From the Kitchen

Roasted Chicken and Scallions (MS Living April 2010) with Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad from Smitten Kitchen. My first time eating butternut squash. First of all it smells like a pumpkin which freaked me out but after roasting it I didn't find it had much flavor. So it was ok.

Pan sauteed Tilapia with Emeril's Lemon Butter Sauce (OMG this is the best lemon butter sauce on the face of the planet. Seriously, I licked my plate. TMI?) and Emeril's Creole Rice Pilaf, which we've already discussed.

It's the sauces.

The Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Stew with Biscuits. This ain't yo mama's chicken stew. Well, unless Ina Garten is your mom. We've made this before but this was the first time I went to the trouble of roasting the chicken instead of just boiling it to save time. Y'all. Roast the chicken. It's like the filling of chicken pot pie (which I don't think I've ever had). Also make the biscuits. Don't cheat. Put on some music and relax. Cook it on a Sunday when you have lots of time. It's labor intensive but oh so worth it.

Pioneer Woman's Braised Short Ribs with Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta and steamed green beans. We bought the short ribs from the Organic Butcher whose prices are pretty comparable to Whole Foods. It took around 3 hours to cook- not 2. This was the first time I've had polenta. I didn't realize it was just corn meal. I liked it, but Michael wasn't a fan since it has a grit like quality to it. The goat cheese was a scrumptious addition.

Rendering fat from Pancetta.

Carrots. duh.

I can't believe I forgot to talk about my breakfast this morning. Mr B's Waffles with Bananas Foster Sauce (I actually used Emeril's Bananas Foster recipe - halved- and the rum halved again). I want to shout it from the mountaintops how ridiculously awesome this was. Oh man. It was perfect.