Weekly Gourmet

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...

Today is Tuesday. As much as I LOVE to cook, I conversely HATE wasting food. I mean I have anchovies in my freezer. I compost. That being said, leftovers were piling up around here like laundry, so Mama took the night off. But what kind of professional, famous blogger would I be if I just left all my little bloglings hanging? So, tonight I decided to get my creative juices and my broiler (and my smoke alarm) going and whip up an original salsa for this week's upcoming taco night. (We don't confine our tacos to any specific night of the week around here.) Lately I have had this recurring fantasy/idea for somebody to make and serve me my usual spicy margarita, but with something sweet in it as well, something like a strawberry. And THEN I wondered to myself...what if my salsa had both jalapeños and strawberries? What would happen then? What if... what if... there were strawberries INSTEAD of tomatoes?! I mean they are both red, right? Plus sometimes I take issue with non-August/S...

Today is Monday. I can’t believe I have been at this for at least nine days and I haven’t discussed my very favorite food yet: coffee! Oh, the joy of drinking coffee is something nothing else gives me. Throw in a pastry and my kids being anywhere else, and I am happy as a kitten in a ray of sunshine. I don’t often have the chance to incorporate God’s gift to humanity into my dinners, so this short, easy recipe caught my attention. My kids all LOVE steak- far more than either Steve or I care for it. I did not make cornbread because carbs, but I did have a huge side of leftover potato wedges from our weekend of caloric debauchery that I just couldn’t let go to waste. Potatoes are a rarity around here. Like the soldier that I am, I abstained from the fries. (Well I didn't put any on my plate at least.). Reprinted with permission from Leah Brickley, Food Network Kitchen . Coffee-Rubbed Steak with Peppers and Onions Ingredients 2 T. plus 1 tsp. packed light or dark brown sug...

Today is Tuesday. Today I went with my own turkey chili creation. My kids eat chili really well so rather than making veggies alongside it, I usually just toss them all in. This time I added baby bell peppers and corn, and topped with avocado (zero of those are vegetables for those of you counting). Lots of times I add in zucchini if I have it. Now I am doubting if zucchini is a vegetable. There were onions! Onions are vegetables, so there. Liz’s Turkey Chili with Various Fruits that Seem like Vegetables: Ingredients 2 T. olive oil 2 cups various veggies: an onion of any variety, a bell pepper, a few jalape ñ os, a poblano, a zucchini, whatever you have on hand and like to eat (about 2 cups worth). Definitely find an onion though. 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 lb. ground turkey ¼ cup chili powder 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (optional) 1 28oz. can diced tomatoes I always ...