Top 3: Tuesday Edition

I know. I know. It's been ridiculously long. Right now, I'm noshing on ridiculous amounts of candy corn after gorging myself on sesame chicken, pork fried rice, and an egg roll. Don't judge.

Anyhow, I figured you'd probably want to know what we've been eating besides peanut butter you have to stir (oh, wonderous natural peanut butter).

Top 3 homemade meals we've eaten in the last 30 days:
1. Super-stuffed sweet potatoes with spinach, onion, and cream cheese. If you love the sides at thanksgiving, this one is for you!
2. Pot Roast in the crock pot. Season the roast and sear in screaming hot pan on all sides. Put into the the crockpot with half a bag of frozen pearl onions, some small potatoes (or larger potatoes cut up), and some baby carrots. While the pan is still hot from searing the beef, pour in a can of 98% Fat Free/Low Sodium cream of mushroom soup with another half can or so of water and whisk to "melt" the soup, incorporate the water, and get any remaining beefy bits off the bottom of the pan. Season with a little bit of grill seasoning (or whatever you like), and pour the soup over the roast. Cook low for 8 hours until the meat is super tender and falling apart.
3. Pecan Waffles. Made by the husband while I was still sleeping. Oh, and a perfectly brewed cup of coffee. Heaven.

Top 3 meals we've eaten that did not involve home cooking of any kind:
1) Curried Butternut Squash Dumpling Soup. If you are in the Cleveland area and reading this, go to Sun Luck Garden on Taylor Road. Order this soup. When you're well, order this soup. When you are sick, order this soup. You will be healed of all that ails you. Swear.
2) Chicken Noodle Soup from Whole Payche--I mean, Foods. Whole Foods. Delicious chicken broth, tender chicken, kluski noodles, chunky veggies. Also amazingly healing. With the weather cooling down, and cold season kicking up, we've been eating lots of soup lately.
3) Zucchini Fries courtesy of O'Reilly's on Cedar Road. With horseradish dipping sauce. And a hard cider. Oh.Yes.

So, here's the deal. I promise to post more as time goes on. And pictures!

The Tale of Whole Paycheck and the Stinky Cheese

I was tired (ok, lazy) tonight and had grand ideas all day long of dining alfresco with my hubby, sipping wine and enjoying the unseasonably cool summer evening. So we headed to Whole Paycheck for some tasty treats. Fresh peaches on sale! I'll take them! Look at those succulent cherries! Sign me up! Green Olive Tapenade? Why not! Chilled Mango Coconut Soup? Sure thing! Throw a baguette in the cart? Of course!

Finally, we found ourselves at the cheese case, pouring over the possibilities. We settle on two selections--a St. Andre' Triple Cream and a Le Petit Brie. With $8 of cheese in hand we headed for check out.

At home, we prepped the tray--cherries, sliced baguette, olive spread, cheese, sliced apple, etc. And then I unwrapped the cheeses...

I've had alot of experience with stinky cheese thanks to my cheese loving parents and a trip to France when I was 14. I've met lots of brie in my day too. Never, ever have I smelled cheese less appetizing. The week old scallops that I finally discovered in the fridge and left in the garbage over night last week didn't even smell that bad. Moral of the story? Forget about the Le Petit Brie and just buy a bigger hunk of the St. Andre. You won't be sad, promise.

As for the rest of the meal, the olive tapenade was good but while I love olives, I'm not fully convinced I'm an olive tapenade fan. Not by itself anyhow. Maybe I'll shmear some on the other half of the baguette with some provolone, salami, capicola, etc. Think Muffaletta, people!

That's what I love about food. If you buy an ingredient that you aren't totally jazzed about, or you have lots of crazy left overs, there's usually a way to repurpose, reconfigure, and rework the parts until it is something that satiates. I think that life is that way too but we are often to frustrated and too distracted to see the possibilites.

So what's on your menu?