Weekly Gourmet

Lent is coming! Try this one for your "Fish On Friday." Do you guys ever wonder what I make when the rest of normal people everywhere go through a drive-thru? First of all, I can't patronage places with misspelled words like "thru" so that's off the table for me already. Secondly, nowadays these places idiotically list all their calories on their menus. Who is this helpful to? People who watch their calories' heads explode when they see these numbers. People who don't watch their calories don't care how many calories are in their fried crap. Maybe like medium people? Like 14 year old boys who want to beef up? Are the calorie listings for them? They note these for their files? It makes no sense to me, and further, causes me to order one small frozen yogurt every time. Frozen yogurt does not a meal make. SO, therefore, I have come up with a whole list of Liz-Friendly Fast Foods, such as the recipe I have here for you. This meal is finished in ten ...

 Today is Super Bowl Sunday! SUPER BOWL! Ah ha ha ha ha ha! I said it! FBI guys are gonna break through my windows momentarily! WHY can't I say it!?! I don't understand?! And why The Weekend?! He is not Lady Gaga and nothing makes sense. Ok folks, let's be honest, I had several 13% proof Cutwaters and some of my kids are still up so I'm gonna make this real short and sweet. I made wings tonight. And people who like wings said these were GOOOOD wings so that's what I'm sticking to. You should make them too. Why are the commercials never ever funny anymore? Why did Gisele take Tom? Why? Why! Liz's Honey Chipotle Citrus Wings   Yield 12 wings (1.5 lbs.)  Ingredients 12 chicken wings (1.5 lbs) I had a baker's dozen actually. Because I can't count. 1/4 cup flour 2 tsp. spice rub I used Stephanie Izard's Little Goat went to Cuba. You can use anything you like or just 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper. 1 tsp. salt 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup orange juice 1/4 cup chipot...

Today is Saturday! Checked the ole social calendar, and it is not blank! Lil 'Pizza Pop 'n' Parents Party' tonight, but we are the parents in this version. Woot woot! Obviously, there will be no pop. Probably Star Wars and whining, but who cares, I'm not hosting! I am bringing the dessert and I woke up bright and early at 8:00a.m. to whip it up so no little people would try to ruin it by helping. Buuut we have Nintendo now, so they were up with the sun and bothering me to help and lick stuff. Please ignore my lack of pictures, as I was mostly holding a beastly child back with one hand and trying to concentrate with the other. I made ginger pear cupcakes. Isn't that the combo everyone picks when they bring treats to a family gathering with six kids? They should! Because ginger and pear go together like...I don't know, ginger and bread. Ginger is such a fun flavor pop and pear is just sweet and mellow. I thought this one up because of that huge hunk of ginger ...

Today is Friday. How many muffins are TOO MANY muffins to eat in one morning? Well let's see, considering the amount of batter I licked out of the bowl, like a dog, and the number of muffins I "taste-tested" before serving them to my very worldly and discerning guests of my preschooler, and my parents...I'm gonna go with "However many I ate." My worldly, discerning preschooler is a lover of lemon blueberry anything, so even though it's a February cold snap, I made him lemon blueberry muffins in honor of...wait for it...his half birthday. Because we celebrate whatever over here. Half birthdays included. This week I almost bought my kids smoothies because they got haircuts. Perhaps I go too far with the sugar celebrations of nothing, but a half birthday is like a real thing. He's four and-a-half, and that's the last of the baby ages ever! : ( These muffins were moist and sour and lip-smackin' sweet. But not sweet enough for Luca, who threw hims...

Today is Thursday. Ah another busy day and another winter weather advisory. Sounds like beef stew to me! I even used the annoying crock pot for you guys. Someone can explain to Steve why he had to clean a pot AND a crock pot because I do not get what the advantage is. I'll give instructions for both ways and you go ahead and choose how you want to do your stew. This homey meal warmed up my frozen little body (and soul) tonight. The meat seriously melted in my mouth and happiness rushed down my body to my toes. And my children devoured it. Heard around the table tonight: "Luca try a meat! It's so good!"  "I ate all my carrots and my peas and my meats and my green things!" (followed obviously with a request for treats, and a grammar lesson) "Mom, your hair looks wet. Oh it's just greasy."  "Sit down!" "Stop kicking me!" "Sit down!" "Sienna get back in your seat!" "Eat over your bowl!" "Moooom...

Today is Wednesday. I know what you're thinking. Chinese New Year is nine days away and Liz most likely thinks it's today and has prepared a dish worthy of dragon parades and fireworks! I knew it! Yep- I went with an AWESOME pork stir fry tonight because I was thinking about my niece, who hails from China, and how it's her birthday tomorrow and she was born on Chinese New Year. I assumed CNY was an annual thing but I guess it's one of those tricky date-changing holidays like Memorial Day. Anyways, Sophia is going to be a FAMOUS ballerina one day so I like to do all I can to show her I am an amazing aunt, probably like a mentor, maybe even an idol to her. The big sister she never had...who ALLLmost honored the Chinese part of the family's heritage correctly. With pork. She's vegan. Whatever, this DOES happen to be gluten and dairy free! So it accommodates some people's diets, just not my niece's. Happy 15th to Sophia. Couple notes on Asian stir-fry dishes...