What's for Breakfast?

Simple is good, as long as it includes bacon :)

Birthday Dinner

My birthday treat this week was dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Above is the Shrimp Franchese - with artichokes, tomatoes, shallots, peas in a light white wine sauce. I really liked it. Below is the Chicken Bellagio with basil pasta. It also won kudos.

All I Want for Dinner...

I'm the only mushroom fan in my house, so these were all for me. Sauteed simply in butter. Adding a little white wine and simmering is a good idea, too. I just wasn't that patient.

Taste Test: Talbott Teas

I opened one of my birthday presents early. This one was from my mom. A Talbott Tea gift pack. I brewed a cup of the Caramel Sundae Escape. You scoop the tea into the filter, deciding how much you want to brew at a time. I liked this mild tea with a little bit of cream. I checked out the company website and learned this tea is an "Oprah favorite." The lemon one - I'm going to try iced.

Sugar Bombs

Way too many doughnuts for us, but so pretty...and the ones we did eat were yummy. Thanks Krispie Kreme.

Sesame Candy in the Cheese Section

It's always a happy day when I find this specialty: Halvah. Two packages were hiding in the fancy cheeses section at Fred Meyer. I prefer vanilla, but the chocolate marble is good, too. But it's not cheese! Why put it in the cheese section?

Nothing Says Super Bowl Like Cocktail Wieners

Into the little crock pot - cocktail wieners, ketchup, vinegar, BBQ sauce and brown sugar. Simmer for a couple of hours until they brown up and absorb the sauce.

Ginger Ale Doesn't Have Ginger In It?

My husband served up this ginger ale with his dinner. Ginger ale used to be a big treat when I was a kiddo, because we rarely drank soda. My grandparents usually had ginger ale at their house in those little bottles. I think it looks so much "healthier" than "regular" sodas. "Made from Real Ginger" right there on the label. But......

Dwayne read the ingredients and ginger isn't listed. I suppose there is some backwards reasoning here that the mysterious "natural flavors" listed are somehow made from ginger - except it doesn't say that. Why not?

Slow-Cooker Oatmeal

Steel-cut oats that simmered all night with water and milk. I figured they were going to be really good because food that cooks up with a "skin" on top is usually yummy. But not in this case. My husband tried this recipe and it's possible the mixture simmered too long. Butter and honey was stirred in before serving. It tasted like pudding and had the same consistency.