous!

Nonetheless, the chicken was pretty good and I will definitely make this recipe again. Thanks for a great pick! (Ignore the messy plate, it was 8:30 and I was ready for dinner!)

Happy Holidays to all. May your family have a safe and happy holiday and a prosperous new year! (Oh, and the cats weren't cooperating for their christmas picture by the tree!)

CEIMB: Stuffed Potato Skins with Avacado Cream

I'm Back! And I have really missed cooking! I know I am a little late on this post but with trying to get the house cleaned up from the kitchen and get the house decorated for Christmas, I haven't had a lot of extra time. ...and I haven't even started wrapping presents! I've got so much to do over the next 2 weeks. I do love this time of year though.

I made these potato skins last night and thought they were really good! They were tasty and not heavy and greasy like normal potato skins. And I really loved the avocado cream. The avocado cream would be a great dip with tortilla chips and other toppings like tomato and cheese!

While these were a little time consuming since I baked the potatoes in the oven, I will definitely be making them again!

Thanks Anne for picking this recipe!

THANKSgiving

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for finally having a working kitchen! My new appliances were delivered this morning -- just in time for turkey day!

When I started the process of renovating my kitchen (pics coming soon), I just didn't realize how hard it would be to live without a kitchen. Fortunately, the old fridge was in the laundry room and I had a cozy little "kitchen" set up in the dining room. Granted this set up consisted of corner of the dining room table (which I tried in vain to keep clear of sawdust) and a microwave/ coffee maker sitting on the floor (don't judge) behind the dining room table. Yep, that's been my kitchen for the last month. If I never eat a frozen dinner again its too soon!

During this whole process I realized how much I appreciate the little things -- like not having to put on shoes to get something out of the fridge, not having to wash dishes in the bathroom sink, brewed (as opposed to instant) coffee, being able to do laundry at home, and coming home to a working kitchen sink and water!

I think my next renovation is a ways down the road!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!