MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to share!)
Kroger had some beautiful halibut fillets so I got one. I melted some butter in a saute pan and added some white wine, lemon juice, and capers. Once it was boiling I put the fish in the pan and used a spoon to take the sauce and cook the fish on the top. Once it was almost done, I removed it and put it on the couscous. I let the remaining sauce reduce until it was thickened and topped the whole thing. Heather's had bones in it. I was a bit disappointed about that.
Kroger had leg quarters for $.55/lb. What a bargain. Heather seasoned two up and roasted them with some aromatics. The boys were camping with my dad and I was disassembling the carb on the mower. Heather then sliced some eggplant and leeched them with salt for a while. Then she dusted them with flour, made a dredge of eggwash and panko and fried them up. She had roasted some garlic earlier in the week and loaded a french loaf with some.
Heather was jonesing for some shrimp and grits so I whipped some up. I freaked when I realized we had no onion. Luckily there was a little in the fridge.
Heather marinated some Ahi and grilled it on a super hot cast iron grill pan. The brown rice took FOREVER. She had reserved marinade for a dipping sauce, but I found it unnecessary. The edamame was steamed. I can feel my cholesterol dropping already.
I took two pork tenderloins and cleaned them up. I made a slit in the thick side and gently pounded them until they were a uniform thickness. I made a paste of fresh rosemary, thyme, garlic, Cavender's, lots of course black pepper, and olive oil. I covered the pork in the paste and let it rest. I then opened up some creamed corn and added a bit of rendered bacon and black pepper like my grandmother used to. To round things out, I made some blackeyed peas. Tanner loved this meal. I used the leftovers to make a great sandwich the next day.
Heather seasoned some chicken breasts and cooked them in the grill pan. Meanwhile, she made an incredible saffron risotto. The aroma of that incredible spice filled the house. She lightly sautéed some spinach just until it started to wilt. Then she took balsamic vinegar and chopped tomatoes and made a sauce. Everything was layered on the plate. It was a great dish from an "Eating Healthy" section of one of our periodicals.
Heather to ok some nice Ahi Tuna steaks and made a little citrus marinade for them. She quickly cooked them in a grill pan. Then she chunked them up. She made a wasabi mayo and chili avocados to complete the tacos. Steamed rice and broccoli rounded out the meal.
We went to Jackson for Memorial Day. We honored our veterans by exercising our right to pig out. Boppa had brined 6 racks of ribs. We smoked the ribs and some HUGE chickens. They were more like small turkeys. Mimi made her famous slaw. Sheryl brought this amazing grape salad. We had a great time.
Boppa has requested that Heather make a pistachio cheesecake. She did a little research then made it. It is a hybrid of Junior's chocolate cheesecake and several other recipes. It is very chocolaty but the pistachio pudding in the filling gives it a great texture. The crust is chocolate graham crackers. Nat Ray really seemed to like it too. She left what we didn't inhale for Boppa to take to the Mermaid Cafe to share.
The Hull's brought mudpuppies, corn, potatoes, and sausage. We really put a hurting on those babies.
This was Heather's meal. She made some incredible pork chops. The spinach is canned, but she added some roasted garlic that really enhanced it. I made the gratin with canned potatoes, cream, some various cheeses, and onion. I think the onion was too overwhelming in this dish and will either saute it first or omit it next time.
Tony and Jin were coming for a visit and were kind enough to allow us to cook for them. I had some ripe avocados and decided to go for this family staple. We had a great time chillaxin with good friends. The simple recipe is here:
I pounded out some venison loin and made a dredge for them. The green beans were blanched for 6 or 7 minutes then shocked to stop the cooking. Then they were tossed in rendered bacon and sautéed red onion. The gratin was canned, diced potatoes with cream, garlic salt, Parmesan, mozzarella, and topped with panko. You throw that in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes or until it bubbles and you have a nice side dish. Heather made her infamous biscuits.
