Monte Cristo Taste Test

Since gulping down a Monte Cristo at Chompie's Deli in Arizona, I've been craving one! In a way, I don't really want to find a good one in the Boise area, because then I'd eat them far too often - and they are very high-calorie! I sampled this Monte Cristo at the Westside Drive In. It was ham, turkey and a garlic-tasting cheese tucked into three slices of bread and dipped in a French toast-type crumb batter and fried, then sprinkled with powdered sugar. It was served with raspberry jam for dipping. A traditional Monte Cristo is served with strawberry jam. I didn't like this version - which I see as a positive thing because I won't be tempted! Although, I have received a tip about another location that serves this specialty.....

Profiteroles "Cake"

This yummy was created by my friend, Faith. It's a profiteroles "cake," stacked high with cream puffs and whipped cream, and drizzled with chocolate. She says these types of cakes were for sale in England when she was there.

Favorite Sushi

Our sushi dinner at Kyoto in Boise - our FAVORITE sushi place. Two "Lisa" rolls and one California roll. The Lisa roll is seared tuna, avocado, shrimp, crab and spicy sauce. Our daughter loves the miso and edamame.

Beer-Battered Fish

Homemade beer-battered fish is what I fried up last night. I used cod fillets. Halibut works, too. Cut the fish into small pieces and pat dry with paper towels.
Here is the batter I use. It's equal parts flour and cornstarch, lots of garlic powder, paprika, some salt, some pepper, a little bit of powdered sugar, dark ale or beer and water. Mix into a sticky batter.
Drop pieces of fish into the batter and then quickly pop them in hot oil. I used peanut oil at 375 degrees. Cook until brown. It takes about 4-5 minutes.

Mmmm. They don't keep as leftovers so eat them all. They're good plain or with malt vinegar. These taste just like the beer-battered fish I've had in restaurants. The batter can also be used for onion rings.

Easter Dinner

Pretty homemade Easter dinner rolls - they were not super good, though. I needed buttermilk and didn't have the real thing because the two stores I visited the Saturday before Easter were out of buttermilk.
I never really know what the difference between potatoes au gratin or scalloped potatoes is - so, I'm just calling these cheesy potatoes. I sliced red potatoes thin and layered them with a little bit of shredded cheddar-jack cheese, a little salt and a pinch of garlic granules. When the layers were done, I poured some heavy cream over the top and baked them until everything looked brown and bubbly.

The Easter ham. I glazed it with a root beer concoction. Yummy! That was our very simple Easter dinner this year. I didn't even serve a green veggie!

Southwestern Chicken Salad

I made good use of the goodies in my Organic box delivery this week - chopping up a tomato, red bell pepper, and red onion. To this, I added some drained, canned corn. Then, I put the chicken on the grill. The chicken was marinaded in a little bit of peanut oil mixed with a lot of spice. I used paprika and some Jamaican jerk seasoning.

I sliced up the chicken into strips, and then added some lettuce and a cheddar-jack shredded cheese to the salad - and tossed it all with ranch dressing. Yummy!

New Dessert at the Olive Garden

The newest dessert on the menu at the Olive Garden. We had a quick dinner there this week and gave this a try - it's called zeppoli, "traditional Italian doughnuts." They were like fair scones. Little bites of chewy, sweet dough deep fried and dusted with powdered sugar. They're served warm and with a side of chocolate sauce for dipping and drizzling. These were good and because of the small pieces, an easy dessert to share, if you're so inclined.

Organic Box Delivery - No Mysteries this Week!

Well, no mystery potato-looking fruits/veggies this week in my organic box delivery. I see a red bell pepper, cucumber, lettuce and tomato that I'm going to use tomorrow for a southwestern chicken salad for dinner. I guarantee my daughter will eat all the strawberries and most of the sugar snap peas tomorrow. Apples, red potatoes and zucchini are also included this week.

Crab Cakes and Cole Slaw

A quick dinner of crab cakes and cole slaw. The crab cakes came from Schwan's. Rather than frying them, I baked them. The cole slaw is shredded cabbage and radishes in a dressing of mayonnaise, white vinegar, celery salt and a bit of sugar. The head of cabbage and radishes arrived in my organic box delivery this week.

Organic Brown Box Delivery

A peek inside my organic Brown Box delivery Tuesday. I'm having a salad for dinner tonight. See that yellow thing? I thought it might be a pear. Although it's shaped like a potato, it didn't feel like one. My daughter was the brave one who took a bite and she said it was awful and threw it away. It might have been a small papaya? It was very soft and squishy.