A Week of Pinterest Meals

I don't talk about food much here, with the exception of mentioning restaurants we have eaten at. However, last week, feeling so tired of making the same things all the time, and needing a new infusion of recipes, I decided I would find a Pinterest food recipe for just about everyday and stick to the plan. This is hard because sometimes my pregnant self really doesn't always want what I have planned days in advance, but I made it work. I felt like too, I was introducing new flavors and tastes to the baby, because I read that at this point in his development, he can actually taste and smell the food I am eating, which is so crazy to think about!

Here are the recipes we made, with my thoughts on them. Bear in mind I am a vegetarian. Also, I didn't take photos of our recreations, due to my taking horrible photos of food. I just can't do it, they all turn out horrid, so all photos are from the blog the recipe came from.

Monday:

Garlic Butter Mushroom Risotto from Pinch of Yum

This was amazingly good! It was also fast and relatively easy. I wouldn't be put off from it by fear of it being risotto; it was actually much easier  to cook than people make it sound. It was delicious, and we will definitely make it again. 

Tuesday:

Spinach, Mushroom and Feta Crustless Quiche from Budget Bytes

Another winner in our books! Easy, fast, nutritious, delicious. Vegetarian and low carb, and protein from the cheese and eggs!

Wednesday/Thursday

Chickpea and Rice Soup with Kale from Post Punk Kitchen

This was something I have actually had once before, but hadn't actually made myself. I think it is my favorite thing that I made all week! It was hearty, flavorful, thick, creamy, and perfect for the horrible cold weather we are having. It was even better the next day, I just added a cup of broth to thin it back out! Again, this made our permanent list of winter recipes.

Friday night we cheated and went out to dinner, but we did make Pinterest food for breakfast on Saturday.

Saturday Morning:

Pannukakku Finnish Pancakes from The Recipe Critic

This was awesome!! We liked it so much, we actually made it again, this time for a quick dinner on Monday, and what we didn't finish, my husband has packed up and taken with him to work to warm up as breakfast when he gets there. It was fast, cheap, filling, and warm. Another win!

Overall, the week went very well, and we really enjoyed everything we made. Most of the recipes did not involve many ingredients, and therefore the cost in making them was low as well.  My husband and I are just your average home cooks, and everything was easy to prepare, another plus. 

This was an experiment we will definitely try again!

Reflections from my small kitchen..

Something about the onset of winter has me baking and cooking in the kitchen. I love to cook but I love it even more when the wind is blowing and it is rainy or snowing out. It just makes me feel all snug and cozy and warm. 

I have to tell you too, I have the world's smallest kitchen. Seriously. It is a very small counter and the kitchen can fit two people in it at once, if they squeeze tight. But it doesn't stop me. And it didn't stop my grandma either. This kitchen may be small, but it produced our family's Thanksgiving dinner every year when I was kid, forever and ever. My grandma made it all too~ turkey, mashed potatoes, green veggies, pies of all kinds, and my very favorite, Yorkshire Pudding. Just thinking about that Yorkshire Pudding brings tears to my eyes, with missing her. It was always made last, and we all anxiously awaited its arrival at the table, fresh from the oven. My uncle and I are both end piece lovers, and I remember being very little and hoping that when it made its way to me, there was an end piece left. 

So now, when I bake in the very same kitchen, I think of my grandma, and I feel so connected to her and those family holidays.

One thing I made recently is this Challah bread.

 Raspberry-Sea Salt Challah from Girl Versus Dough. 

She made hers with fig as well, but I don't care for fig so I left it out. It turned out so good! The process for me was messy and slow going ~ it took me five hours as I am not an experienced challah maker at all! But the end results were pretty and tasty, and I was pretty darn proud of myself. I think my grandma would have been too. 

I've also been churning out my own version of Spicy Vegetable soup by the potful, and assorted pastas, including the Pioneer Woman's Mac and Cheese. I love that stuff and could eat it every day! My husband was even hit by the baking bug, and made the most delicious Madeline's, so light and lemony, that I enjoyed one morning for breakfast. 

Of course, I am looking forward to Thanksgiving as well. I plan to make Nantucket Cranberry Pie, which I made last year, and it seemed like people liked it. 

Baking pie was a specialty of my grandma's. She always made her own pie crust by hand, and I loved to sneak the scraps of dough to eat. People say there isn't a difference between homemade and frozen crust, but maybe that is because they haven't had quality homemade crust, like my grandma used to make. 

Food is memory, is sensory. Food is family, and love. I think of all those memories of my grandma, of baking shortbread with my mother, of baking now in my little kitchen that has seen so many meals, the kitchen I will bake in for my own child one day soon, and there is something soothing and wonderful about it all.