Teriyaki Grilled Portabello Mushrooms

Cooks and teachers are a lot alike sometimes. They are both constantly on the lookout for great ideas to use tomorrow! This one comes from my father-in-law, Garry, and has become one of my favorites at family bbqs. Super easy, super delicious, and super versatile! All you need is a portabello mushroom (you can find these in the produce section...they are the big mamma jammas!) and some teriyaki sauce. Garry uses Yoshida's, but you can use any kind you like. Flip the mushrooms over, fill with sauce, and throw on the grill over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, or until fork tender. Once done, slice them up and serve em hot. This makes a great appetizer or side dish, and is a great addition to the bbq if you have veggie loving guests!

Appetizers???

Unorthodox Appetizers

Here's an idea the next time you have a bunch of people over for a party. Check out the discount racks at your local stores and look for unique shot glasses. You can usually find a set of 5 or 6 glasses for a few dollars. Then raid your "special cabinet" for all of those half full bottles that you can't seem to get rid of, and have some fun playing bartender!!! In a few minutes, I was able to whip up a bunch of special treats! I was able to make a white russian, a classic margarita, a strawberry margarita, and a mystery drink on the bottom!

If spirits aren't your game, then get some cheesecake flavored pudding and some mixin' fixin's (candy bars, fruit, CHOCOLATE!) and make little mini cheesecake parfaits. Keep em in the fridge or the freezer and break em out anytime for a cool treat! You'll find that most people won't take a piece of cheesecake if you offer it to them, but a mini-cheesecake parfait???

I quote Donkey, from Shrek... "You know what else everybody likes? Parfaits. Have you ever met a person, you say, "Let's get some parfait," they say, "Hell no, I don't like no parfait"? Parfaits are delicious."

Spicy and sweet!

Tonight's dinner

Thai Peanut Chicken

I came across this recipe last year, and keep going back to it whenever I'm hungry for something different. One of the things I like about it, is its versatility. You can make this with any combination of meats or veggies and serve it over fried rice, pasta, or yakisoba noodles. The thing that stays the same though, is the amazingly awesome peanut sauce. It's super easy, and you probably have everything you need in the kitchen already! Well, ok, you might need to buy some red chili sauce. Look for it in the Asian foods section of your local supermarket.

Mix together 1 cup peanut butter (I like chunky for this), 1/2 cup soy sauce (I like low sodium to decrease the saltiness), 1/2 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder (or fresh garlic if you are motivated), 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of red chili sauce. Whisk everything until it is smooth and the consistency of pancake batter. If it's too thick, add more water, too thin, add more peanut butter.

Once I have my sauce, I usually will throw my hot chicken in it just before serving and toss it to coat everything. You can also use this sauce to baste chicken with if you are going the grilled chicken on skewers route. Just be careful that you don't heat the sauce too much! If you do, the fats and oils start to separate from the peanut butter, and your creamy peanut sauce turns into an oily chunky mess.

...and for dessert?

...and for dessert?

Pumpkin Pie

Nothing fancy here as far as the pie goes. I just used Libby's recipe from the label on the canned pumpkin. Make your own pie crust, if you get the chance. It doesn't take too long, and it really makes a difference. Plus you might have some leftover crust scraps that you can use to decorate the pie! Just cut out your decorations, brush with a bit of eggwash, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, and then arrange them on your pie.

Tonight's Main Course...

Tonight's Main Course

Tuna Noodle Casserole

The main problem with this dish, is trying to make it taste delicious, without making it taste like just another tuna noodle casserole. Boil 8 ounces of noodles, you pick what kind, I used rotini. Then mix together two cans of tuna, a can of cream of chicken soup, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup of mayo (I used Best Foods with olive oil), and 4 ounces of sharp cheddar cubed.

As far as spices go, I have a secret weapon. Don't tell anybody, it'll be our little dirty secret. Are you ready?? Nutmeg. That's right...nutmeg. The little bottle in the back of your spices that you only pull out around Thanksgiving...should be next to the poultry seasoning. A few dashes of nutmeg in any savory casserole will have your guests saying, "YUM! What's in this?!?!"

A little freshly ground pepper and then dump the whole thing in a casserole dish. Top with 4 ounces of shredded cheese and half a sleeve of Ritz crackers, and chop up 2 tablespoons of butter to throw on top of the crackers. Bake the whole thing at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, and you are set to go! NUTMEG!

The kitchen gods are angry...

For some reason, the kitchen gods are angry with me. It all started a few days ago, when my idea for a giant cookie turned into a pound of cookie dough scorching on the bottom of the oven. This was followed by a pie crust that kept flying apart, instead of staying in one big beautiful piece, like all good little pie crusts should. Both instances involved throwing my hands up and looking at the ceiling, as if I naturally knew that's where the kitchen gods lived. At least one of the kitchen gods was smiling upon me though. I managed to salvage the cookie dough, and make a giant, chocolate frosted cookie. And I managed to piece together the pie crust and make a crumb top for it instead of a lattice top. Everything turned out great in the end. :-)