Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken cacciatore is usually, in my mind, a crockpot type of dish.  This was made on top of the stove and finished in the oven and was a delicous combination of ingredients that didn't go all mushy.  Bob G gave me this recipe from I-don't-know-where for Chicken Cacciatore with Red and Yellow Peppers.  Steamed then sauteed green beans on the side and some homemade bread.  è molto delizioso!

Grilled Vegetables and New Wine

We grilled vegetables this week to eat for lunches and such.  On Friday, we had a work related dinner and grilled chicken kabobs and flank steak.  Saturday, I ate the rest of the loaf of spinach dip in Hawaiin bread - thanks E, I DID eat ALL the bread - and for dinner we had the last of the grilled veggies with leftover chicken and a NY strip steak we grilled up "fresh."

To go along with all our grilled goodies, we opened the bottle of wine a new friend had given us.  She recommended that we have it with something grilled.  It was good, very light and young, but flavorful and easy to drink.  I'd like to see how it develops over time.  I don't think I have the patience to make my own wine and wait around for it when there's a great liquor store about 7 blocks away!  But I'm glad I know someone who does.  LBK drank the beer she gave us and he thought that was very good as well, even though it's not his preferred style of beer.  Props to the brewer!  I, who can normally not drink any kind of beer, had several sips.  An unqualified success, I'd say.

Happy Anniversary to Us

Yesterday was our 14th wedding anniversary.  I received a wonderful handmade card and this beautiful box of chocolates from Canady.  I feel like I should write something mushy and lovey-dovey.  It will have to suffice that I am the luckiest, no, WE are the luckiest people in the world to have each other.

I'll try to list the flavors as I eat them.  They aren't pictured on the website and LBK doesn't remember exactly what each one is.
Top row:  1  coconut   3  three layer ganache -milk, white, dark
Middle:   salt caramel   pumpkin spice   creme brulee   dark chocolate
Bottom:  1    2    3   80% ganache? with salt on top

I baked some cheddar bread from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.  I made 4 small loaves.  They didn't last long, even though I don't think they were cheesy enough. 

Pizza: Onion, Corn, Thyme, Basil Oil

I had a delicious breakfast out with a friend this morning, a roasted asparagus skillet with a crispy layer of hash browns, asparagus, a little cheese, topped with two over easy eggs, white toast on the side.  I left the restaurant full, but not stuffed.  We shopped a bit and I wasn't hungry until well past our regular dinner time. 

I had mixed up some pizza dough when I had returned home, so we had two pizzas for dinner.  The first was a typical pepperoni with fresh mozzarella.  The second was from the Food Network magazine insert, 50 Pizzas.  I caramelized a small onion in olive oil and a bit of butter, adding some balsamic near the end.  I drizzled the dough with basil olive oil, added the onions and some corn I had sauteed in a skillet.  Added some fresh thyme and mozzarella.  Another quick drizzle with the basil oil as it came out of the oven.  Delicious and different.  We had an awesome Pasos Robles cabernet sauvignon from Trader Joe's.  I think I drank 1/2 the bottle, which is easily a glass too much on a Sunday night. 

We got some huge, super ripe strawberries at Costco, so I made strawberry shortcake for dessert.  I was pleased with how much my biscuits rose.