Sometimes you just don't feel like cooking...

After all the work going into the Pastitsio last night, I just didn't have it in me to do much cooking today.  Fortunately, both Biscuit and I can be perfectly happy with the occasional PB&J.  Tonight's sandwich is made from Almond Cashew Peanut Butter and Tart Cherry Preserves.  Yum.

My First Pastitsio

Disclaimer:  I'm not even going to being to pretend there is anything healthy about this meal.  Indulge at your own risk!!!

If you were to ask me what is my very favorite meal, I would have to say Pastitsio.  The Greek dish is the ultimate comfort food.  Two layers of cheesy macaroni with a layer of savory spiced lamb, all topped with a nice fat layer of bechemel.  Every time I go to a Greek restaurant, this is what I order.

Although I love this dish, I've never attempted to make it myself.  I knew there would be a lot of work involved, and I wasn't at all sure I could replicate this dish to my satisfaction.  While looking for new recipes to try, I found this recipe for Pastitsio and decided to give it a shot.  Biscuit's been under the weather this week, so I felt like he deserved a special treat.

I cut the recipe in half, and made the following substitutions.  The market didn't have ground lamb this week, so I used lean ground beef instead.  We also didn't have any white wine, so I doubled the amount of tomato sauce.  I will admit I was still skeptical that this would compare with my memory of this dish.

I am now in a food coma.  Even with the substitutions, this came out almost *exactly* as I remember.  Biscuit commented that it's one of the only times he has minded cinnamon in a meat dish. (There is a small amount in the meat filling, and it isn't optional, in my opinion.)  He said he'd like me to put into our regular meal rotation, but considering the caloric/fat count of this meal, not to mention the time it spends to make, it will be a sometimes food.

Hands down, this was fantastic. 



Parmesan Stuffed Chicken with Melted Strawberries

Tonight I tried a new recipe.  It's summer and strawberries were on sale at the market.  This recipe came from Better Homes and Gardens.  I found a new to me kind of Pearl Cous Cous, which was basil and herb flavored which I thought would be good with the basil and cheese stuffed chicken and strawberries.  Both Biscuit and I decided the couscous went with the chicken, but not the strawberries, so if I made this recipe again I'd probably just serve it over rice.  The strawberries were a nice constrast to the sharp parmesan in the chicken, although I'd add more balsmamic to the strawberries next time.  It's a really pretty meal, but kind of a lot of fuss for a week night.  Definitely good enough for company.  Both Biscuit and I rated this a seven, and Biscuit liked it well enough to have seconds.  The meal was definitely heavier than expected, but having just eaten I'm not feeling uncomfortably stuffed. 

I don't think this recipe will become a regular in our house, but we definitely enjoyed it and I would probably make it again.



Kielbasi and Veggies

This is one of my mom's favorites - Kielbasi and Vegetables.  I usually make this with carrots, onion, and tons of potatoes (they taste delicious when fried in the grease from the Kielbasi, probably not the healthiest, but yummmm).  However, when I went to slice up the potatoes, most of my bag had rotted out, so I substituted frozen peas for the starchy vegetable.  Not what I wanted to do, but I already had everything cooking when I realized I didn't have potatoes.  We usually eat this with some spicy brown mustard mixed in, and it's really tasty.  I served this with mixture of fresh cantaloupe and bananas.  And just for Biscuit, I made him some raspberry jello for dessert. 

From start to finish this takes about 20 minutes to prepare.

New Discovery

I saw an ad for these online and went out and bought a box the next day. These are absolutely delicious, and truth be told, not too bad for you. They come in four flavors - cranberry citrus, chocolate raspberry, blueberry, and fig and honey.

I've only tried the cranberry citrus, but will probably try some of the other flavors as well.

I definitely recommend!

Friday Means...

Spoiling my husband with a good breakfast to take to work.

Today's breakfast is Cheesy Egg Nests.  I would have added bacon to these, but we don't have any in the house right now.

Dinner Time

Taco Stuffed Shells and Green Beans.  Fast and Yummy!

Book List So Far

So, it's about halfway through the year and I've been trying to get back into reading more and playing less video games.  So far I've read mostly trash, but hey, it's still better than nothing.

Here's my list to date of books I've read this year:

100 Strokes of the Brush Before Bed - Melissa P.
The 7th Victim - Alan Jacobson
Bunny Tales: Behind Closed Doors at the Playboy Mansion - Izabella St. James
Chunneling Through 40 - Anne McAneny
Crush - Alan Jacobson
Designated Fat Girl - Jennifer Joyner
Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl - Tracy Quan
Diary of a Married Call Girl - Tracy Quan
Heart Shaped Box - Joe Hill
Her Last Death - Susanna Sonnenberg
The Hole - Guy Burt
Horns: A Novel - Joe Hill
I Don't Care About Your Band - Julie Klausner
Serial - Jack Kilborn/Blake Crouch
Skinny Bitching - Jenny Lee
The Truth About Diamonds - Nicole Richie
unSweetined - Jodie Sweetin
Pillhead - Joshua Lyon

Joe Hill is probably my favorite discovery of this year so far.  He's Stephen King's son and a pretty good writer.  The two books I've read from him so far have been creepy and entertaining, although I don't think he's as long winded as his dad...

The Kindle is making it a lot easier for me to read, it's really easy to take it with you, and getting books is pretty much instant.  It's like having my own bookstore walking around with me.  Wonderful and Dangerous at the same time.

So, I'm Blogging Again

I've decided to start blogging again.  Not sure how this will shape up.  Guess we'll see!