Marin Mama’s Weekly Dinner Menu for June 9th
I have to say that I am LOVING summer so far (as well as those adorable kiddos above). I’m far more relaxed then I’ve been
I have to say that I am LOVING summer so far (as well as those adorable kiddos above). I’m far more relaxed then I’ve been
So most of you know that I was a cereal addict since the age of 17. I literally ate a bowl of cereal everyday, usually grape-nuts topped with some other kind of fiberish cereal and granola. I’m one of those people that wakes up hungry and can’t sit around and wait a 1/2 hour for breakfast to cook, so cereal was the breakfast of choice, or should I say breakfast of convenience. Steel cut oats were reserved for those fancy hotel vacations or breakfast out with the family, as I was under the assumption that steel cut oats were a labor intensive and timely breakfast to whip up. I changed that way of thinking though when I cooked up my hot quinoa and oat cereal for the first time. I learned the trick to a quick breakfast of steel cut oats, and that was to bring them to a quick boil and then let them sit out overnight. I still eat cold cereal on occasion, but lately I have been devouring these steel cut oats, my 5 minute quinoa cereal and my quinoa and oat cereal. I would have to say that my breakfast routine has changed for the better!
Isn’t this above picture just beautiful and doesn’t it make you want to try a batch of this pasta tonight? I mean look at all of those fresh ingredients and all that color. I saw a photo similar to this in the most recent edition of Martha Stewart living and it looked so cool and challenging to me. I mean a one-pan pasta, who had ever heard of that (not me)? I seriously wondered how it was all going to work, and I have to say that I was a bit skeptical. I will also admit that the first time I made this pasta up, it didn’t turn out so great, as the pasta was overcooked. I was under the assumption that ALL of the water had to evaporate, so I cooked the pasta way too long and it was a bit over-done. We all really loved the flavors in this pasta though, so I vowed to try it again. Well, the second time around proved to be the charm. The pasta came out perfectly al dente and it created this thick creamy sauce that coated every strand of pasta.
No, Eli is not on the menu this week! He’s just my super cute model for this week’s post. He had his championship game this
Why am I calling this the best chocolate chip skillet cookie? I mean thats a pretty bold statement, right? Well, I have tested this cookie out on my family and friends and we think this cookie rocks. I took my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, threw it in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, topped it with a bit of sea salt, and oh my, it turned into this delicious PARTY cookie. Yes, you heard me right, party cookie, because you will want to throw a party when you make this cookie. The chips are all gooey and melty and you feel like you’re eating a slice of the best cookie pie. Top it off with a scoop of ice-cream and some hot fudge, and you have the best cookie sundae ever!
I’m celebrating this week with a slice of that big cookie above! Yep, I made a 12-inch skillet chocolate chip cookie from my FAVORITE cookie
We’re bringing back pizza Friday in the Grandy house, at least for the summer anyway. I just love pizza Fridays. We all hang in the kitchen, I make a big salad while the kid’s roll out the dough and assemble their pizza while talking about their week. I unwind with a glass of wine and watch them (just kidding, I do help). The kids usually create their own pizza, usually just a jar of Trader Joe’s red sauce, some pepperoni and some mozzarella cheese, easy peasy and kid friendly. John and I like a more adult pizza so I like to experiment with different combinations. I created this one night as I had tons of asparagus in the house and thought to myself, why not throw this on a pizza. I added a bit of garlic to some olive oil, threw in some gruyere cheese along with the mozzarella, just to jazz things up, and voila, a delicious pizza was created. I love when that happens. Pizza is pizza, and I love that you can just throw anything on it and have it turn out great, (well, most of the time). My next pizza idea involves some heirloom tomatoes, that is when their prices comes down of course.
“I’m not a perfect person.” You all know that song right? Anyway, it’s been replaying over and over in my mind for the past week.
This soup is wonderfully creamy, but without the cream, as it’s dairy free and vegan to boot. Woo hoo! I love that it’s made with simple whole-food ingredients and most of them I already had stocked in my pantry, besides the sweet potatoes that is. The soup is sweet and creamy but with a spicy kick to it from the chipotle. John and I loved this soup. The kids liked it, but it’s not their favorite soup. They seemed to like it a bit more when I threw on some homemade croutons, as they liked having that extra texture.
Happy Mother’s Day to all you amazing moms out there! I hope you’re all doing something that you want to today, whether it be spending