Cafe Rio

We had Cafe Rio last week-- from scratch! We tried this recipe and it was just the same as going to the restaurant. Except we get to choose the portions (nice perk), but we ended up choosing Ginormous anyway. Oh well, still so yummy! I could totally drink that Tomatillo Ranch dressing.

Amazing Tators

Mother's day was wonderful for me. The kids were so excited with anticipation last week that I got several cards each day hand made by them. Jeromy took them shopping and they each picked something out for me-- even Benjamin! They treated me to delicious waffles for breakfast in bed (Kierra thought I should eat all 3 meals in bed :). When it came time for dinner, Jeromy asked what I wanted him to make, keeping in mind that he'd be able to produce such a meal. I (selfishly, I know) told him that part of the gift was not having to think about it. He's so sweet that he was totally fine with that! I still felt kinda mean for saying that, and I remembered this recipe that I had wanted to try and it was way simple, so I suggested it to him. The result? My new favorite thing to do with a potato! They were DELICIOUS!!! Thanks hon!

(Also, I have about 30 pounds of potatoes, baking and red, that I need to use up. Help! What's your favorite way to eat a potato?)

Fancy Sunday Dinner

We had quite the gourmet meal tonight! It felt like it anyway. I got all these recipes off of The Pioneer Woman's blog. Have you seen her stuff? Love it! (Picture me singing those two words) Her food is way yummy and her photos are terrific. So here is our night with some of her stuff.

First, Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar. I only had one little bunch of asparagus and wish that I had more because this was so tasty. Here it is before going in the oven:


I've been trying to branch out and make things that we normally wouldn't try. One of those things is Bleu Cheese. I've only had this a couple of times and liked it, so when I saw this recipe I thought it would be worth a shot. It is Pasta with Tomato Bleu Cheese Sauce. It was pretty good, not fantastic. If you like Bleu Cheese you'd love this dish. Still, my kids ate it (which I was so surprised about!) and we all thought it was yummy. I think next time I'll try it with feta or something just to see what it would be like. Also, so you know, we added an extra 14oz. can of tomatoes just to dilute the strong cheese flavor a little bit. I think I'll add extra spinach next time too, it didn't seem like there was enough in it.

(Side note: You'll see in the picture a delicious looking salad. We put baby arugula (first time I've purchased that one), halved red grapes, feta cheese, candied pecans, and Brianna's Blushing Wine Vinegraitte. If you've never tried any of Brianna's salad dressing, you haven't lived!)


Ah, Le Pez de Resistance. (Uh, sorry, I took German not French, can you tell?) Blackberries came in our Bountiful Basket basket yesterday, so I thought I'd try this little humdinger. Very yummy. I think this is the best way to treat a blackberry actually. This is Pioneer Woman's Blackberry Cobbler #1. And it's goooooood.

We sprinkled sugar very generously before putting it in the oven.


Then a few minutes before pulling it out, I put some sugar chrystals/sprinkles (found near the cake decorating section in the baking aisle) on top to give it a little crunch. Way awesome.

This was totally delicious, although I might like this one better (I made it with cranberries during the holidays and everybody raved). Can't decide.

Crock Pot Cooking

I just had my 4th child 6 weeks ago. (He's so cute!) So, needless to say, things are a little crazy around here. Especially around dinner prep time. You moms know what I'm talking about: your husband is stuck in traffic/meetings and won't be home till later than expected, your toddler is whining for candy, the older kids are cat-fighting in the next room, and just when you wash your hands to start some cooking, the baby wakes up screaming. Aaah!!

In order to deal with this dilemna, I thought I'd try to plan mostly crock-pot meals till things settle down a bit. That way, dinner is ready when we're ready and I can deal with/enjoy my family. But I only have a few favorite crock pot meals, and the only slow cooker cookbooks I know of I don't like very much. Then I came across this book, Make it Fast, Cook it Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking, by Stephanie O'Dea. Let me tell you, I am loving this book!!

First Things First

Let's set up shop, so to speak. I'm thinking it doesn't really make sense to focus on 1 cookbook per week since most are specialized cookbooks. For instance, I can't just use one Smoothie cookbook one week, and a bread cookbook the next. I think my family would linch me. So, I'll focus on a few, say 4 or 5, each month and call it good (see My Cookshelf to the right). And if you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

Welcome!

I was looking at one of my new cookbooks the other day, thinking that there's got to be a way for me to utilize all my cookbooks better. I love to try new recipes, you see, and therefore I loooove to buy new cookbooks. It's a huge weakness. I see a new cookbook at the store, and if it sounds remotely interesting, I've gotta get my hands on it. But I seem to not have all the time needed to try all the cool recipes inside these books, since I bring the book home, thumb through it a little, maybe try a couple recipes, then put it on a shelf with all the other cookbooks and think how nice it will be someday to get to that book.

Now, I'll be honest, I own over 300 cookbooks. Egads that's a lot. I know, I'm embarrassed to tell you. But mind you, it's been my guilty little pleasure for about 6 years now, purchased a few at a time. All women have their own vulnerabilities, right? Some women can't get enough fabric, or scrapbooking stuff, or what have you. Right?

So I made a conviction that I would start a new goal/hobbie (which is always good to do right after having a baby, right?) to focus my attention on said cookbooks more. Doing the math, if I focused on 1 cookbook per week, I will have plowed through all my cookbooks in about 6 years. Yikes! Well, it's either use them, or get rid of them, so I'm committed to doing this. And I'm going to use this blog to organize all my attempts to find great recipes. I hope you enjoy this adventure with me!