Good Little Soldiers

...is what Anthony called these when he saw them all so neatly arranged on the cooling rack.  This batch of Peanut Butter Blossoms (one of my all-time favorite cookies) is the last thing I ever baked in our Chicago apartment.  Sad to leave, but excited for our move to KC.  Bring on the new kitchen!!

Frankenlasagna

Well, in a last-ditch attempt to use up what's left in my fridge and pantry before we move, I thought lasagna would be a good way to use up a lot of supplies.  The problem:  I had no lasagna noodles and none of the usually-approved meats for a lasagna.  Soo...what I did have was a big ol' bag full of bowtie pasta, and a package of pepperoni in the fridge just begging to be used up.  Add in half a container of cottage cheese and a half a bag of frozen spinach that also needed used or else would end up in the trash when we move, along with some other random veggies, tomato sauce, spices, and cheese...voila!  A mishmash of lasagna-like ingredients will surely result in an edible, almost-lasagna dish, right? 

Actually it was not only edible, but pretty tasty.  I forgot how salty pepperoni is which makes this Frankenlasagna not my favorite thing ever (though the asiago bread Anthony brought home was yummy with it), but my husband and daughter both scarfed it down.  Yesss....I love using up a bunch of stuff that is on the verge of being wasted.  Speaking of being on the verge of being wasted, the 1/2-bottle of pinot grigio I drank with the meal definitely made it better :)

Sweet Gift...literally.

Yesterday was our fourth wedding anniversary.  We're mere days away from a move to KC, so our budget is tight, however, my loving husband managed to come up with an inexpensive, yet completely perfect gift for me.  (Aren't those the best kind?)

Inspired by my cookbook post a while back, he found a dessert cookbook that's right up my alley, titled "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey".  Also known as yes, yes, yes, and yes, as far as desserts are concerned.  I can't wait to try a bunch of recipes in here, especially the one on the cover (Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake Pots with Shortbread Spoons...holy moly, have I died and gone to heaven?  By the way, I presume that heaven is mostly likely made entirely of chocolate.) as well as the one for homemade marshmallows.  Yum.  Swoon.  I shall commence with the testing of recipes as soon as we've finished our move and I have a fully set up, functioning kitchen again.  Anthony suggested I make every dessert in order from cover to cover, a la "Julie and Julia", however, I politely declined that approach (while it would be fun and delicious, the resulting weight gain in my ass would not be).  Slow and steady wins the race, young paduan.  I shall report back with pictures and results of the first recipe I test, from our new place in KC!

My Little Cook

So I'm pretty sure Santa is on the right track for Aisling's Christmas gift (I have inside information that a play kitchen set may appear under our tree on Christmas morning)...behold, my shadow, mixing and stirring and cooking with all her might while I made dinner last night (and loving every minute of it!):

Fall-Weather Dinner, Part I

On tonight's menu:  Chicken Paprika (recipe of my own creation), mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, homemade biscuits, sliced beets (have I mentioned how much I love beets?!?  They are so delicious.  Anthony suggested "Hot Beets" as a title for this post, hehehe.)

Dessert:  Oatmeal Scotchies. 
Mmm, fall food...lots of flavors, comforting ingredients, and oh yes, calories.  Are we preparing for winter hibernation or what?

Midwestern Kids' Heaven

So here is a perfect dessert:  the delicious combination of peanut butter, chocolate, and oatmeal, all in one unconventionally free-form package.  Yes, I'm describing the unfortunately-named, yet wonderfully yummy Cocoa Log.  Also known as the No-Bake Cookie, if you prefer to not set 12-year-old boys snickering (or Anthony & I, since our senses of humor clearly tend toward the juvenile).

As we all know, chocolate and peanut butter together are awesome...so here's to you, Mrs. 1950s Housewife Lady, whose kids and/or husband were minutes away from arriving home and thus demanding cookies, and who discovered that either: a) she was out of eggs, b) it was too damn hot to turn the oven on (tuna salad on toast points for dinner, family!), and/or c) having a couple of cocktails in the afternoon makes cooking TOO HARD.  Voila!  Peanut butter, oats, and a few baking staples were fated to come together to create a downright tasty way to feed kids and grownups alike.  Cheers!