Bacon

This morning, I fried a whole package of bacon. All 20 pieces, crispy and delicious. I don't know why I made that much for 3 1/2 people, but I did. We didn't eat it all for breakfast, so I left a plate of the leftovers in the kitchen for convenient snacking.

And snack on bacon all day we did. I had big plans to incorporate bacon into every meal today, but after my bacon wrapped hotdog for lunch and all day bacon munching, I thought there might be such a thing as too much bacon.

Mmm, I love bacon.

You're Welcome, Taste Buds

My favorite flavors in the world are garlic and onions. I like them combined, I like them on their own, I like them mixed in with other foods. The bolder they taste, the better. Lucky JD. Even if a recipe doesn't call for them, I usually add them anyway. Everything tastes better when it's garlicky! I am all about some garlic and onions.

The other night I tried a new recipe, grilled chicken pineapple quesadillas. I was pretty stoked about trying grilled pineapple, but more excited about making (and eating) my own batch of pico de gallo. Dinner was a big hit, but the pico? Oh the pico! It was the single best condiment I've ever put in my mouth. In true fashion, I added way more garlic than was called for and it was amazeballs.

Since then, I've been eating it on everything. Quesadillas, turkey wraps, rice, tacos, and scrambled eggs. If loving pico de gallo is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Pico de Gallo


2 tomatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, diced
a big bunch of fresh cilantro leaves
Salt
Pepper
Juice of 1 lime

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let sit for an hour (or more). Give it a stir before serving.

The longer this stuff sits in its garlicky-limey-oniony-tomatoey juices, the more flavorful it's gonna get. Go forth and make pico! Your taste buds will thank you.

Sunday Dinner

I have barely cooked in the past 2 weeks. We were on vacation, then had a few dinners prepared for us by family for Easter and just plain thoughtfulness, and then I completely forgot how to cook. Not really, but I thought I forgot how to cook. So I abstained for fear that I actually did forget. Make sense? With an empty fridge and no more excuses for JD, I decided to dust off the ol' dutch oven and prepare a home cooked meal for my family.

Swiss Steak and Mashed Potato Eggs
Beatrice calls potatoes "potato eggs." There are no eggs in these mashed potatoes, just so you know. 


Heat vegetable oil in Dutch oven over medium heat.

Season the round steak with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Dredge in seasoned flour. 

Brown on both sides in hot oil. 

When browned, remove steaks and reserve on a plate. 

Chop onions and garlic. Some recipes call for celery. JD hates it so I omit it. Add to hot, steak-y oil and cook until translucent. 

Add tomato paste, oregano, paprika, Worcestershire, and beef stock to pot. Stir. 

Add steak back to the sauce. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. I happened to time it perfectly during daddy/baby nap time. They came downstairs as soon as the 2 hour simmer began.

Good afternoon, sleepy heads. 

While the simmering commences, fish out the toys under the couch.

Make sure you get them all out.

When the 2 hours are almost up, peel and dice potato eggs. If you don't have potato eggs, the regular variety will do. 

Boil until tender. Drain. Add sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Whip them until they are thick, creamy, garlicky, and yummy. I forgot to take a photo of these steps. Honestly, it's a miracle that there are any photos in this post. JD doesn't understand why I take pictures of food and makes me feel self-conscious about it. I think I just like the practice. My eternal excuse for every weird thing I do is the blog. Sorry blog. 

Meanwhile, add a few tablespoons of seasoned flour to the sauce to thicken. 

Serve over mashed potatoes. This photo looks like slop. It tastes much better than slop. 

JD's plate looks a little better. Bigger, but less slop-like. 

You will make your husband very happy. 

Giddy even.

Baby girls will be happy too. 

For full recipe, click here. Enjoy!

Coq Au Vin

I have not really cooked dinner in a month. I had the flu for 2 weeks and finally overcame all of that morning sickness mess but truthfully, I just haven't felt like cooking. Poor JD hasn't had a decent, warm meal prepared by his wife in so long, I thought I would make him something fancy tonight: coq au vin. I used this recipe.

First, chop the bacon.

Brown it in a dutch oven. Dutch oven, hehehe.

Season and flour the chicken and brown in the bacon drippings.

Add the veggies to the pan drippings and cook until tender.

Add everything back into the Dutch oven along with wine and all other ingredients. Simmer.

Cover and cook in the oven for 40 minutes. Play with a baby girl until the timer goes off.

Serve over rice and wow your poor, starving husband.