Franks and Beans

July 6

Another simple recipe from The Minimalist column from a couple of summers ago, "101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less."

The "recipe," in full:

"54 Brown small pork (or hot dog) chunks in a skillet. Add white beans, garlic, thyme and olive oil. Or add white beans and ketchup."

I went with the garlic/thyme combination, though I also added a chopped roma tomato. It was surprisingly tasty, in a low-brow kind of way.

Taco Salad

July 5

Taco Salad from The Minimalist column from a couple of summers ago, "101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less."

Lettuce, tomato, corn, black beans, red onion, cheddar cheese, avocado, toasted corn tortilla strips, and lime-cilantro dressing. Chopping everything up (and baking the tortillas instead of buying chips) took me more than ten minutes, but it was simple.

J's Fabulous Birthday Dinner

From the backlog: 6/20

J's amazing beach weekend birthday celebration included a fabulous dinner, with everyone chipping in to bring a dish plus a main course of fresh fish from the nearby shop. Shrimp, scallops, several kinds of grilled fish, mac and cheese, salad, guacamole, veggie tray, etc.

Oh, and of course, dessert! I made a citrus cake (unfortunately, the frosting turned out strangely lumpy - moral of the story, don't try a new recipe when you're cooking for a bunch of people), and there was cherry pudding and several pies. We were definitely well fed this weekend!

Orzo salad

From the backlog: 6/25

Quick orzo salad with leftover veggies from a veggie tray and a simple lemon viniagrette dressing. Served as a side with leftover yummy fresh fish.

Quesadillas

 From the backlog: 6/23

Hungry and disappointed after seeing Terminator 4, I whipped up a quick quesadilla with black beans, roasted red peppers, red onions, and cheddar cheese.

Crispy black bean tacos with feta and slaw

From the backlog: 6/22

Crispy black bean tacos with feta and slaw from Smitten Kitchen.

Quick and tasty.

Broccoli and Ham Frittata

 From the backlog: 6/18

Take four egg whites remaining after a birthday cake used the yolks, and the desire for a quick dinner: voila! An egg-white frittata.  Filling includes sauteed onions, broccoli, bits of ham, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Chicken Salad Melt

 

From the backlog: 6/15

Chicken salad melt, with homemade English muffin, tomato slices, and melted cheddar cheese. 

Arugula/Bleu Cheese/Proscuitto Wraps and English Muffin Pizzas

From the backlog: 6/14

For the appetizer: slivers of bleu cheese wrapped with baby arugula leaves and proscuitto slices.

Main course: English muffin mini-pizzas, with ham, caramelized onion, and fresh mozzarella.

Homemade McMuffin

From the backlog: 6/14

Egg sandwich with a fresh English muffin, egg cooked with green onion, cheddar cheese, and mashed avocado.

English Muffins

From the backlog: 6/13
Yum. Who knew you could make English muffins from scratch, or that they'd be so tasty? Slightly more biscuity than the purchased kind. Recipe from Smitten Kitchen, originally from Ruth Reichl.

Egg Drop Soup

From the backlog: 5/25
Quick meal of Egg Drop Soup from Simply Recipes.

Waffles

From the backlog: 5/25

Eggs in a Basket

From the backlog: 5/24

Beef Fajitas with Pico de Gallo and Avocado

From the backlog: 5/23

Beef fajitas with Pico de Gallo (loosely following the Simply Recipes recipe here) and avocado slices.