Saturday, September 11, 2010

Summer in review...I'm back!!

Hi everybody!!  Sorry for the long hiatus...I didn't plan to take the whole summer off, but, well, we've had a lot going on.  First of all, we moved!  After 9 years of city life and a year and a half entertaining a munchkin with a lot of energy in a 2 bedroom apartment, we finally decided leave the city in search of real space.  I am now officially a suburbanite and, despite initial mixed feelings about moving, absolutely loving it.  You might not think that moving justifies a 2 month vacation from blogging, but let me add that for about a month this summer we were homeless - apartment was sold but we didn't have our house yet, so we were crashing with my parents.  And despite the fact that my mom has a fabulous kitchen, somehow not being in my own home did not encourage a lot of cooking.

On top of the multiple moves (as if that wasn't enough!), the munchkin is going to become a big sister next March!  Very exciting, but unfortunately first trimester fatigue and food aversions took my already limited motivation to experiment in the kitchen down to approximately zero. 

I'm hoping you'll forgive my absence now that you know why!  Especially since now that the first trimester is over and I'm all settled into my new home with my own fabulous non-apartment sized kitchen, my motivation is back in full force!  I already have a backlog of recipes to post.  In the mean time, while it has taken me a while to start trying new recipes again, I have been referring back to this blog for cooking ideas while I got organized.  I thought I'd highlight some old favorites that I've retested and still love :)

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes: I have made these twice in the past few weeks, and they are really delicious...you would never think they are so packed with whole grains, and the spices add enough flavor that I actually enjoy them without any syrup!  Talk about a healthy snack :)  I've updated the recipe since I've now had luck using a combination of milk and yogurt instead of buttermilk, which is not something I generally have on hand.

100% Whole Wheat Bread: Really yummy with way less effort than I would have ever imagined - amazing way impress everyone you know by making bread from scratch.  Although I just got a bread machine now that I have a real kitchen, so stay tuned for some bread machine specific recipes!

Salmon Cakes: Every time I make these I'm actually surprised how much I like them :)  I've updated the instructions with a tip on coating the patties with breadcrumbs without having them fall apart.

Lentil Soup: I have made this for company twice in the past few weeks and got rave reviews from visitors ranging from age 1 to 88!  This included the munchkin, who is generally not a fan of vegetables, as well as my very picky dad :).  I've updated the directions slightly based on my recent experiment with green lentils instead of red (the red give a prettier color and cook faster, but green turns out equally delicious!)  This is something I always like to have in my freezer for the perfect lunch or dinner any time.

Also, as a preview of what's to come, I think I'm finally ready to share the rest of my pizza story!  Plus, I made some really tasty chicken tenders and a wholesome spinach dip that did not require powdered seasoning from a packet :)  Stay tuned for more!

1 comment:

  1. I'm so happy I could taste some of these wonderful things. Thanks for bulking me up last week! I'm so proud of Scott also! That was awesome.

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