Suppah Six

We learned this week that Chicken Cacciatore means "in the hunter's style" and that it is delicious- thank you Dory for education and sustenance! This recipe had a few Chef modifications... cut the chicken into bite size pieces, add red pepper flakes and thicken the sauce with a bit of flour.  All came together for a flavorful, saucy chicken over egg noodles.  We even used up some of the red wine "cubes" I had hanging about in the freezer. Frizz had a tough week at work, so she treated herself to a Hendrick's Gin and tonic.  Some of us are still enjoying our Blenheim Ginger Ale's supply... a treat with Captain Morgan's and lime.

A new year underway and with all the snow and cold, warm comfort food was in order.  Chipotle Sloppy Joes was just what we needed. Dory chopped our pepper - red rather than green, easier for Frizzel to eat - and we used 80/20 ground beef... not following the cooking light instructions exactly... and all enjoyed the meal. With Trader Joe' s finally here, we can take advantage of lots of frozen goodness that would not have traveled happily from MA.  Garlic Fries and Sweet Potato Fries joined with our favorite Caesar salad for a balanced meal.  Easy to make, easy to enjoy.  Yeah for the new season of Pity Dinner!

My lovely sister in law, Giggles, made us custom photo frames!  Such a great gift from my sweetest sister.  We plan to have more good eats and good fun to report in the new year... and now, a fun frame for showcasing the smiles.

Likely the final PD of the year... Fridays have filled up for the busy holiday month.  Florentine Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken was a great meal... challenging enough, but not too much for our skilled Dory!    We also enjoyed Oven Based Risotto which was very tasty and simple enough for me to try again for a weeknight meal. Another year of great food and laughter... I am the richest man in Bedford Falls!

It was Frizz's Birthday Night - happy 29 sista'!   She chose our menu and it was a great one.  The always popular Panko Crusted Haddock and Cilantro Chile Aioli.  Yum Yum! (you can check March 15th for the recipes). We picked the side dishes -spaetzle with garlic cream sauce and spicy green beans.  We used boxed version rather than homemade and it was tasty and much less messy! Dory provided an gooey chocolate dessert... birthday celebration complete!

Good fall fare... it was not a simple meal, but it was tasty! The side dish of Buttered Spaetzle was actually selected first, then the main of Chicken Schnitzel was a logical pairing.  This had to be a night Dory could be here early to get things underway.  She even had to make the batter during the afternoon so it could rest. The noodle production process was alot of work... luckily, Squirts had the day off, so we had earlier than usual access to his expertise and  strength to stir and drop batter over a steaming pot.  The original recipe called for a disposable tin pan, but I can't imagine that could have withstood the density of this batter.  The final result was sauteed in some butter and was just great. The schnitzel had our traditional favorite, panko crust, with a tangy sauce.  Green beans rounded out the meal. We also enjoyed some of Dory's apple pie - perfect as usual.  She used key lime juice rather than lemon juice, fun tasty twist...

This was better than average comfort food!  I had made this myself  in the spring for a saturday night dinner with friends, but we needed Dory's advanced skills to really enjoy  Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese . It came out cheesy and bubbly, with some kick from the hot sauce.  The immersion blender stepped in again to ensure a creamy sauce.  YUM!