Nerd

'nuff said....

HOT WINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is what Tanner said when he saw what we were having. Heather had to use butter instead of margarine, but there was only a little separation. They weren't overly hot like they have been in the past.

Tempura shrimp with stir fry vegetables

Heather had gotten some tempura shrimp from the grocery and they looked tasty. There were only 10 so I made some clean the fridge out stir fry. There was cabbage, jalapeno, zucchini, cucumber, shrooms, onion, and some seasonings. We used the dipping sauce that came with the shrimp. For such a simple meal, this was good.

Rob's last day

Rob is going to back to school. He starts at Mississippi College on Monday. I wish him luck, but wish we still had him. Everyone in the department brought various goodies. Tom Faust even made cookies. The highlight of course were Gina's sausage balls. I made tea biscuits with butter and strawberry preserves Anne made.

Swedish Meatballs II

This is another recipe from the current edition of Cooks Illustrated. This has a crispy outside, but a juicy, tender inside. The nutmeg and allspice give it a unique flavor. Serve over egg noodles and chow. All of us cleaned our plates. It is not that much work, but takes a while. It will change your mind about meatballs. It is very similar to AB's recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/swedish-meatballs-recipe/index.html

Butternut Squash with pasta

This is a recipe from the current edition of Cooks Illustrated. http://www.cooksillustrated.com Let me get this out now. I don't like squash. I know that is a very myopic viewpoint, but when I think of squash, I think of the overcooked yellow mush from my youth. I try it occasionally. If it is on the plate of "mixed vegetables" I will eat it, even if I don't like it. Sometimes that is necessary to remind oneself of why they don't like it. I also want to point out that saying "I don't like squash" is like saying "I don't like sandwiches." There are sooooo many different varieties of squash that it is not fair to sum it all up in one word. This was my first attempt at butternut squash. This is bacon fried crisp and some sage leaves crisped in the pan drippings. Then you brown the cubed squash. Then next step is adding onion and seasonings. Steam it for a minute in chicken stock and let it reduce. Toss the mixture with penne, add lemon and Parmesan. Serve it up and try it. It wasn't "Wow! I can't wait to have it again!", but it was edible. OK, it was better than edible, but I won't be serving it up again soon. Whatever that means.....

The "Perfect Pot Roast"

This if from Linda Larsen. It is in our family cookbook. I wondered if the trouble for the "gravy" was worth it. The answer is yes. I boiled a few new potatoes and reheated leftover blackeyed peas. This is a dish I will make again for a family gathering.

http://busycooks.about.com/od/beefroastrecipes/r/perfectpotroast.htm