Homemade Bagels

Next on my list of baking goals was the bagel. I'm a big fan of bagels and after our bagel experience in NYC, I couldn't satisfy my bagel craving with pretty much anything in Portland. Kettleman Bagels are pretty good, but I just heard they were bought by Noah's, so there goes that option.

Weekend Breakfast: Eggs Benedict

Yes, this is really what I made for breakfast on Sunday

And no, I didn't just order eggs benedict to go from Sanborn's down the street and pass it off as my own.

Superbowl Snacks

Pretzels cooling on the rack...it took all the strength we had to not bite right into them

Here it is days past the Superbowl and I am just getting to this post. I think we're still depressed.

Paella and Tapas

Over the weekend we went up to Seattle to visit my family and see my uncles, who both normally live in Southern California and I rarely get to see. Since it was a special occasion, my mom made a paella, and I made three different tapas.

Chili and Cornbread

These little hybrid delights finally have me convinced cornbread can be good

I don't like cornbread. There, I said it. It feels good to get that off my chest. It's either dry and crumbly with little to no flavor or overly sweet and cakey, making a poor excuse for a side to a delicious chili or BBQ. So what do I pair with the white chicken chili I planned for our last (tear) football Sunday?

Grown-up Mac and Cheese

Get the recipe

I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but around here, we like love our mac and cheese. (Ahem... see here and here...oh, and here) So when our beloved Broncos were playing their first playoff game in six years, I decided we needed a themed meal. I made some delicious orange and blue snacks for the game, and bleu cheese mac and cheese for dinner. Of course, I managed to pick a recipe that used extra sharp cheddar (white) and bleu cheese really isn't all that blue. Oh well, it was the thought that counted.

Thai-style Chicken with Basil

I don't know about you, but I get bored easily with chicken breasts. My beloved could eat them pretty much most days, but within a few meals, I'm over even the cheesiest of chicken. I have noticed that lately the only Asian-style dish I throw into our weekly meals has been stir fry. While it's a great standby and a good way to use tofu when it goes on sale, that gets old, too. So when chicken breasts went on sale last week, I had to come up with something a little more entertaining. Enter the Thai-style chicken with basil.