Day 11: Tuesday, July 7th ~ Moroccan Spiced Couscous ~

Day 11: Tuesday, July 7th

 ~ Moroccan Spiced Couscous ~

This is one of those dishes you can just throw together in a jiff, no actual cooking! If you've never tried couscous, I recommend you do so. Fun texture, quick, and easy!
Jesse was okay with this recipe, but not over the top because it mixes the flavors a bit - sweet and umami/savory. I really liked it. In the book, they used blood oranges, which contrasted nicely with the greens. The one thing I might do is cut the greens a little smaller. Speaking of greens - I am impressed with how we've been handling them. Usually we eat some, they sit in the fridge, and before you know it they're either soup fodder or tossed. I know we've had at least 10 cups of greens within this last week, and nothing has gone bad yet! Wow....see what happens when you actually EAT the food you buy? Huh. :)

We did not make the chicken they listed in the recipe. Really the couscous is plenty!
http://www.thugkitchen.com/seeherhandmade/moroccan_spiced_couscous_with_honey_glazed_chicken

Day 10: Monday, July 6th ~Vegamite Spaghetti~

I made spaghetti today. First I started the noodles boiling.
Then I combined the following:
1 Saucepan
1 layer of greens- mostly kale with a few dandelion leaves
1 layer of frozen red and green peppers
1 layer of water.

I boiled/stir fried the stuff in the saucepan.
If you don't believe me, here is photographic evidence:

Why won't you trust me?

Once that was all softened, I poured store bought spaghetti sauce over it. Prego Fresh Mushroom flavored Italian sauce, if you must know. 

After the sauce heated to a slight boil, but before it started covering the kitchen in tomatoey bursts, I removed the saucepan from the heat.

I put a wad of noodles in one of our genuine reproduction White Star Line Titanic 3rd class dinner plates and covered it with the sauce/vegetable mixture. Then I took the following photograph:

Fork added for garnish.

We ate it, and afterwards Cosmo licked Liv's plate clean while we were watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D on Netflix. Liv says the plate still needs washing, even though he licked it to a shine. 

Day 9: Sun, July 5th ~ Pizza ~

Day 9: Sun, July 6th 

~ Pizza ~

You'll see us make a lot of pizza. This has always been our big trap. I remember growing up pizza was a 'sometimes' food. It seems there have been some weeks lately where we almost lived on it. Yet, it consistently makes Jesse ill (and is SO incredibly expensive now!!) .
So.....I have decided to figure out a way to make better pizza at home, and make it so he is not sick.
This is titled the 'Perfect Pizza Dough Recipe', so it sounded like a good place to start. My mom sent me this link. :)
http://www.chef-in-training.com/2014/04/perfect-pizza-dough-recipe/

I know that I have my grandmother's recipe somewhere - and all of her baking is legendary. I'm planning to try out a recipe once a week or so and pick out our top favorites. Then, to make things really simple for those 'don't feel like cooking' days - go ahead and pre-bake some crusts, put in freezer, and we're good to go.

Speaking of 'don't feel like cooking' days...one thing we're noticing this time around - apart from the brief struggles in the moment to get things started - we have not really been tempted to buy out. The last time we did this, there were some days (not a ton, but some) where we might even buy out breakfast and/or lunch, but adhere to the dinner rule - as that was our initial goal and 'commitment'. So far, we've gotten 2 drinks but no food out. Can't believe it's already Day 9!

This heartens me a great deal. It means to me that progress is never really lost. Sure, as Paula Abdul says - you can take 2 steps forward, then 2 steps back....but then once you get past the emotional part of having to 'reboot' - it's actually much easier the next time around. You have a depth of skills, experience, and memories acting as a foundation. Go change! :)

Day 8: Sat, July 4th ~ Freedom Food ~

Day 8: Sat, July 4th

 ~ Freedom Food ~

Happy 4th of July, everyone! Spent the day at my parent's house celebrating multiple events. It was a wonderful time. :)

Day 7: Fri, July 3rd ~ Buttermilk Biscuits, Homemade Hashbrowns, and Scrambled Eggs ~

Day 7: Fri, July 3rd
~ Buttermilk Biscuits, Homemade Hashbrowns, and Scrambled Eggs ~

Every day fighting off the urge to 'just buy something' is another victory. Sometimes 'lazy' days are harder. I decided that it really is just not worth it (all the waste associated with eating out) - and made myself walk into the kitchen. A miraculous thing happened then. After a quick tidy up session, I felt ready to cook. And I wanted breakfast. 

This was my first official attempt at making biscuits. I was so happy to use the biscuit cutter my parents got me from THF Village. :)

When trying something new....always look to Martha first!

http://www.marthastewart.com/1094443/buttermilk-biscuits-strawberry-butter#1094443

I also thought I'd surprise Jesse with hashbrowns. Put potatoes through a quick run through the food processor, and you are ready to go. I was not patient enough initially with cooking them, thought maybe the oven would brown them better - then researched it, and saw that it would be about 45 minutes minimum. Uh, no...I was hungrier than that! We ended up pan frying with some cookspray. Yes - I should have taken my own advice and looked at Martha first!

And to round off the breakfast plate - scrambled eggs and orange slices.

Day 6: Thurs, July 2nd ~Fair Brats 'N Pops~

Day 6: Thurs, July 2nd

~ Fair Brats 'N Pops ~

I was taken by this dish when Jesse first made it early in our marriage. The tangy-ness of the sauce mixed with the sweet pepper was an amazing juxtaposition of flavors. He likes it because it reminds him of fair food. 

He usually used Italian sausage, but today had bratwurst on hand. We've made it in the past with veggie sausage. The seller really is the topping.

* Saute red and green peppers until soft. Meanwhile, same pan, cook the sausage.
I'm thinking onions would be a nice addition, but they are pretty well banned in our house.
* Mix Italian Dressing and Brown Mustard, enough to coat peppers. We did not have Italian Dressing on hand, but quickly whipped up this great recipe! http://allrecipes.com/recipe/italian-dressing-mix/
* Toast the buns (broil for just a few minutes).
* Serve and enjoy!

We ate with a big bowl of popcorn while finally catching up on Agents of Shield. :)

Day 5: Wed, 7/1 ~ Sweet Corn & Green Chili Baked Flautas ~

Day 5: Wed, 7/1

~ Sweet Corn & Green Chili Baked Flautas ~

Jesse's inspired by Thug Kitchen. Yummy food, hilarious commentary - what's not to like? Anyway, this helped get him excited about being back in the kitchen (or as excited as he'll ever be about actually cooking something himself). I can tell from his recent commentary that he's read through a bit of the book. :)

So - tonight - he made us these amazing flautas! Served with his salad from yesterday (yes, I said the 'S' word). I am in shock. Completely grateful. And full of healthy food.

And....it appears that instead of taking a picture of the food, he took a picture of our boys. They look a little guilty here....hmm.

http://www.nachoaveragecook.com/sweet-corn-and-green-chili-baked-flautas/