Hannah discovered the Payday Candy Bar this week. And by discovered, I mean asked for a taste of mine, then proceeded to scarf it down. Now she's the ambassador of non-chocolate candy bars, lecturing her friends on the merits of peanut-caramel gooeyness.
It started with sleeping in till 10:30 a.m. Yes - seriously! Olivia got up early, fed the dog and cleaned her room (as usual). But the rest of us? Total slackers!
There's an explanation, though. Jason and I pretended to be teenagers last night and went to a local bar/restaurant called BottleTree (great vegan/vegetarian options) to see two bands. The opener was Other Lives, an indy rock band from Oklahoma. Apparently they're pretty well known (their music's been on Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty), but it was our first time seeing them. They were really good! Check 'em out.
The headliner was a North Carolina band called The Rosebuds. Also very good!
Here's some interesting background on the husband and wife team from the Rosebuds. (For the record: I'm not sure Jason and I could ever work together professionally. We have completely different work styles and might end up killing each other! Could you work with your significant other?!?)
Anyways, back to the day. So, we didn't get in from the concert until well after midnight and were totally exhausted. So sleeping in today.
Sleeping in, followed by ...
(thumbs up from all of us but Olivia, who really wanted to see Mr. Popper's Penguins)
and
(Yup, just the way to treat Dad on his day, right?!? Have him refinish the deck. We're about 1/8 of the way through and our color is much lighter than the stock photo. We're using a new product called Deck Restore. Jury's still out on whether we like it.)
And how do you top having Dad spend his afternoon refinishing the deck? You let him cook an amazing Father's Day Dinner for you!
Ingredients:
1 lb scallops
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup white wine
4 tbsp butter
Directions:
If frozen, thaw the scallops. Mix salt and sugar together. Season one side of scallops with the salt/sugar mix. Heat 2 tsp of butter in a skillet on medium high. Add the scallops, seasoned side down. As they're cooking (4-5 minutes) season the other side. Flip. Cook 4-5 minutes. Add the wine and remaining 2 tsp butter to the pan and allow to cook an additional 2-3 minutes while the wine/butter/sugar/salt mixture "syrups up" (Jason's words).
Serve with the sides of your choice (Ours: new potatoes from the farmer's market, corn, and artisan rosemary bread)
Yum, Yum, Yum!!
Now I think I'll kick back and let Jason finish celebrating Father's Day by giving me a massage!
These old bones are pretty darned tired!
3 cups nonfat beef/veggies or chicken broth (we used 1/2 beef, 1/2 veggies ... just 'cause. It's what we had on hand.)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups chopped cabbage
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
salt & pepper
Directions:
1. Spray pot with non stick cooking spray saute onions carrots and garlic for 5 minutes.
2. Add broth, Tomato paste, cabbage, green beans, basil, oregano and Salt & Pepper to taste.
3. Simmer for a about 5-10 minutes until all vegetables are tender then add the zuccini and simmer for another 5 or so minutes.
4. Customize at will. We doubled the broth, basil and cabbage (hey - it's so healthy and low-fat you'll want several bowls).
Reviews:
Chef Tanya -- I like it. Reminds me of my Dad, who's notorious for making what we call Dump Soup Basically, he cleans out the 'frig and freezer, dumps it in a bit pot, adds canned tomatoes and calls it soup. Growing up eating this as a kid it was often torture. But occasionally it was quite tasty. This soup is the tasty version!
Jason -- It could use a bit more flavor. Maybe red pepper, more garlic, fire-roasted tomatoes instead of just tomato paste.
Pressed for time - or just feeling lazy, like us? Try this one:
Ingredients
2 cups prepared stuffing
1 can (14 oz) fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
shredded mozzarella
fresh basil
Directions
1. Put tomatoes (with juice) in medium bowl, add water and stuffing. Set aside while stuffing absorbs liquid.
2. Place chicken breast pieces in bottom of 9x13 baking dish.
3. Top chicken with mozzarella and fresh basil (tip: use scissors to cut it).
4. Cover chicken with stuffing mixture.
5. Put in oven preheated to 400 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes.
Reviews Hannah - It was fine. I don't really like stuffing. It's really mushy. I like the chicken, though. If you like stuffing then you would like this dish.
Olivia - It was very good. I loved the stuffing and the chicken. It was just like I was back at Thanksgiving.
Tanya - It was easy and the kids like it. That's good enough for me tonight!
Jason has a stand-by recipe that always makes the girls happy. JaFaxby's is short for either Jason's Faux Zaxby's or Jason Fulmore's Zaxby's. Whichever, the girls go GaGa over it.
True to GaGa style, I mixed it up tonight (by substituting corn meal for the flour. I'm just that wild! Born that way, I guess.)
TaFaxBy's
(measuring advice from Jason: "make it up as you go"):
flour (or, if you're feeling wild, corn meal
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese, grated (leave it out if you're making it Mama style)
chicken, cut into strips
egg
milk
canola oil
Directions -- Cover the bottom of a heavy pan with 2-3" of canola oil and heat over medium-high. Beat the egg with a little milk in a bowl. Put some flour, S&P and parmesan in a sealable plastic bag (or, if you're like us and don't often have plastic bags on hand, just put it in a large bowl). One by one, dip the chicken strips in the egg/milk mixture, then into the flour mixture, and then into the hot pan to cook.
