Happy Birthday, Bella!

It feels so heartwarming that my daughter wanted a home cooked meal for her 14th birthday! As she requested, I made pigs in a blanket, corned beef & cabbage, & a butterscotch marble bundt cake for her tonight.

Sunday Family Dinner

It is rare that I "allow" my husband to cook, but tonight he smoked a beautiful brisket. I made some delicious cole slaw and for the first time ever, Boston baked beans from scratch.

Avatar's Punjabi Burritos

We decided to check out the new Avatar's Punjabi Burrito in Larkspur today. The Jerk Chicken Burrito and the Rock Shrimp with Chutney was different, yet delicious!

Hayley

After a long 10 days of being in and out of the hospital, we unexpectedly had to put our dog to sleep last night. I miss her so much and I'm just too sad to even think about food, cooking, or blogging.

I'm taking a food blogging/cookbook writing class!

My first homework assignment is to write 5 blog posts with only 2 sentences each. I'm having a serious case of writers block.

Zürsun Idaho Heirloom Red Chief Lentil Soup w/Grilled Cheddar & Jack Sandwich

I bought these red chief lentils a few weeks ago and have been dying to try the recipe on the back of the bag. I love this soup! Its sooooo good. Not too spicy, easy to make, and filling. I served it with some grilled jack and cheddar on whole grain bread. A perfect cold, Fall dinner! 

Ingredients:

1 cup red chief lentils

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 sweet yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. tomato paste

2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp. chili powder, or more to taste

salt & pepper

1 quart chicken broth

1 large carrot, diced

14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

juice of 1 lemon ( I didn't use lemon in mine)

Directions:

Sort and rinse lentils i cool water. In large soup pot on medium heat, saute' the onions and garlice with the olive oil for 3 minutes. Add tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder and saute 2 minutes longer. Add broth, 1.5 cups water, lentils, carrots, and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30-40 minutes, Taste and add salt as needed. Add lemon juice and serve. Top with a drizzle of olive oil. Garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy! :)

My first catering gig!

My tennis friend, M.O.G., is having a CAbi party next week and she wants me to cater it! :) I have a pretty small budget to work with, but I think I can swing it! I've never really been interested in having a catering business before, but this could be fun. I certainly wouldn't mind doing the occasional small party or even a small dinner party, once in awhile. So, we'll see how this goes. I have a few great ideas. Now I just need to go shopping for some new serving dishes, etc. I want everything to look really nice. I'll be sure to post pictures!