Spaghetti alla Bacon and Spinach, Bacon and Apple Salad

Dinner tonight was Spaghetti alla Bacon (aka Spaghetti alla Heaven pg. 136). I have made a similar recipe out of one of Giada's cookbooks, and this recipe is SO much easier. Sure, it clogs your arteries in record timing, but damn is it good!

The salad (pg. 70) was really good...the mustard vinaigrette and the apples were nice and light...great summer salad.

It was insanely fattening so of course Pabs loved it. He even wanted to add more cheese to the pasta, but mean Mandy would not allow it.

Quesadillas (pg. 334) with Black Bean Soup (pg. 337)

This is my first soup that I have ever made from scratch and am amazed at how easy it is...cheap too! I had to soak black beans for 20 hours and then they are cooked in chicken stock for 3-4 hours. The soup is all veggies and beans, no meat, so I thought that a quesadilla would go well with it. Their quesadillas are more like a cheese crisp to me. You toast the tortillas until brown and then top with a mixture of cheese, green onion, pimentos, and jalapeños. Both were really delicious. The soup is so nutritious, cheap and easy that I think it will become a regular thing that I make during the week.

Huevos Rancheros

With leftover items from Eggs Taos, I was able to make Huevos Rancheros this morning (pg.341). Creme de Colorado's version is mostly like an egg quesadilla. You scramble eggs, toast a torilla and then top with the eggs. Add cheese and salsa and fold over. Toast until crisp and top with sour cream. A great breakfast when you are in a rush or hung over....very quick and tasty.

Golden Grilled Flank Steak and Spinach Articoke Supreme

Dinner was Golden Grilled Flank Steak (pg. 208) and Spinach Artichoke Supreme (pg. 265). The steak is marinated in whole grain mustard, vermouth, rosemary and thyme rub for several hours. You then grill it and baste with the remaining marinade. The Spinach Artichoke Supreme is made by creaming together spinach, cream cheese, and seasoning. You then spread it out in a pan, top with artichoke hearts and then a layer of croutons with melted butter. You then bake it until it is bubbly. Pabs loved both of these recipes; he says it is his favorite so far. I hated them. I took one bite of the steak and was done. I hate vermouth and the flavor was too much for me. The spinach artichoke side dish was too cream cheesy....didn't like that either. :(

Eggs Taos

For breakfast today, I made Egg Taos (pg. 117). You make a green chili gravy and put that, scrambled eggs, and avacado in a tortilla.

You then roll up the tortillas, pour the remaining gravy on top and add cheese.

Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted. Then top with sour cream and diced tomatoes. It was really good!

First Supper....Success!

I finally found duck. It took me five grocery stores to find it and when I did it was in the freezer section. It spent the day in my sink defrosting and then I got to quarter it. This was my first experience cooking duck and quartering a bird before cooking it. It was....interesting. I have cleaned many turkey and chickens and am okay with handling the lovely insides always left inside....no big deal. What really grossed me out was cutting through the bones and the fact that blood seemed to ooze up to the top. I'll stop. Anyway, I chose to cook Duck a l'Orange (pg.200). You baste it with orange juice concentrate and then make a currant/orange/gravy to put on top. It turned out really well. Pabs loved it....he ate half the duck. For our side dish I made Asparagus with Oranges and Cashews (pg. 257) which was just okay. And dessert. Oh, god! Fresh Strawberries with Grand Marnier Cream (pg. 280). After my $159.81 shopping spree today, I couldn't afford Grand Marnier so I just used some Triple Sec that we had at the house and it was still TO DIE FOR! I was so tempted to just drink the cream from the bottle I used to store it in, but refrained. Delicious!

Larimer Toffee Squares (pg. 301)

I have the whole first weekend planned. Two and a half hours running to two different grocery stores and I am ready. I was just going to cook dinner and dessert tonight, but it is cloudy here and I am too excited about the first day. I found a recipe that I wasn't planning on making this weekend but already have all the stuff for it, so while watching America's Next Top Model marathon, I made Larimer Toffee Squares. SO ridiculously easy and pretty good. Later today: dinner and dessert!