recipe sunday no. 4 | lunch for friends

This Sunday we had Lauren & Zac over for lunch: 3 very successful new recipes, one oldie-but-goodie, and one epic fail (which we didn't serve). I should also mention that this was the first meal that KC & I were really able to cook together in our kitchen. The square-footage of the space is ridiculously small and the layout is barely conducive for one person. Cooking together is usually frustrating, but with some planning and prep work this weekend we made it happen.

Okay, it's official. We're Whole Foods junkies. I love having a full, green fridge. We're still fans of Aldi, but nothing beats the freshness and experience of Whole Foods.

First up, Crispy Beer Flatbread. This was really good. We cooked it on our pizza stone and pre-sliced it before cooking so they baked into the right size.

Next, Tuscan Soup. KC thought the dish would be a man-dish because it's pretty meaty, but L & I enjoyed it too. The bacon garnish adds a lot. We made the chicken stock from scratch, which was totally worth the extra effort. 

For dessert, individual Molten Chocolate Cakes with vanilla bean ice cream.

We also had KC's killer bread, always a hit. And the no-go-dish was Herbed Quinoa Salad. I've had quinoa many times and love it, but mine turned out really mushy. I'm not sure if I cooked it too long, or not enough. 4 out of 5 isn't bad though.

recipe sunday no. 1 | onion soup gratinee

I have to admit that, although I really love cooking, I've done little of it since we got married. Not getting home until 6:30 or 7 most nights means that, if I do cook, we don't eat until 8:30, and by the time we're done cleaning up, it's 10pm and that's just exhausting to do every night. We'll get into a good routine, but for now, we're going to start with Recipe Sundays.

Here's the first dish: Onion Soup Gratinee. It was a hit for our taste buds and budget. I used gruyere instead of provolone, & swapped out 2 of the yellow onions for a red and some scallions. I also added some red wine to the mix.

bread machines are for sissies

this weekend i made some dope (crusty on outside chewy on the inside) bread. i'm a sucker for good fresh bread and i was pretty pumped i was able to pull this off. you can too. i did the two day recipe but i plan on experimenting some more.

i enjoyed the loaf with my brother Corey (who i would link to but he's lame and doesn't have anything i can link...or does he??). he brought over some homemade ham balls and we chowed down while discussing movies, computers, and comic books. i don't know how i managed to stay engaged in a comic book discussion....it was probably the wine.

in other news, Sara got new boots, i got a cardigan, the Estonians are awesome (music soon), honeymoon pictures and stories are on their way. also, if your day needs cheering, check out these puppies.