Suppah Six

Final PD of 2012 and Eeyore picked her own challenge... Chicken Pot Pie was a strong end to another great year!  Eeyore made a great crust ahead of time... true lard included.... yummy and flaky. We used this recipe - originally for two, but it mutplied easily for our crew.  Chicken neslted into the sauce very well! Merry Merry to all and can't wait for 2013!

Skillet Carbonara Casserole was another crowd pleaser and we even had a guest diner... PJ joined us before he, Tigger and Piglet headed into town for a musical evening.  We used pancetta in addition to bacon and of course panko for our crumb topping... YUM!

Oh my goodness this was yummy!!  Salisbury Steak was just perfect and it was destined to be enjoyed with mashed potatoes and green peas. Used the bottle of Madeira from an earlier meal, rather than buying a bottle of port and we were very pleased with it all.

We love fried food!!!  This meal did not disappoint and even suggested improvements to future dinners....  Crispy Garlic Chicken Cutlets were delish! We modified the original instructions to use panko instead and the breading technique with panko and cornstarch has inspired Eeyore to try that method when Crispy Fish comes back around.  The crust held on great and was really tasty.  We were glad Piglet could be there early to help out too! We also enjoyed Roasted-Garlic Green Beans , for even more protection from vampires!  Spätzle rounded out our side items. A special birthday dessert for Rabbit completed a great meal.

With the holidays on the way, we know the eating and drinking will be in full force, so it seemed a good week for a return to the reducing... Reduced Fat Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce ... low fat and amazing taste!  We all really enjoyed it.  In the interest of full disclosure, we used 8oz of beef.... 6 just looked like such a sad amount.  We also enjoyed Crispy Garlic Bread , cheesy style!

Just the 4 of us... Christopher Robin and Rabbit had a big evening in the city... dinner in Boston until 12 midnight!  Party animals. We enjoyed some amped up diner food:   Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger .   Tigger was not at all satisfied with the size of the hamburger package on his counter, but his faith was rewarded with a tasty final product!  Some fine Land o Lakes Sharp Cheddar substituted for American cheese.  We just can't go there.

A hearty fall dish  Pork Marsala Saute   to end September.   Very tasty and even enhanced with panko crust - is there anything that doesn't taste better with panko? Tigger might have found it a bit sweet and Christopher Robin had to pass off the mushrooms to Rabbit, but no one left hungry! Piglet downsized from two bikes to one, but it sounds like a pretty cool trade... makes us count the days until summer again!

A happy ten year anniversary to  Eeyore and Piglet... they are worth 300 cows! It has been a long time since Pity Dinner (and even since we were all together), so we did want to make sure and give our chef a challenge, which she handled with the usual delicious outcome... Pan Roasted Chicken with Cheesy-Herb Mashed Potatoes had a wonderful sauce and tasty chicken.  We added a few chicken thighs for Christopher Robin and Rabbit as dark meat lovers. It was a great night of celebration!

Back together again... for good eats!  I had heard of Spiedies before, from my dear friend Noogit, who enjoyed them while rooting for the Fightin' Irish.  Eyeore had speiedie history from her time in upstate NY.  I think our meal was a successful homage. Chicken Spiedies on a nice soft roll - grilled if you wish!  With the marinade and drizzle sauce made the night before, Eeyore had time for a busy side dish - Roasted Salt & Vinegar Potatoes .  I will admit this is not typically my favorite flavor combo, but these were VERY good.  This was a meal of no leftovers! Blueberry pie from berries harvested this week was the perfect dessert.  We enjoyed the thunderstorm from the protection of the sunporch- even had a little amphibian visitor on the back door!

We Super-Sized ourselves this time.... Momma Anne brought  sunflowers, the ladies of Four Rivers brought lovely dessert- homemade ice cream!-  and our chef prepared another perfect rendition of our favorite Panko Crusted haddock !  YUM YUM.  Sides included broccoli slaw and potato salad- with a big helping of laughs!  I am hunting for ANY ideas to utilize my Mojito Mint harvest.... that is one happy plant!  I had found this recipe for popsicles , but felt it was lacking an important component - alcohol!  Pops taste nice and refreshing as is, but muddled into a highball glass with some light rum and fizzy water, they truly shine!  Our magic legged bartender strikes again. A lovely summer evening.

We are back!!!  it was good to be together again.... we celebrated birthdays, new knees and returns from travel.  Summer in Maine is busy, but we do enjoy some time together.   July is Birthmonth for 50% of our crew, though some are more vocal about it than others. Christopher Robin was the closest date, so he and Rabbit supplied Steak Tips from the Meathouse.  we repeated hobo potatoes from Independence day  and a classic Caesar made it complete. Our CIA trained chefs turned an asset and recreated a classic family tradition with the Birthday Cookie.  Glitter icing and hand-drawn striper included.

Summer has returned...we had a beautiful Friday (before a rainy weekend), so Grilled Pizzas fit perfectly! Meats included pepperoni & sausage... sauces ranged from tomato to pesto and of course cheese... feta and two mozzarella's.  Olives, onion and green pepper for those inclined.

We will be on a bit of a hiatus in May... travels and visitors disrupt routines in all the fun ways.  Seemed best to go with a previous crowd pleaser, Patty Melts and Jo Jo Potatoes .  Eeyore knew what she was in for and brought an extra griddle to be prepared!  They came out delish with plenty of leftovers. Meat Flower! steamy taters Jo Jo potatoes were extra spicy, but we had plenty of options for dunking.  Once Christopher Robin checked the ketchup supply, he made an emergency trip to the store for an extra bottle! We also enjoyed a new Greek yogurt dip , with mini triscuits... so cute!

We were a smaller crew this week, as Christopher Robin and Rabbit were vacationing in the sunny south.  Baked Chicken Imperial was a good fit... specific cooking technique to ensure crunchy crumbs make it best for four.  We also had Crisp Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and skillet green beans - with added bacon crunch! Eeyore recreated the photo just right!

Re-Re-Remix... Panko Haddock makes another appearance as DownLoad, Chanel and Bro joined us for Pity Dinner and provided a sweet treat! It was a lovely spring evening.

Easy to let everyone have their choice... with many small dirty dishes...  chicken, steak, shrimp.  I created a marinade with lemon juice, cilantro, olive oil, garlic, and spices.  Some mexi rice and beans with grilled onions and peppers made a perfect meal. Trader Joe's supplied the options for a salsa taste off.  Chipolte Garlic was a winner... sadly Habanero and Lime Salsa was so bad we dumped it out.  The corn and chile tomato-less salsa is my fav! Yummy.

Like a swallow to Capistrano .... a favorite returns!  We all enjoyed our crunchy fish, garlicky aioli, roasted red potatoes and a new side, broccoli slaw .   You can always check the details here. Poor Eeyore is still in recovery, so we had to be careful not to make her laugh too much!

Tis the season for variety... a little of this, a little of that.   12+ inches of snow the day before, rain the day after... weird.  In the spirit of flexibility, Pasta Bar!  While this meal looks simple on the surface, quick red sauce, pasta, toppings... it has quickly become known to the kitchen crew as "that meal with lots of dishes and pots!"  A challenge indeed. Loved the pesto tortellini and ciabatta loaf from Trader Joes.. how lucky we are they are close by now! Biggest fun was chatting about summer plans... Eeyore and Piglet are generously adding to our water enjoyment options- SuperMabel will have us giggling like fools!

Herb Stuffed Pork Chops .... an easy one for our Eeyore, so we added more! Potatoes Hashed in Cream ,  as well as Gravy rounded out the meal.  (We liked the country fried pork idea too, but remember... healthier choices - HA!).  I made the mistake of buying petite yukon golds, so poor Eeyore had cramped hands from little tiny peeling.  Sorry! It was a great meal.  Might cut back a bit on salt next time, but we all enjoyed it.

we have NEVER done Asian.... and apparently Eeyore and I had a similar thought.  Cashew Chicken didn't faze her - not even the velveting!  it was delish.. side items were easy, rice and salad.  we started out with some edamame and trader joes snacks.  Yum! Sadly, Piglet had to stab my rice measuring cup to save it from demise in the garbage disposal.  Sometimes, great sacrifices must be made.

Back to good behavior...  Low-Fat Chicken Parmesan before we set off for travels south.  Vacation eating is usually indulgent, so we tried to be good. Substituted panko for bread crumbs and used regular mayo rather than fat free.  Couldn't justify buying a bottle for 6 teaspoons of product!  It was very tasty and crispy.  Added some buttered noodles and a caesar salad. Rabbit provided a lovely meyer's lemonade cocktail and crack cookies!  Yum.

Can't make all our meals about resolutions... sometimes after a snowy day, you need true comfort food....  Spaghetti With Bacon Meatballs was the right note! We skipped the croutons on the Ceasar salad to save some calories that got splurged on bread and Eeyore finally got her first Margarita of the year...Thanks Rabbit! Tigger and I have created our own anthem for Saturday morning cleanup time.. Stuck on Food (find your inner Lionel Richie).

In the spirit of a healthy new year, we tested out Reduced Fat Beef Stroganoff   ... delish!  It really was a satisfying substitute for the regular preparation.  We had Caesar salad on the side with dressed up frozen peas (added lemon and Parmesan). Missed our bartender... she was helping out the bears!  Eeyore was sad, as she had been promised a Margarita to start the year.

New year, new meals, new stove!