Brown Butter Banana Muffins

Hello, hello!  I still exist!  Things have been wild here, chez The Cook and The Dishwasher.  We may be buying a house...as in we have a real, life, accepted offer.  Hopefully the rest of the process will continue to go smoothly, because I am really excited about tripling my kitchen space so I can churn out my yummy things!

So these muffins are among the best I've ever made, and maybe you've noticed...I make a lot of muffins.  And they are very simple and quick as a jiff to get into the oven.  The nutty brown butter flavor is a perfect complement for the sweet bananas and honey and agave nectar.  I used my mini-muffin pan to keep the portion size under control., but to tell you the truth...these make me want to go out and buy a jumbo muffin pan.  And just maybe I will soon have the cabinet space to justify such a purchase!

Brown Butter Banana Muffins

yeilds 12 regular sized muffins, or 23 mini-muffins

from 5 Ingredient Fix, by Claire Robinson

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

4 very ripe bananas

1/3 cup raw agave syrup or honey (I used a blend)

1 large egg

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Meanwhile, put the stick of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and melt.  Continue cooking, stirring occaisonally, until the milk solids turn a golden brown and smell nutty.  Remove from the heat and cool.

2. Mash the four bananas with a potato masher until they liquifiy (or leave a few chunks, if you like chunks like I do!).  Add in the egg and agavey syrup (or honey) and stir until well-blended.  Pour in the butter, and whisk until thoroughly combined. 

3. Add in the self-rising flour, and stir until just combined.  Do not over mix. 

4. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.  Pour the batter evenly into the cups.  Bake for 25 minutes for regular sized muffins, and 18-20 minutes for mini-muffins.  The tops should be slightly golden and should spring back to the touch.

5.  Cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, and then remove to a wire rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Classic Sticky Buns

Um, remember last month when I made the Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls?  And remember how they were really, really, really good?  And remember how I do not actually wrangle cattle all day long, and do not burn off a zillion calories a day?

Yeah.  And remember how I wanted to make more and more cinnamon rolls?  Well, you probably don't remember.  I didn't tell you.  I just went ahead and made this Weight Watchers' recipe for sticky buns. 

Ok, if we're going to be brutally honest with each other, I should tell you that these have more in common with a cinnamon raisin bagel than those dreamy, gooey cinnamon rolls.  But, in their defense, they are most fabulous warm, with delightful hints of cinnamon and brown sugar and just the right amount of icing.  And they will not leave you racing to the fridge to chug the milk straight from the container to cut the sweetness, which, on some days, can be a plus. 

Classic Sticky Buns
yields 8 buns
adapted from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook


Ingredients:
1 envelope dry yeast
2 Tbsp lukewarm water
1/2 cup lukewarm skim milk (microwave for 20 seconds)
1 large egg
2 tsp sweet butter, melted
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dark raisins
2 tsp skim milk
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp warm water

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water.  Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, measure out the lukewarm milk and butter.  Combine with the egg and lightly beat.  In a food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  With the machine running, add the yeast mixture and the milk mixture through the feed tube until the dough forms a ball.  Knead the dough by pulsing the food processor about 30 times, until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.
3. Coat a large bowl with non-stick spray.  Put the dough in the bowl, and cover loosely with saran wrap or a slightly damp towel.  Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 30-45 minutes, until it doubles in size.
4. Spray an 8-inch cake pan with cooking spray.  Punch down the dough and place on a lightly floured surface.
5. Knead the raisins into the dough.  Divide into 8 pieces.  Roll each piece into an 8 inch rope, and then coil the ropes into buns.  Place the buns in the pan.  Cover loosely again with plastic wrap or a damp towel.  Let rise for another 35-40 minutes, until doubled in volume.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Brush the tops of the buns with the 2 tsp skim milk.  Bake on the center of the oven rack for about 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by combining the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and warm water.  Glaze the buns as soon as they come out of the oven.  Serve warm.

Sneak Peek at Next Week

This weekend is flying by!  Don't you wish that they were all three-day weekends?

Here's what we'll be eating in the week to come...if we ever get to the grocery store!

-- Slow Cooker Thai Chili Chicken and Noodles
-- Fusilli with Spicy Pesto
-- Arugula Salad with Roasted Fruit and Challah Croutons
-- Turkey and Cheese Waffle Sandwiches with Stewed Apples

Fast French Onion Soup

People, people, have I got news for you!  This version of French onion Soup can be on your table in 30 minutes, and it tastes like it's been cooking all day.  French onion soup is one of my husband's favorite dishes, which makes him more of a connoisseur than me, and he pronounced this to be great.  As for me, I love finding recipes like this: ones that taste like they have been cooked for hours, and that can be prepared in a jiff after work. 

I have made a more traditional recipe for french onion soup in the past, in which the onions are slowly caramelized, and then the broth is added and slowly simmered.  To tell you the truth...I like this version better.  The broth had much more flavor, and I didn't have to cope with the smell of pounds of onions oh-so-slowly cooking down in my kitchen for an hour. 

So I just had to share this with you!  Does anyone else have any great, fast recipes for traditionally slow-cooking dishes to share?  I'd love to know your secrets!

Fast French Onion Soup

serve 3-4 as a main course, 6 as a starter

adapted from Desperation Dinners, by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp margarine (I used Land of Lakes Light Butter, made with canola oil)

3 extra-large onions (to yield about 4 cups sliced)

1 Tbsp brown sugar

2 cans (or 4 cups) reduced fat, low-sodium beef broth

1 can (2 cups) fat-free low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup white wine

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp dried chopped onion

1/2 tsp bottled minced garlic

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 cups shredded low-fat mozzarella

3 cups garlic and onion fat-free croutons

6 Tbsp shredded Parmesan

Directions:

1. Turn on the broiler.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the 2 Tbsp of margarine.  Slice the onions into 1/4 inch sliced, and add to the pan as you slice.  Turn the heat up to high once you begin to add the onions.  Once all of the onions are added, add the brown sugar.  Turn the heat down to medium once the onions begin to brown.  Stir the onions from time to time, but not too frequently.

3. While the onions are cooking, bring the beef and chicken broth to a boil in a covered Dutch oven.  Once the broth reaches a boil, uncover quickly to add the wine, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, dried onion, onion powder, and thyme.  No need to be very precise about measurements here -- your hands will work fine to measure the spices.

4. While the soup is coming to a boil, place 6 (or fewer for a main-course portion) oven-proof bowls on baking sheets.  If you are not serving all of the soup, just use as many bowls as you need, and prepare the rest of the soup through step 5 before refrigerating for leftovers.

5. When the broth is boiling, add the onions to the soup pot and cover it.  Reduce the heat to medium-high and bring back to a boil for 2-5 minutes to incorporate onion flavor.  Remove from the heat.

6. Ladle soup into the bowls, and sprinkle each bowl with 1/2 cup croutons.  Place 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella over the top of the croutons, followed by 1 Tbsp of Parmesan for each serving.  Carefully place the baking sheet under the boiler for 1 minute, or until the cheese melts and slightly browns.

African Chicken Stew over Couscous

Sometimes, ahem, there is nothing better than a quickie.  And this stew is a quickie!  The warmth from the North African spices (cinnamon, turmeric, and cumin) is the perfect thing to fill your belly on a chilly fall evening.  The chicken here comes out perfectly moist.  I think the raisins are my favorite part of this...they balance out the spices and the savory vegetables well.  But I imagine some of you are raisin-haters, so feel free to leave them out!

African Chicken Stew over Couscous
adapted from Desperation Dinners, by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross
serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 can fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth
1 box (about 10oz) couscous
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp canola oil
1 medium onion
10-12 peeled baby carrots (to yield about 1/2 cup sliced)
2 medium zucchini or summer squash
2 tsp minced garlic (fresh or bottled, I won't tell if you don't)
1 can no salt-added stewed tomatoes
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
black pepper
1 tsp honey
1 generous cup frozen tri-color pepper stir-fry blend
1/2 cup raisins
1 small can (7 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Directions:
1. Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a small sauce pan.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium heat.  Meanwhile, slice the carrots and add to the large saucepan as you slice.  Slice the onion and then add that as well.  Follow with the summer squash, adding to the pan as you slice.
3. Once the broth comes to a boil, add the box of couscous.  Cover, and remove from the heat.  Let it steam for 5 minutes and the fluff with a fork.  Cover to keep warm while the stew is cooking.
4. Pound the chicken breast with a meat mallet to about 1/2 inch thickness.  This step is optional, but I prefer my chicken pounded for one reason or another!  Cut the chicken into 1 inch chunks.
5. Add the chicken and the garlic to the large sauce pan.  Stir.  Turn the heat up to high and cover and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add the stewed tomatoes, the cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, and honey.  Follow with a generous sprinkling of black pepper.  Add the frozen pepper blend and the raisins.  Bring the mixture up to a boil, and stir thoroughly. 
7. Cover the pot and adjust the heat to maintain an active simmer.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
8. Serve the stew over generous helpings of couscous.

Roasted Pear, Cheddar, and Walnut Salad in Apple Cider Dressing

Did you all have a nice long weekend?  My husband and I had a great trip to Upstate New York!  The drive was beautiful, with all of the leaves changing color.  We had plenty of time to relax and be away from computers and work, and also plenty to do! 

We stopped by Indian Ladder Farm, in Altamont, NY, where I used to go apple picking as a child.  Sadly, they weren't doing pick-your-own yesterday, so I didn't bring back any apples.  But they did have loads of beautiful squash.  I bought a white pumpkin, my very first!  It looks great in the apartment.  Can you cook with white pumpkin just the same as you do with orange one?  I am getting a little attached to this guy; he's rather cute.  Nevertheless, I am curious.  You can't save a pumpkin forever!

Once we got home this afternoon, it was great to have a salad as a light supper, especially after indulging a little more than usual (cider doughnuts were involved).  This one packs in many of my favorite fall flavors: sweet roasted pears, sharp cheddar, toasted walnuts, and fresh greens, under a sweet and tangy cider dressing.  I rounded this out for a meal with some garlic-Parmesan biscuits.  It would be a great starter salad too, though.

Roasted Pear, Cheddar, and Walnut Salad in Apple Cider Dressing
adapted from The Way We Cook by Julie Riven and Sheryl Julian
serves 3 as a main course, 6 as a starter

Ingredients:

2 firm pears, such as Bosc
1 head red- or green-leaf lettuce, washed, dried, and chopped
1/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted
2-4 ounces sharp Cheddar (to taste), cut into 1/4 inch cube
1/4 cup apple cider
1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 Tbsp honey.

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Slice the pears (not peeled) in half.  Use a paring knife to remove the core and stem.  Cut into 1/8 inch slices.  Spread out on a baking sheet, prepared with Pam spray.  Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, until slightly browned on the edges.
3. To prepare the dressing, combine the cider, vinegar, salt, pepper, and oil well.  Add in the honey, and whisk thoroughly to emulsify.
4. Arrange the greens in shallow bowls, topped with the nuts.  Arrange a few slices of roasted pears on each salad.  Drizzle a little dressing over the top, and then scatter the cheddar to taste over each salad.

Sneak Peek at Next Week

One more work day till the long weekend!  Anyone doing anything fun?  We are staying at a B&B in Saratoga, and hanging out in both Saratoga and the Albany, NY area, which is, coincidentally, where I grew up.  I am so excited!  It is beautiful there this time of year.  I am hoping to get a little more apple picking in -- at Indian Ladder Farms, where I went growing up.  They have the best cider doughnuts.  My husband has never had a cider doughnot, can you believe that?  So I am taking him to get the best of the best!

Here's what we'll be eating when we get back...along with a lot of apples, I hope!

-- Spaghetti alla Carbonara
-- Fast French Onion Soup
-- African Chicken Stew with Couscous
-- Roasted Pears, Walnut, and Goat Cheese on a Green Salad

Southwestern Bean Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings

This is a GREAT soup to warm your belly with on, say, the third cold, rainy day in a row.  It is mildly spicy, with tender beans and vegetables in a warm, flavorful broth.  The cornmeal dumplings made us think of a cross between cornbread and matzo balls, a great combination if you ask me!

This is a slow-cooker recipe.  Can you tell that I love my slow-cooker?  Since I run out of the door in the mornings, I usually prep my slow-cooker meals the night before, and refrigerate them in a large Tupperware.  That means that in the morning all I have to do is dump everything into the slow-cooker and program it.  This turned out to be a great strategy today, as I ended up being home sick with a cold.  It was great to have hot soup that cooked itself while I pretty much slept on the couch all day.

This soup makes for a great filling, healthy one-dish meal.  I topped ours with a little shredded cheese and cold sour cream.  I think you could have a lot of fun with garnishes here -- scallions, olives, avocado, diced tomatoes, and other traditional taco toppings would work well.

Southwestern Bean Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings

source: Better Homes and Gardens Crockery Cooking

serves 6

Ingredients:
Soup
3 cups water
1 15oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15oz can black beans, pinto beans, or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5 oz can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 10z package frozen corn
1 cup sliced carrot
1 large onion, chopped
1 4oz can diced green chili peppers, undrained
2 Tbsp instant beef or chicken bouillon
2 tsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)

Dumplings:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
a little fresh ground pepper
1 beaten egg white
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp canola oil

Garnishes (optional, and to taste):
shredded cheddar cheese
shredded Montery Jack cheese
scallions
sliced black olives
sour cream
avocado
diced tomatoes

Directions:
1. Mix all of the soup ingredients in a slow-cooker.  cover and cook on LOW for 10-12 hours, or on HIGH for 5-6 hours.
2. For the dumplings, mix the dry ingredients (flour through pepper) in a medium bowl.  In a small bowl, beat together the wet ingredients (egg white, milk, and oil).  Combine the wet and dry ingredients thoroughly, but do not over-mix.
3. Drop the dumplings into the slow-cooker in 6 mounds, right atop the bubbling soup.  Cook for an additional 30 minutes on LOW, or 20 minutes on HIGH.  Do not open the lid during this time!  Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of a dumpling -- it should come out dry.
4. Ladle into bowls, and top each serving with a dumpling.  Garnish to taste.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

I get so excited for fall flavors every year!  Apples, pears, cranberries, cinnamon, squash, pumpkin...I love them all.  Really, I can't get enough!  This pumpkin bread is a great way to get your pumpkin in.  It is very light, but you wouldn't know that from tasting it!  It has a great moist texture, and the pumpkin and spices blend perfectly.  This is perfect with a nice cup of Rooibos tea -- my favorite. 

(Look carefully at the background there, and you can see how cookbook and magazine crazy I am!  And that's not even half of it!)

Spiced Pumpkin Bread
(yields 1 9X5 loaf, 12-18 slices)
source: Cook Healthy Cook Quick

Ingredients:

2 cups sifted cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 Tbsp canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs, lightly beaten

cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Coat a 9x5 baking pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine the first 8 ingredients (flour through cloves) in a medium bowl.

3. Combine pumpkin and next 4 ingredients (through eggs).  Add to the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined.

4. Spoon batter into the prepared baking pan.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

5. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, than turn out to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way. 

Pizza Burgers Parmesan with Spinach Salad with Bacon and Eggs

Speaking of pizza, we like to eat it other ways too...such as in burger form!  My husband and I agreed that this was our favorite new recipe from this past week.  These burgers pack in so much flavor!  I thought they tasted like a great cross between burgers, chicken parmesan, and pizza.  Really, how can you go wrong there?  The spinach salad, with smoky bacon, hard-boiled eggs, and sauteed onions served in an apple cider vinaigrette is a perfect complement.

I adapted this recipe from Robin Miller's latest cookbook, Robin Rescues Dinner.  I've always loved Robin Miller's recipes because they are quick, creative, and very flavorful.  What's more, they generally lean on the healthy side.  I like this latest cookbook because each recipe comes with a side dish suggestion.  I think I've mentioned this before, but I live for recipes with side dish suggestions!  Without those suggestions...my meals tend to become one-dish meals, or, are accompanied by my standard green salad.  That can get, well, a little dull.  So I am always seeking out cookbooks like this one, that provide a recipe and suggest a full menu.  It makes my life much easier!  Just a note -- I basically prepared the salad first, and then the burgers.

My adaptations here were the same as always -- intended to make the meal more economical and healthier for us.  I used 95% lean ground beef because it was on sale last week.  I think ground chicken would be great here, however, and really yield a burger that tastes like chicken parm!  Also, did you see how we used English muffins?  In a family of two, it really doesn't pay for us to buy hamburger rolls and English muffins most weeks.  So I often just serve burgers right on English muffins, which we buy anyway for breakfasts.

Pizza Burgers Parmesan
adapted from Robin Rescues Dinner, by Robin Miller
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 cup prepared pizza sauce
1 lb lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup seasoned dry breadcrumbs (I used homemade, but you can obviously use store bought)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
4 hamburger buns or English muffins, preferably whole wheat, toasted

Directions:
1. Preheat a non-stick skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat.
2. Place the pizza sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat to warm.
3. Mix together the ground meat, the Parmesan cheese, the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Shape into 4 patties, about 1 inch thick.
4. Cook the burgers in the skillet or grill pan, for about 3 minutes per side, until cooked through.  Top with the mozzarella cheese (about 2 Tbsp on each burger), and tent with foil for 1 minute, until the cheese is melted.  Place each patty on the bottom of a toasted bun or English muffin, and cover with 1/4 cup of warm pizza sauce.  Place the top of the roll on the burger and serve.

Spinach Salad with Bacon and Eggs
adapted from Robin Rescues Dinner, by Robin Miller
serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 10oz bag baby spinach leaves
1/2 red onion
4 slices bacon or turkey bacon
4 eggs, hard-boiled, sliced
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp apple cider
1 Tbsp canola oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Thinly slice red-onion.
2. Cook bacon according to package directions on a large griddle or non-stick skillet.  Place bacon strips on one side of the pan, and add the onion slices to the other half to cook both at once.
3. While the bacon and onions are cooking, combine the vinegar, cider, and oil well in a small bowl.  Season generously with salt and pepper.
4. When the bacon strips are cooked through, remove from the pan.  Spread out the onion.
5. Add the dressing and cook for 1 minute.
6. Toss the hot dressing and onions over the spinach.  Toss through to slightly wilt the spinach. 
7. Sprinkle the salad with the sliced eggs. Chop the bacon and sprinkle over the salad as well.

For more great recipes from great cookbooks, check out Cookbook Sundays at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen!

Pesto, Broccoli, and Spinach Pizza

My husband and I are both big fans of pizza.  Really, who isn't?  Last year, I did a whole unit on pizza with my pre-K class!  We cooked, graphed, did pizza fractions...even pizza art!  (And my husband enjoyed multiple trips to Bertucci's so that we could stock on pizza boxes and take-out menus for the dramatic play area in my classroom!)

There are so many fun, easy ways to make pizza at home, and we love them all!  Naan pizza, pita pizza, refrigerated crust...we like all of these.  For this pizza, I had some dough in the freezer from a month or so ago.  I've made the Barefoot Contessa's recipe and the Pioneer Woman's recipe in the past, and I have to say that I am partial to the Pioneer Woman's recipe.  (My regrets, Ina.)  The PW's dough yields a very thin crust that is full of flavor, and makes any pizza shine.  I love that the recipe yields enough for 2 pizzas.  It freezes and defrosts so easily -- why not make a little extra ahead?

This is a very simple pizza recipe -- and it's very green, literally!  Loaded up with spinach and broccoli, it is easy to convince yourself that pizza is a health food.  This recipe uses pesto instead of a traditional pizza sauce.  While pesto can be dense in calories, it packs in a lot of flavor, and you really don't need much.  I used a reduced-fat mozzarella (but not fat-free, yuck!) and I do think that I completely convinced myself that this is quite healthy -- lots of veggies and calcium! 

Pesto, Broccoli, and Spinach Pizza
serves 4-6
adapted from Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meals for Kids

Ingredients:

1 box frozen chopped spinach
2 small crowns broccoli
1 batch pizza dough (store-bought or homemade, your choice)
1/2 cup pesto sauce (mine came from the jar, I won't tell if you don't tell)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, preferably low-fat
2 cloves garlic, pushed through a press

Directions:

1. Prepare pizza dough according to package directions or recipe.  (Alternately, you can use a pre-cooked pizza dough or naan bread for the crush, and bake the pizza in a cooler oven, about 375 or 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Defrost spinach in the microwave, about 5 minutes on high, breaking it up after 3 minutes with a fork.  Meanwhile, wash broccoli and chop finely. 
4. Use paper towels to press down on the spinach to absorb the excess water.  Be careful, because it will be hot.  This will take you a few paper towels -- you want to wring most of the moisture out of the spinach. 
5. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli in the microwave.  Place it in a glass bowl with a tablespoon of water, and cook on high for about 5 minutes.
6. Spread the pesto over the pizza dough.  Top with the spinach, broccoli, and cheese.  Sprinkle the pressed garlic over the top.
7. Bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden.

For more fun Rachael Ray recipes, check out one of my most FAVORITE blogs -- Taste and Tell for Saturdays with Rachael Ray!  This is one of the blogs that I check even on nights when I'm way too exhausted and full to think about food.  It's a great source of cookbook reviews and fun, tasty recipes!

Sneak Peek at Next Week

Can you believe it's the weekend again?  Well, I'm not complaining! 
Here's our plan for next week:

-- Pasta with Chilli, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella
-- Chilli Cashew Chicken Noodles
-- Pizza Napoli (on French Bread!)
-- Southwestern Bean Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings