Happy Holidays!

Been taking a bit of a blogging hiatus for the holiday season, but I will be back soon. Another weekly post is in the works, and prepare for some amazing recipes coming soon to a blog near you. I got a couple new cookbooks for Christmas that I am very excited about! Cheers and happy holidays to you and yours.

Week Seven: Ancho Beef Stew, Whole-Wheat Pasta with Lentils, Spinach, and Leeks, and Five-Spice Turkey Burgers

This was a pretty good week for food. So here's what went down...

Ancho Beef Stew

This was a Family Circle magazine cut-out from the November 2012 issue. And a good one.

There is something so wonderful about stew beef in the winter time; it is so hearty and filling. And this recipe was a little different from my Beef Barley Soup from Week Five. Okay, maybe they kind of look the same, but they did not taste all that similar. The Beef Barley Soup incorporates fresh thyme, which has a very distinct flavor, but this Ancho Beef Stew has more of a Mexican feel. This stew also appealed to me because I was drawn to the long, sliced carrots (versus diced or sliced in circles) and big chunks of potato. It was just so meaty-looking.

Aside from all the chopping, this was pretty quick to make also. A great weeknight meal. Actually, Family Circle calls it "20-Minute Ancho Beef Stew." You can find the recipe at the following link: 20-Minute Ancho Beef Stew.

We didn't find ancho chile powder when we were grocery shopping, but Zack found out that pasilla is a good alternative, so that is what we used.

Whole-Wheat Pasta with Lentils, Spinach, and Leeks

Remember this one? Here's an "amateur" blog throwback: Pasta with Lentils, Spinach, and Leeks from the always wonderful Power Foods. Since, this week's meal planning consisted of hearty items like beef stew and burgers, I decided we needed a lighter meal mid-week. Hence, Power Foods. Always healthy, flavorful, and light, yet satisfying.

This Power Foods recipe is hard to find online, so here's a snapshot.

This is going to make me sound like the biggest cooking nerd ever, but the greatest thing about this recipe is how the tubular pasta (or shells, as I used this time) just naturally scoop up the lentils. And the different shades of green, with the lentils, spinach, and leeks, make for a very attractive dish. Plus, you can eat this warm or cold, like a pasta salad. I ate my leftovers cold the next day for lunch, and it was great.

Eat this pasta dish for lunch the next day, re-heated or cold.

Five-Spice Turkey Burgers

with Sweet Potato Fries

This recipe also happened to come from the November 2012 issue of Family Circle. 

 Zack and I love homemade turkey burgers. They are a great alternative to your usual ground beef burger. Plus, the ground turkey is very versatile in that you can really fool around with the spices to create burgers with different influences. In this case, using Chinese five-spice to make an Asian-style burger. The sriracha-mayonnaise just tops it off.

So, what is Chinese five-spice anyways? According to Wikipedia, a common mix for five-spice powder consists of star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel seeds; however, there are other variants often used. The cinnamon is what really stands out to me, so it's good to be careful not to get too excited when using your five-spice; otherwise, you might end up with a turkey burger that tastes more like some sort of weird, holiday/dessert burger. A little goes a long way.

This recipe is also difficult to find online without a login; here is a snapshot of the recipe.

Now. We must talk sweet potato fries. I know I'm not the only one who is on the lookout for a good way to make your home-baked sweet potato fries crispy (versus soft and tender). I was so excited to find a Pinterest pin that claimed it had the secret to crispy homemade sweet potato fries. It did say it might take a few tries to get the ingredient combination and technique just right, but that being said, I tried twice, and I don't know if I'm all that thrilled with the result. I'll roast my sweet potatoes, but I think I may be done trying to makes fries out of them. That is, unless one of you readers has a secret you want to share...

This recipe calls for soaking the sliced sweet potatoes in water for awhile (up to a few hours even), then dry (well, I added that part), toss in cornstarch (the supposed big secret), drizzle with olive oil, and bake as usual.

On our first try, I didn't really dry the soaked sweet potatoes, so the cornstarch and olive oil created a sort of slurry. Then we made the fatal error of not spreading the fries out enough on the baking sheets. Result: soggy, slurried mess. Tossed those.

For my second try, I was sure to dry the sweet potatoes prior to tossing in the cornstarch, but the slurry-thing still kind of happened. The fries were crispy, but they tasted like they were rolled in sand or ground something. They were kind of gritty. Not too impressed.

As Zack said, "there's a reason they're called 'fries' and not 'bakes.'" Fries are meant to be fried. However, I will never give up hope. If you know a way to make your home-baked sweet potato fries crispy, share it here.

On that note, have a good week and keep an out for my "Week Eight" post a little earlier than usual this week. Cheers.

Week Six: Turkey, Leek, and Butternut Squash Noodle Soup, Parmesan-Crusted Halibut with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, and Chicken Breast Cutlets with Cauliflower and Sweet Potatoes

Well, that's a long blog post title. Despite that, "week six" of meal planning was pretty simple. I knew I wanted to make a soup of some sorts, so I turned to Pinterest for inspiration. And I wanted pumpkin something (of course), and the pumpkin-corn combination (two of my favorite things, as you know if you've been reading here for awhile) for the muffins was too good to pass up. We also had some wild halibut fillets in the freezer, and Zack had parmesan crusted fish on his mind. I proceeded to find a Seattle Times recipe for that. Lastly, I've had this cauliflower and sweet potato side dish recipe on hand for awhile, so I decided to keep it simple, and pair it with some chicken breast cutlets. A couple of the recipes could use some tweaks to make them a little bit better, but hey, you don't know until you try!

Turkey, Leek, and Butternut Squash Noodle Soup

with Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

I love butternut squash. And they've been tempting me as they are in season and everywhere I look when I'm at the produce stand or grocery store. Like pumpkin or sweet potato, their beautiful color lures me in, and when I see vibrant-colored fruits or vegetables, I think to myself: "this must be really good for you." I know not everything that is bright- or dark-colored is good for you, but it seems to be true for a lot of produce. That being said, butternut squash, turkey, leek - delicious.

So, I kind of had an amateur moment making this soup. The recipe calls for a turkey carcass, but to my defense, it does say it's optional. I ended up using ground turkey because it is so easy to brown it along with your onions, leeks, or whatever vegetables you're starting your soup with. And it adds great flavor. But I don't know if it was quite enough this time...

Essentially, this recipe has you making a stock as you make your soup. It calls for vegetables, water, turkey (and the optional carcass), and herbs. But if you're not using the carcass, you may need some store bought stock to substitute some of the water.

As previously mentioned, this recipe was adapted from a Pinterest find and can be found here: Turkey, Leek, and Butternut Squash Noodle Soup. It could definitely be compared to a chicken noodle soup in that it is warm and comforting, but I think the broth lacked a richness that probably could have been obtained with the turkey carcass.

And to satisfy my pumpkin craving, I located a pumpkin cornbread recipe (also found on Pinterest). The recipe can be found here: Pumpkin Cornbread. I love pumpkin. I love cornbread. So pumpkin cornbread sounds like a dream to me. The recipe gave instructions for muffins, so that is what I made. These were really hearty and delicious, but still sweet like a dessert. I think they would be especially good with chili. Although, I re-heated them the next couple days to eat with leftovers, I would say that they are really best straight out of the oven.

Parmesan-Crusted Halibut

with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

This halibut recipe was pretty basic. We used the last of our frozen wild halibut fillets from Costco (again, such a great way to have fresh, wild fish on hand) for this meal. Secondly, we used pre-grated parmesan, but I think you could play around with the cheese grate size. Ours was so fine, it was almost powdery; however, the parmesan flavor was very rich and strong. Fresh herb crusts are also nice for fish, and actually, I think I prefer that. Check out Dijon Herb-Crusted Salmon, a past post of mine from March 2012.

The recipe is from the Seattle Times and can be found at the link as follows: Parmesan-Crusted Halibut. They pair it with a roasted garlic butter, which I'm sure is delightful, but we omitted it for a lighter meal. 

Instead, I decided to serve the fish with some roasted potatoes (okay, I know...not super light, but hey, vegetables are better than butter). This is a recipe I tried out about a month ago, and it is wonderful. Probably because it is one of Ina Garten's recipes. And pretty much any Ina Garten recipe you try is going to be delicious. The recipe can be found at the following link: Rosemary Roasted Potatoes. The garlic and fresh rosemary is so delicious; your kitchen will smell wonderful.

One thing I have learned about roasting potatoes, or other vegetables for that matter, is this: you've got to give the potatoes room if you want them to crisp up a little. If you've piled your potatoes on a baking sheet, they are going to steam each other and they will never brown or toast so that they have a nice crust to them. I know this isn't rocket science and some of you more experienced may be thinking, "well, obviously," but I learned this by doing and giving space makes such a difference! I just do two full baking sheets now.

Cauliflower with Sweet Potatoes

and Chicken Breast Cutlets

Well, the chicken part of this meal was pretty straightforward. I chose a couple nice chicken breasts and butterflied them into two cutlets each. Sprinkled with a little kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and simply sautéed.

The cauliflower with sweet potatoes was the real feature of this meal. I was drawn to this recipe because in the picture it looked like curried vegetables, and we love curry. However, this recipe actually calls for fresh ginger, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and turmeric. Find the recipe here: Cauliflower with Sweet Potatoes.

This was really tasty. And who would think to pair cauliflower with sweet potato? I wouldn't. But it was good. And the spices complemented really well. 

Another week, some more recipes, and some more great food. Get excited for the week to come because I think I have some more delicious meals in store! Cheers.

Week Five: Beef Barley Soup, Rustic Genovese Basil Pesto Pasta, and Curried Chicken with Coconut Rice

Beef Barley Soup

This week, I was craving warm, comfort food. Thus, beef and barley soup. This recipe is pretty darn quick and easy. And it is the ultimate cozy, comfort-food inspired meal. The beef and barley combination is classic; the flavors and textures meld so perfectly together. I just love barley too; it's a really hearty grain.

Find the Whole Living recipe here: Beef Barley Soup.

I like to buy "stew beef" for recipes like this. It's already chunked into pieces. Since they are usually pretty hefty chunks, I tend to cut the pieces into halves or thirds. That way, you don't feel like you are gnawing through your meal as much.

This is a great weeknight recipe, and it made for a great lunch the next day.

Rustic Genovese Basil Pesto Pasta

This recipe came from Clean Eating magazine. Find the recipe here: Rustic Genovese Basil Pesto Pasta. What drew me to this recipe was the bright green, almost chunky pesto.

I love pesto. But I really don't like using store bought pesto unless I have to. I mean, it's kind of brown-looking and I can never remember how long it's been in the refrigerator. Seriously, let's think about this. Pestos are usually made from basil, and we all know how long fresh basil lasts. Usually, I've had it about two seconds before the leaves start browning and it starts smelling kind of rancid. I guess that's a good reason to have it growing fresh at home. However, I have read lately that if you're dealing with store bought fresh basil, it's good to trim the ends, place in a glass of water at room temperature, and trim the stems/change the water every day until used. Supposedly, it can last up to two weeks when stored this way (I have yet to see this happen).

Now, that I'm done (well, almost) with my basil and pesto rant, let's talk about this delicious recipe. Blanching and shocking the basil leaves and green beans keep them nice and bright green. What an incredible idea! (I think that's what the makers of store bought pesto are missing out on.) The pesto in this recipe, combined with whole-wheat pasta and roasted cherry tomatoes, is truly rustic as the recipe name implies. It was really good.

Word to the wise though. This pesto has garlic (of course). Which is great. But uh, it was pretty strong in this recipe. I don't know if I used too much or if it's flavor was heightened when added to the extra virgin olive oil for the pesto, but it was potent. Like Zack-and-I-were-still-tasting-it-the-next-day potent. Zack was so worried that his patients would notice his garlic breath that he passed on his lunch leftovers to his unsuspecting co-worker. (Who absolutely loved the pasta, by the way.) So, you have been warned. Delicious, but garlic-strong.

Curried Chicken with Coconut Rice

This curry recipe was a Pinterest find. What's new, right? Find the recipe here: Curried Chicken with Coconut Rice.

Zack loves curry. He could eat it everyday. And he loves Indian. So this recipe was a very good find. Other than the fact that I used brown rice instead of basmati, and the dish took a little longer to cook than indicated as a result, this was great. Oh and other than the fact that I was like crying from the time I started dicing the onion all the way until I was done eating this piping-hot (temperature-wise) and spicy meal. So good though.

The chicken was so tender and the spices are perfect. And as Zack says, the combination of the hot, spicy with the cool, fresh tomatoes is really good. Plus, it's a one-pot meal and you will have plenty of leftovers. 

Well, that's all for Week Five. This meal planning thing has been going really well. I enjoy searching for recipes/ideas at the beginning of each week. Goodness, I don't know what people did before the internet. Furthermore, because of the planning that this involves, Zack and I feel like we are eating healthier and we are more satisfied with what we are eating. It's a win-win. I don't plan on stopping now; see you back here soon! Cheers.

A Happy Late Thanksgiving To You!

I know. What kind of cooking blog is this if it doesn't have a Thanksgiving post? I mean, really. Thanksgiving is like the biggest cooking holiday there is. It's all about being thankful, followed by stuffing you face with stuffing. And other delicious, mouth-watering foods that people look forward to every year.

Well, fact of the matter is this: we're usually out of town for holidays (a.k.a. in Oregon with our family), and I don't have much of an excuse other than that. I did cook a bit, but the photos, etc. didn't happen. Probably the same will be true for Christmas. I guess that's when I take a blogging hiatus.

However, do stay tuned for some tasty Christmas treats. I'm very excited for the holidays and have some delicious plans. Not to mention my Week Five blog post that should be up either today or tomorrow; get ready.

And a happy late Thanksgiving to you of course. Hope it was filled with family, wonderful food, and reminiscing on all that you and I have to be thankful for.

Week Four: Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca, Pork Ramen, and Steaks

This week was very financially sound because all the meat used in these recipes came from my freezer. Oh yeah. Happened to have some chicken breast cutlets, a pork tenderloin that came in a pack of two (the first of which I used for my Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sautéed Apples from Week Three), and we had a couple large steaks leftover from awhile ago. Freezing meat, soup, etc. is such a great way to save and plan ahead for future meals; you just have to remember to transfer them from freezer to refrigerator in a timely fashion so they are thawed when you are ready to cook. I set reminders on my phone for such occasions. Because I'm forgetful sometimes.

Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca

with Sautéed Broccoli

First of all. What on earth is saltimbocca? Apparently, saltimbocca is a dish (popular in southern Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and Greece) made of veal topped with prosciutto and sage. But in this case, I made chicken saltimbocca; chicken wrapped in prosciutto and sage. And this is funny...saltimbocca (or saltinbocca) is Italian for "jumps in the mouth." And after eating this dish, I can confirm that it really does jump into your mouth. So good.

Find the recipe here: Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca. And this is, yet again, another dish from the November 2012 issue of Cooking Light. I'm telling you, they have some good stuff; fast, but really tasty weeknight meals.

Serve your chicken saltimbocca with sautéed broccoli, broccoli rabe, or green beans.

This was my first time cooking with prosciutto, and it is mighty delicious. Kind of salty, so maybe eat in moderation, but it adds such amazing flavor to your usual, plain chicken. Not to mention the hint of sage and fresh lemon. Mmmm.

Pork Ramen

As I write this, I realize that I forgot to add soy sauce to my ramen! Ahhh! I knew I had forgotten something. Never the less, this ramen was very delicious. Just don't forget to stir in the soy sauce towards the end of cooking. Lesson learned.

This was a Pinterest find. (Of course.) I'm addicted. And I don't even have an account. It's worse than having an account. I'm like a non-member, underground scavenger of Pinterest recipes and goodness.

Find the recipe here: Pork Ramen Soup. The neat thing about this dish, is you could re-work it a lot of different ways with various meats, vegetables, etc. I used my leftover pork tenderloin and the array of fresh veggies recommended for use in this recipe. I just love ramen noodles; always have. Using just the noodles and tossing out the seasoning packets gives you the opportunity to adjust the seasoning yourself. I added some crushed red pepper flakes also. This is one of those dishes that is even better the next day.

Steaks

and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pear and Shallots

Well, I wanted to use these steaks I had on hand, so Zack and I decided to just keep it simple and do steak with some vegetables. I wanted to do something a little lighter and healthier than potatoes, so I turned to Power Foods. If you've been reading here for awhile, you may remember some of my earlier recipes came from this amazing cookbook.

Find the recipe for the roasted brussels sprouts here: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pear and Shallots. I love brussels sprouts, and let's be honest, they just look like the epitome of health. I mean, really. They are a cluster of green leaves. It's like eating a bunch of baby cabbages. They're kind of weird, I guess. It did take me awhile to acquire the taste for them. But I love them now. And of course, pear and shallots are delightful. So this was a winner.

Cooking the steaks was very interesting in our apartment kitchen. Zack kind of headed up the cooking, while I ran frantically around the apartment, opening doors and windows, and fanning the smoke detector with a kitchen towel. We pan seared them on high heat first, then transferred to a hot oven for the rest of cooking. It was a sight to see, to say the least. Hope we didn't disturb the neighbors.

I haven't had steak in awhile, and well, it was tasty. And this brussels sprouts dish would be a perfect Thanksgiving side. Loved it.

Well, we're heading off to Portland tomorrow after work, so I'm posting this week's post a little early. Enjoy and cheers (this one's for you, Zack). :)

Week Three: Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sautéed Apples, Tomato Basil Soup, and Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

We're still cookin'. It was a great week.

Spiced Pork Tenderloin

with Sautéed Apples

As you may recall, we've been rolling in apples over here...from our Iced Oatmeal-Applesauce Cookies from Week One of my new meal planning adventure, to our actual homemade applesauce from Week Two. And believe it or not, we still had apples left to spare. I was lucky to find a perfect fall dinner recipe (with apples) pretty quick into my recipe research for this week.

This awesome recipe came from the November 2012 issue of Cooking Light, so very current, evidently.  Find the recipe here: Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sautéed Apples. They recommend using Braeburn or Gala apples (whose red peels are very pretty in Cooking Light's picture of the recipe), but I just went ahead and used what I had on hand. The combination of apples with the thinly sliced shallots is really good. Furthermore, the flavors in this dish are really delightful and cozy for a cold, fall evening. Coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, apple cider...okay, so this is pretty much dessert for dinner. But good for you...? Ha. No, but really, this is true. I also served this dish with sautéed green beans.

So. Since we're talking pork. How done is done? As in, how pink or not pink should your pork be? It's funny, because people usually error on the side of overcooking something versus undercooking. But for some reason, I tend to do the opposite. I am so terrified of overcooking things! I don't know what it is! I just hate when my chicken is dry because I sautéed it for too long. Or my cookies have a gritty crunch to them because they continued to brown/cook after I took them out of the oven. Do you hear me, or do you hear me? So what do you do? You look it up on the internet. And apparently the USDA standard for pork is 145-degrees, which was lowered from 160-degrees not too long ago (much to the happiness of many professional chefs (I mean, I think so, but I probably shouldn't say since it's not like I'm best friends with Michael Ruhlman or Anthony Bourdain)). But there's a good idea for you none the less: 145-degrees for pork.

Tomato Basil Soup

with Grilled Cheese and Ham Sandwiches

Since Nordstrom's Split Pea Soup was so tasty, I thought I would give another one of their soups a try. Seriously, when did Nordstrom become known for something more than clothes and whatnot? I've been pretty impressed with their recipes after I was gifted one of their cookbooks last year for Christmas.

Well, I thought this recipe that I found was actually one of Nordstrom's recipes...from one of their cookbooks. But after perusing the internet, I realized that this is someone's interpretation or imitation of some amazing tomato soup made at the Nordstrom Cafe. Long story short, I found this recipe from someone's blog through Pinterest. Find it here: Tomato Basil Soup. 

The flavor is really good. Make sure you use real good quality canned tomatoes, such as San Marzano tomatoes; can't go wrong. You know what they say, always use good quality ingredients, especially if there are very few ingredients being used.

So, I'll just be honest and say that I sort of felt like I was eating really good marinara sauce while eating this soup. The writer and creator of the recipe said to leave a little texture to the soup when pureeing it with an immersion blender, and let's just say I think I left plenty. I would recommend not as much next time around. However, that being said, the flavor was fantastic and this soup was great with grilled cheese and ham sandwiches.

This is the greatest bread for grilled sandwiches and French toast.

It sort of feels like cheating using canned tomatoes, but hey, that way you can make a good tomato soup all year round. Plus, you don't have to wait or try to find perfectly ripe tomatoes, which is hard sometimes. And goodness, don't make tomato soup with tomatoes that are not truly juicy and red, and pretty much falling apart. I've done that before. You'll end up with orange tomato soup. Not so great. Nice and ripe canned tomatoes. Great.

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

Yes, I realize it's not actually summer right now...

I happened to find and tear out this recipe at the same time as the pork tenderloin recipe above. So, this one is also from Cooking Light. Find the recipe here: Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas. Using frozen corn makes this a year-round option, but there's nothing like fresh corn on the cob. So I bought frozen corn on the cob, but it was a little strange. Kind of soft and not the same as fresh corn on the cob. Probably won't do that again. Luckily, the flavor was good and the lack of crisp-tenderness that I was wanting wasn't all to evident once stirred into the rest of the dish. Who knows, maybe I overcooked it and that was the problem. But I'm the one who never overcooks anything, remember? He he.

I've made tostadas like these before with the corn, zucchini, and red onion. It really is a great flavor combination. Plus, some good salsa verde just tops it off. Yum. The flavors and textures are just so wonderful.

A great, spicy salsa for dishes like this.

We made it easy and just made tacos (warmed our tortillas instead of toasting), but either way is delicious. Goodness, you could make burritos with this too. You could make a kind of fresh Mexican pizza. Ha ha. Okay, maybe that would be weird, but what I'm getting at is the is a great chicken and vegetable mixture.

That's it for now. Have a good weekend!

Week Two: Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew, Pasta with Light Turkey Ragu, Tortilla Soup, Applesauce, and Pumpkin-Spice Rice Krispie Treats

We are cookin' over here! I don't really know how something as boring as "meal planning" could get me so excited about cooking. I don't know about you working folks out there, but sometimes making dinner isn't the first thing you really want to do after a long day at work. Let alone, making up lunches to take to work the next day after you do dishes from dinner, when you really just want to relax or maybe exercise or hangout with your husband.

Now, I've realized it's not the cooking that I dread doing after work. It's the stress of, "oh, shoot, I need to run to the store because I don't have that on hand" or "wow, I wish I would have realized that this recipe takes like 4 hours to make and we won't be eating until 9 o'clock tonight." That's the thing! If you set aside a little time over the weekend or on Monday to plan out the week and grocery shop, you save yourself so much stress. Plus, it gives you more opportunity to eat more healthily and less of an inclination to grab take-out for lunch. And the idea of being able to pull good menus to use that I have from the past sounds just great.

Lentil and Sweet-Potato Stew.

Alright. So, Lentil and Sweet-Potato Stew. This was really delicious. And again, a recipe I found on Whole Living, one of Martha Stewart's websites. I know, I know...I keep going back to it, but all the recipes are so good! And this stew was no exception. Mildly spicy, with a subtle curry flavor, and packed with vegetables including sweet potato (evidently), onion, carrot, celery, and green beans. I almost considered adding some sort of meat, but I figured that the sweet potato and lentils would make it hearty enough, and they did. This soup stands alone.

When it comes to my next recipe, I have a confession. I do not have a Pinterest account (yet), because if I did, I would spend way too much time browsing recipes, home decor, arts and crafts, and whatever else happened to strike my fancy. Therefore, I have resorted to browsing through recipes only and I am already addicted. Now you may find a wide range in terms of quality when it comes to recipes on Pinterest, but there are also many gems which I simply take a screen-shot of and save for later. He he.

Now that you all know about the values of Pinterest, we can talk about the Penne with Light Turkey Ragu. So simple, and very tasty. Ground turkey, leeks, oregano, basil, tomato...delicious. I love leek; such a great vegetable. The recipe calls for penne, but I just used the pasta I had on hand which happened to be a mix of whole-wheat and regular rotini.

Tortilla Soup with Black Beans.

My third dinner recipe this week was Tortilla Soup with Black Beans, another Whole Living find. This is so easy, but definitely more than satisfactory. I added some ground beef, which I had been saving in the freezer for a time like this, and I'm glad I did. My mind must have been elsewhere when I was making this, however, because I neglected to add spices until towards the end of cooking, and then I forgot to squeeze fresh lime over the soup before serving. Oh well. I think my version will be better tomorrow after marinating in the refrigerator all night, and we still have limes. Ha ha. But even so, it was really delicious and a great go-to weeknight soup. We crushed our tortilla chips over our individual bowls right before serving, so as to prevent tomorrow's leftovers from being full of soggy chips.

To top it all off, Tim and Amy visited us last weekend, and were so kind as to bring us a big bucket of farm-fresh (I believe, Jonathan...?) apples and a watermelon. They even brought us pumpkins they had grown, which was so cool because we were considering getting pumpkins the day before but didn't. So, what to do with a bucket of apples? First thing we thought of was applesauce. My mom makes some great applesauce. Actually, she made an amazing batch with some Gravenstein apples that Tim gave us last year. So I thought she would be the best person to seek applesauce-making advice from.

She uses an adapted version of Julia Child's recipe from The Way to Cook. Basically, wash, peel, and quarter apples (you can leave on peels or reserve some peels to put in the pot, then sieve out later (Julia says they give flavor and body to the sauce)). Place apples in a heavy-bottomed pot with fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, and a little cinnamon. Cover and set over low heat (this is key); the apples will slowly soften, rendering juices. Stir and mash frequently until tender, about 30-45 minutes. At this point, if using apple peel, you can push the sauce through a sieve, return to pot, and add some sugar and vanilla extract, cooking a little longer.

I, being an amateur, just kind of threw some peels in with my peeled apples, thinking I would just pull them out later. But they kind of got mashed up too. Oh well. We skipped the sieving and ended up with some delicious, chunky applesauce. The apples were not quite as tender as I would have liked (I think we man-handled the apples a little too much with aggressive mashing), but Zack thought it was perfect and our friends enjoyed it too. Oh, and we used brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.

And lastly, our dessert of the week was Pumpkin-Spice Rice Krispie Treats, another Pinterest find. We made these to take over to our friends' house on the evening of Halloween. So festive, so tasty. It's amazing what a little pumpkin, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg will do for a traditional treat.

Pumpkin-Spice Rice Krispie Treats.

Well, that's all for Week Two. Cheers.

Week One: Split Pea Soup with Cilantro, Chicken with Snap Peas, Greek-Style Halibut, and Iced Oatmeal-Applesauce Cookies

This week: Split Pea Soup with Cilantro (you may recognize this from a February 2012 blog post), chicken with snap peas, Greek-style halibut, and iced oatmeal-applesauce cookies. One grocery list, four recipes, three dinners with lunch leftovers for the next day, cookies for dessert, and even extra split pea soup to freeze for later.

First of all, the split pea soup comes from Nordstrom Flavors, a cookbook which continues to impress me and was gifted to me from my mom. And again, see my past blog post (link above) for more information about the recipe. It's a really great spin off of your traditional split pea soup; think, finely diced vegetables like potato, red bell pepper, carrot, celery, and jalapeño. And then add the great flavors of coriander, dry mustard, Tamari soy sauce, and cilantro.

Secondly, Chicken with Snap Peas. I found this recipe through Whole Living; I have this website in my Pulse News favorites on my phone. This is a great weeknight recipe...one pan, 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Heat safflower oil (or vegetable oil as the recipe calls for) over high in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and fresh ground black pepper. I just used skinless, boneless chicken breasts, but you could use whatever chicken you have on hand. Cook chicken on one side (skin side down if not using skinless), until deep golden, about 8-10 minutes. Flip chicken and remove skillet from heat. Remove any fat with a spoon, then return skillet to heat. Add garlic, vinegar, a little bit of sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then transfer skillet to oven. Bake for 17 minutes, then add snap peas and some fresh basil, baking for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and sprinkle with more basil.

This dish has really great flavor, which was maybe even better the next day. I also made some quinoa cooked in chicken stock with diced carrots as a side dish.

Next, Greek-Style Halibut (which you may have seen coming if you've read previously about the frozen wild salmon and halibut fillets Zack and I have been getting from Costco). This is a "tear-out" recipe I've been saving for awhile and it comes from the January 2011 issue of Sunset magazine.

It's another easy one with awesome flavor and good next day quality. And this was also my first time cooking with fennel bulb, which I guess is like an onion with some grassy stuff growing out of it...? Uh, yeah. It has almost a licorice-like quality though, which really adds to the halibut.

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Rub halibut fillets with salt and fresh ground black pepper before browning in the pan on one side. Transfer to a plate. Add a little more olive oil to pan, along with fennel (trimmed and cut into wedges/slices). The recipe calls for adding a little ouzo at this point, but I just used white wine. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden and tender. Add finely chopped garlic. Add diced tomatoes with juice (low-sodium preferred), a little water, chickpeas (drained and rinsed), and fresh oregano. Reduce heat and simmer, lay halibut fillets (browned sides up) in sauce and simmer until fish is cooked through, 5-10 minutes.

And lastly, these amazing cookies. I'm telling you, you can't go wrong with Martha Stewart when it comes to cookies. Zack and I were thinking we wanted to make some sort of iced oatmeal cookie, and when I found these, with applesauce, we were sold. And they were not disappointing. Find the recipe here: Iced Oatmeal-Applesauce Cookies. These are the perfect fall cookie.

Well, that's all for week one of my meal planning, and believe me, week two is turning out to be quite lovely. Stay tuned.