I actually fixed an entire meal and didn't eat any of it, didn't even snitch. I was supposed to go to a drug company dinner at the fancy Truluck's. I felt bad leaving Anthony out, and I didn't want him to have to fix dinner for everyone again since he'd been doing double duty while I was out with a migraine.

I marinated chicken breasts in thyme, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper, and pan seared in olive oil. I toasted a baguette, then made sandwiches with mashed avocado, butter, shredded lettuce, sliced home-grown tomato, and swiss cheese. I also assembled a raw veggie plate with Ranch dip. I got protests about my leaving, but not about the food!

Look at my beautiful birthday cake, I mean tort:



Can I just say how much more I enjoyed this than an icing coated confection? Anthony's iced cakes are beautiful, but taste like nothing but sweet. Not my cuppa tea. Artfully arranged, seasonally fresh berries, however, on a whole wheat pastry with scant refined sugar, and REAL whipped cream (why have any other?!?) - that really gets me going.


Plus, I got TWO of these beauties; one to share at work, one for the family. A new coworker, who doesn't know my husband yet said, "Who is Anthony? Is he a chef?"

Ha ha. Only when it comes to select baking items (and coffee!), then he is a master...

Sorry, illness again has derailed my attention to this blog. I've eaten popcorn and yogurt frequently - don't question it! When I was getting over being queasy I could get those down.

I also made Eating Well's Crispy Tacos, and we loved them. Basically, wrap your corn tortillas in a damp cloth and heat in the microwave, then spray with cooking spray and drape over the oven rack (in a taco-ish shape). Bake at 375 for 7-9 minutes. Then stuff with Morningstar Farms burger crumbles, cheddar, shredded homegrown lettuce, and guacamole. They taste like home fried tacos. We ate them so fast we didn't even remember to get out the salsa.


Have you guys seen any of the previews for Ratatouille? It's the new Pixar movie coming out this summer. Colin discovered their promo site this weekend, and we've been mesmorized. It's about a rat with gourmand tastes who lives in Paris, France, and aspires to be a chef. The kitchen sequences are exquisitely rendered. We are big Pixar fans at my house, and Foodies, too - we can't wait for this movie to come out. Anyone know how to make a rat costume for Halloween?

I had other mental plans for dinner, but when Anth brought home some sushi-grade frozen Ahi tuna from Costco, I could not get it out of my head. So I made up a new menu.

I seared the tuna, and made this dipping sauce (trying to approximate that sushi experience):

2 tbsp butter
1 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsp chicken broth
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp horseradish (wasabi is better, if you've got it)

Melt the butter and gently cook the ginger in it; do not brown. Add the liquid ingredients; bring to a boil then take off the heat. Serve in a little cup and dip bites of the tuna in it.

I also fixed the last of the sugar snap peas I got at the Farmer's Market, sauteed in sesame oil and garlic. Salad fresh from the garden. And a loaf of ciabatta from CM that I could not resist (although rice may have been a better starch-side, I couldn't let that fresh bread go to waste).