Happy St. Patrick's Day

Today has been rather uneventful. I slept in, didn't go to work, and watched lots of basketball on TV. I think it is a good way to celebrate the holiday. Since I don't really like corned beef and cabbage or anything with lamb in it, we did not have a traditional Irish dinner. Instead we had Honey Lemon Schnitzel, Chive 'n' Garlic Corn, and cornbread.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Friday Feast number 135

Appetizer
Name two things that made you smile this week.

Taking a long lunch on Thursday to watch basketball.
The fact that it was actually warming up... until today when it snowed again... but at least there are signs of spring!

Soup
Fill in the blank: Don't you hate it when ________?

people drive like idiots?

Salad
When you can't go to sleep, what is your personal remedy to help yourself drift into Lullabyland?

Sometimes I count sheep.. outloud, which usually makes Jason laugh hysterically... other times I just watch TV.

Main Course
What is something about which you've always wondered but have not yet found a good answer?

I once started a calendar for a friend with questions like these.. of course I cannot remember any of them now.

Dessert
What is your favorite pasta dish?

I am not sure that I have ever had a pasta dish I didn't like. If Ian's mac & cheese pizza counts as a pasta dish, I think I pick that as my favorite.


The Friday Feast is a weekly meme intended to "feed your mind by asking thought-provoking, mind-stimulating questions."

Steve Jobs presents......iRack

Girl Scout Cookies

While I was shopping this weekend, I ran into some Girl Scouts selling cookies so I picked up a box of Jason's favorite.. peanut butter patties (formerly Tagalongs).
I am slightly upset with my purchase. Although they taste very good, the cookie is about twice as thick as I remember and there is about half as much peanut butter. I know they are trying to make the cookies more healthy and all but I like the peanut butter!
The cookies were obviously good because we don't have any left!

Turkey Baked Chimichangas

1 lb smoked turkey breast
1 tbsp chili powder
2 cups shredded slaw cabbage
1-2 chipotles in adobo sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
3 scallions
salt and pepper
6 12 in flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400. Place turkey in a bowl and season with chili powder. Add shredded cabbage, chipotles, tomato sauce, and scallions. Toss filling to combine and season with salt and pepper. Place tortillas in a kitchen towel and set in microwave. Microwave on high for 1 min. To build, place handful of cheese near edge of tortilla. Pile 1/6 of filling in tortilla. Tuck in sides and roll tortilla tightly. Repeat to make 6 large stuffed tortilla wraps. Brush baking try with vegetable oil. Brush wraps with oil and bake until deep golden, about 15-17 minutes. top with sour cream (salsa and cilantro if desired).

This is a recipe from Rachael Ray. It is fast and a lot more healthy than restaurant chimichangas. The original recipe says it makes 4 chimis but I always make 6 or 7.

Crunchy Noodle Salad

Kosher salt
1/2 pound thin spaghetti
1 pound sugar snap peas
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded, and thinly sliced
4 scallions (with and green parts), sliced diagonally
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, bring another large pot of salted water to a boil, add the sugar snap peas, return to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes, until crisp tender. Lift the sugar snap peas from the water with a slotted spoon and immerse them in a bowl of ice water. Drain.

For the dressing, whisk together the vegetable oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, peanut butter, salt, to taste, and the pepper, in a medium bowl.

Combine the spaghetti, sugar snap peas, peppers and scallions in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the spaghetti mixture. Add the scallions and the parsley and mix again.


This is a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. Her recipe called for 1/3 cup of soy sauce but the reviews said it was very salty so I only used 1/4 cup and omitted the salt. I also omitted the parsley since the grocery store hasn't had any for a while. It was very tasty, I took some of the leftovers for lunch.

Sunday Grill

Because it finally warmed up, we decided to use our grill!
We grilled hamburgers and a steak. We had our friend Anil over for dinner and since he is a vegetarian, we also grilled a mushroom cap for him.
I made some crunchy noodle salad and Anil made some shredded potato patties. It was a very good meal!
Here is a picture of Jason with the grill. I should have taken the picture when it was still daylight so you could see the snow that is still on the ground.