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. 3 | chicken scallopine with saffron cream sauce

Okay, well the next post from KC will not be entirely food related, as it's Recipe Sunday, and my turn!

This Sunday I chose 2 recipes from my new Giada's Kitchen cookbook, a Christmas present from Mama G:

Chicken Scallopine with Saffron Cream Sauce

Broiled Zucchini and Potatoes with Parmesan Crust

Both winners, hooray! (I made a pasta dish from the same book earlier this week that was an epic fail, so I was hoping these would be drastically better.)

I was a little hesitant on the saffron, a) because I had never tasted it, much less cooked with it, and b) because it was almost $15 for a tiny jar (yipe!). KC & I stood in the spice aisle at Kroger for a few minutes debating: picking it up, putting it down. Finally we decided to go for it. The recipe only calls for a few threads and it's supposed to keep for a good while as long as it's sealed tightly. I'm really glad we took the risk because it was really fantastic flavor, and we'll definitely be using saffron again.

Chicken Scallopine with Saffron Cream Sauce

Broiled Zucchini and Potatoes with Parmesan Crust

Showing off  my sweet new knife skills (thanks Chef Matarese) in my sweet new apron (thanks Mama H).

Oh, and in case you've ever wondered, cooking classes through Whole Foods are the jam. Salud!

recipe sunday no. 2 | beer cheese soup

Okay dish number two:Beer Cheese Soup. Can you tell we're soup people? Overall this was good, but I think we decided that we'd prefer it without all the accessories (carrots, potatoes, etc.) with a smoother consistency. Also, I'm not sure all the beer was cooked out because I was tipsy afterward. Ha. Just kidding, but really, it was pretty potent and probably could have cooked longer. 

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.