Suppah Six

We are having are usual PD break... summer travels and visitors shake up the routines.  To that end, I think we need new nicknames. Frizz = Sleepy (she never stays awake for the drive home) CPap = Doc ( he is a line leader) OR Grumpy (sometimes, he is) Dory = Sneezy (not good for the chef.... but she can have issues) Squirt = Bashful (quiet and sweet) Bubbles = Dopey  (distracted by a butterfly) Squints = Happy (Frizz says that is what i should be, which is really sweet!)

This week's meal tasted great, but was team effort.  When I offered the options to Bubbles, he responded "Bacon Bacon Bacon!", so Loaded Carbonara was the menu selection. The flavor was great, but it wasn't simple!  Squirt ended up helping Dory out, as the final blend of cheese and hot egg was a bit involved.  It is important to incorporate it slowly, so you don't end up with scrambled eggs, yet you need enough heat to melt the cheese.  Surprisely, this version of carbonara did not call for cream (white wine instead) and the cheese needed some extra persuation to get creamy.  A few short trips in the microwave to gentley melt it and lots of whisking eggs combined to a delicious finale. Our side items were different - with Caesar salad rather than  mixed greens, and some sauteed squash from our friend Roger's vegetable garden .  YUM!

A great summer meal- Crispy Chicken Salad Wraps.   They were a great blend of creamy and crunchy.  We altered the recipe a bit - brushed them with melted butter instead of spraying with cooking spray and added some fresh basil, since my cilantro crop is not doing so great. We also had great side dishes - Syracuse Salt Potatoes tasted great and were fun to cook.  We made sure to use the really small red potatoes, as bigger ones would probably not get tender enough.  My chive plant was a fine producer for the butter drizzle.  Additionally, Kraft Kitchens has a great recipe for pasta salad - Family Reunion Macaroni Salad .  Good holiday weekend eats!

Summer is a crazy time for pity dinner - lots of comings and goings make Friday nights busy.  We had family visiting, now we have fishing trips.  But do not fear - you can't keep us out of the kitchen for too long!

Break in the action... mid May brought visitors to our town and work took me out of town.  We missed a few weeks in May, but Memorial Day weekend eve was grillin' time. We had Bacon Cheeseburgers... mixed some crumbled bacon and cheese with the beef- YUM! I also provided my crunchy noodle salad - cabbage slaw, ramen noodles and green onions with an oil and vinegar dressing.  Simple, but tastes great.

I needed some comfort food after a busy work week and a warm "sandwiches" with potato salad hit the spot.  Hoagie Bake and classic Potato Salad were simple to shop for, easy to cook and yummy to eat.  Not the most complex flavors or techniques, but some Fridays should be easy! Frizz could not join us due to work demands - we missed you!  We will have a few weeks hiatus due to visitors and travel.  Things get busy as the weather warms up.

We wrapped up the month and welcomed the early spring with a great meal... Chicken Florentine and Orzo with Peas and Mint.   This was a real winner winner chicken dinner.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy it- even Dory, who never likes her own cooking!  It was good to get back on schedule with such yummy eats.