Dream Dinners: Slow Cooked Lasagna Soup with Parmesan Mini Breadsticks

Friday was another busy day for us.  We were working hard to get back into the swing of things after we lost our regularl schedule to the holiday crazies.  I was having a productive day-Mike went to the office, Lola went to play, I made my January Dream Dinners meals, went to the grocery store, and did some work around the house.  Normally, that would leave me little time for cooking.  Fortunately, I had defrosted the perfect Dream Dinners meal.  I was excited to try the Lasagna Soup, even though Mike thought it sounded weird. I really loved that it gave me slow cooker directions, so I didn’t have to guess on my own.  I pulled out my trusty slow cooker and added the chicken and sausage mix, the tomato sauce mix, and 2 1/2 cups of water.  I stirred those ingredients and let it cook on low.  In the meantime, I did more work around the house, picked up Lola and took her on a walk.  Mike was out with friends, so I decided to finish up dinner for myself.  I preheated the oven to 400 and prepped my baking sheet.  I brushed the breadsticks with the parmesan oil and sprinkled them with parmesan cheese.  Next, I broke up the lasagna noodles and boiled them about 7 minutes.  While the noodles were cooking, I cooked the breadsticks.  I drained the noodles and stirred them into the soup.  I pulled the breadsticks out of the oven, made a quick salad, sprinkled my soup with the cheese mixture and dinner was served.  This soup was as tasty as I wanted it to be.  I lved the combination of flavors-it really tasted like lasagna in bowl!  The breadstick was amazing as well and I must admit, I could give or take most bread.  Adding a salad rounded out the meal and I did not have to worry about being hungry later.  After I finished dinner, I went to pick up Mike and felt bad he missed out on dinner.  He tried the soup when we got home and he raved about how great it was despite his preconceived ideas.  I also enjoyed this soup yesterday for lunch and there is still another serving!  I probably could have stretched it even further with more water or chicken broth.  Dream Dinners helped me out again to have an easy, yet delicious meal on a busy day.

Dream Dinners: Southwest Chicken with Ancho Hummus and Pita

Today was our first official day back to our “regular” non holiday schedule.  Mike and I both needed to go to work and Lola stayed home to hold down the fort.  I had a few errands and chores to get done, a walk for Lola while it was warmer and sunny, and then fighting traffic to pickup Mike.  After all this, the temptation to grab a meal out was strong.  Thankfully, I planned ahead and had a Dream Dinners meal defrosted in the fridge.  When we got home, Mike and Lola played while I made dinner quickly.  Tonight’s meal was the Southwest Chicken with Ancho Hummus and Pita, which I paired with some steamed broccoli.  I started by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.  I wrapped the pitas in foil and let them warm up in the oven.  Meanwhile, I dried off the chicken and coated it with the rub.  Next, I cooked the chicken about 7 minutes per side in a skillet over medium high heat.  After everything had cooked, I cut the pitas into wedges pairing them with hummus, chicken, and broccoli.  Dinner was served in about 25 minutes of prep time.  Our meal was simple, but very tasty.  The rub gave the chicken a nice zing along with the little kick of ancho in the hummus.  We gave this meal 5 stars and would be happy to eat this again in the future. 

Dream Dinners: Italian Stuffed Shells

Happy New Year!!! I am so excited to see what 2018 has in store for me, but I know that thanks to Dream Dinners, I will be enjoying excellent meals that can be made quickly.  I will admit that I am a little bit behind on eating my December meals.  I had vacations, illnesses, out of town guests, and all the regular holiday crazy that kept me from cooking as much as I normally do.  However, thanks to some creative freezer work, I will have plenty of room to make my January meals on Friday.  I’m working on getting everything a little more organized for the New Year and that includes our eating habits.  I am going to work hard to make sure that we are getting quick, tasty meals on our table most nights of the week and I’m going to use my Dream Dinners meals to help make that happen. 

The last meal I made was on New Year’s Eve.  We were headed out to Whitestone Brewery’s New Year’s Eve/Anniversary Party and I wanted to make sure that we were well fed.  We walk to the party and this year the temperatures were a bit cooler than last year.  I was so glad that I pulled the Italian Stuffed Shells to eat that night.  I was able to cook this meal while I was getting ready to go out.  I heated my oven to 375 and placed my pan on a baking sheet.  I loosely covered it with foil and baked for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, I removed the foil and let it cook another 10 minutes uncovered.  We put together a quick salad and dinner was served.  I loved the use of 3 sauces-marinara, Alfredo, and pesto in this dish.  Mike liked that we were able to eat stuffed shells without the pain of having to make the filling and stuff them ourselves.  This was a delicious, simple, and filling meal that made our tummies warm before a cold walk.  As always, Dream Dinners was a good plan for a night we needed a quick and tasty meal.   

Dream Dinners: Mini Turkey Meatloves with Bacon Ranch Green Beans

It’s down to the end of the year and my last blog post (for the year) will be another Dream Dinners brag.  I finally started making December meals right after Christmas and I was really excited to make this variation of meatloaf.  Almost every month, Dream Dinners offers a turkey or meatloaf recipe and this recipe featured both.  I love the mini meatloaves, too, as its an easy and quick way to make dinner.  Many of our customers also report that picky kiddos who think they hate meatloaf will eat these minis right up.  I started by preheating the oven and prepping my muffin tin.  Next, I mixed together the ground turkey and bread crumb mixture.  I separated the mixture into six balls and placed them in the muffin tin.  I cut a corner off the ziplock bag and drizzled each mini with glaze.  I cooked them for about 25-30 minutes and let them set 5 minutes before serving them.  This month the meatloaves came with one of my favorites-the Bacon Ranch Green Beans.  I cooked the bacon for a few minutes and then added the butter/season mixture and green beans, cooking for about 5-6 minutes.  We had some leftover rice that I heated up to serve and dinner was ready.  The meatloaf and green beans were tasty and we were happy to have another quick, tasty meal done with plenty of time to go hang out with friends.  I am definitely happy I found Dream Dinners this year to make our lives a little bit easier and a bit tastier, too! 

The Dropout

On Wednesday, we headed to the Domain to check out new mattresses at the Casper store.  I can’t wait for this Christmas present!  We also knew that there would be some after Christmas sales to browse and there are so many newer restaurants we hadn’t tried yet.  Before lunch, I was striking out on boot quest 2017 and we realized that Casper was not on the side where we parked.  However, all was not lost, as we passed by Culinary Dropout and decided to enjoy lunch there.  Culinary Dropout is definitely a funky Austin place nestled in the upscale Domain Northside.  We lucked out and were able to be seated almost immediately.  I think the cold weather was on our side and the Domain was not super crowded that day.  We ordered a couple of brews-a winter warmer for me and an IPA style lager for Mike and began to browse the diverse menu.  So many things sounded delicious, but I did not want to stuff myself since I knew I had more shopping and trivia later.  

We decided to skip appetizers and order just lunch items.  I picked the prime rib french dip with homemade potato chips and french onion dip.  This was an excellent choice.  The french dip warmed me up and it was amazing.  The meat was cooked to perfection with a delightful melting cheese and soft toasted bread.  Mike opted for an Italian grinder with french fries.  His sandwich was also yummy and the fries were crisp and flavorful.  We ate until we were full, but not stuffed so that we could continue shopping.  We enjoyed the food and the atmosphere at Culinary Dropout and will definitely return to try more delicious menu items.

Dream Dinners: Toasted Ravioli with Seasoned Marinara Dipping Sauce

This year we did not go home for the holidays, however, Dream Dinners brought a little bit of hometown to our holidays.  As soon as I saw that Toasted Ravioli was going to be included in the Sides and Sweets freezer for December, I knew that I had to make sure to get some.  Toasted ravioli is a St. Louis favorite and I was excited to try Dream Dinners’ twist on a favorite item of ours.  Most often, toasted ravioli is made with beef, but this variety had a gooey mozzerella, white cheese blend inside.  We saved them for Christmas Day, deciding that they would be a great appetizer to serve with spaghetti.  I followed the instructions and heated up the oven to 375 and baked them for 25 minutes.  While the t-ravs were cooking, I warmed up the marinara dipping sauce.  I pulled them out and decided that they weren’t quite crispy enough, so I cooked them another few minutes.  At this point, the cheese was beginning to ooze out a bit, so I decided they would be done.  While they weren’t quite like the ones we were accustomed to, these toasted raviolis were delicious.  They almost reminded me of a hybrid mozzerella stick and toasted ravioli mix.  We ate them up, barely saving room for spaghetti.  If I am able to get these again in the future, I would probably cook them at a higher temperature to crisp them up a little more and I would also make sure to buy more than 1 package!

Dream Dinners: Pacific Rim Glazed Steak with Wonton Crisps

Welcome to end of the year blogging madness!   I have been a busy girl with the excitement of the holidays and a short illness that left me unable to think about food for a hot second.  I am finally trying to get caught up on my blogging before its time to start with a whole new year of food.  Right before Christmas, we finally finished our November Dream Dinners meals.  We ended the month of foods with a bang with the Pacific Rim Steak.  We have been very impressed with the quality of the steaks from Dream Dinners and this recipe did not disappoint.  I started by preparing the wontons.  After preheating the oven, I put the wontons on a prepared baking sheet.  I spread the oil mixture on the wontons, baking for about 6 minutes until they were brown and crispy.  While the wontons were cooking, I heated up my grill pan on the stovetop.  I cooked the steaks for about 5 minutes on each side and let them rest 5 minutes before serving them.  We served the steaks on top of the wontons with a baked potato and a side of salad.  This meal was delicious.  We loved the flavor of the steak and the addition of the crispy wontons.  It was so convenient to have a quick and tasty meal that we were able to prepare, make, and eat in under an hour!   

Ben-Yay!: New Orleans Vacation

Recently, we headed out for another fabulous vacation with some of our favorite travel buddies, Ashley, Jason, and sweet Ethan.  They are great travel partners because we have similar styles of travel- we like to eat, drink, and be on the go nonstop during our trip.  We dropped Lola off with her friends at Shady Acres and drove to our friends’ beautiful new home in Beaumont.  It was a decent drive-there was lots of rain, which we had no idea would turn into snow.  We were not sad that we missed the snow in Austin, as I’ve seen enough snow to last a lifetime.  Our first adventure had us making a trip to a liquor store so that Ashley and Mike could buy rare beers.  Later, we enjoyed the beer with some yummy Thai food.  We had a great time hanging out, catching up, and one of us was excited to see snow.   

Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout

Friday morning we woke up to snow!  We waited for Jason to complete rounds and then we all packed up into the truck to be on our way.  We stopped in Lake Charles, LA at Luna, a bar and grill, for lunch.  At no surprise to us, Jason and I ordered the same sandwich, a grilled chicken sandwich, and Mike and Ashley also ordered the same sandwich, a buffalo chicken style sandwich.  The food was delicious and it was good to get out and stretch a little bit before continuing on our way.  We discovered that parts of Louisiana got a fair amount of snow and it was absolutely beautiful as we drove through Baton Rouge.  We made it to New Orleans just in time to unpack and be on our way for dinner. 

Luna in Lake Charles, LA

Yummy chicken sandwich

The weather was not quite what we had expected as it was fairly damp and cold most of the weekend.  We tried to head to a fancy pizza place for dinner, but they had no openings for hours and that didn’t quite work for us traveling with a toddler.  We made our way to Ole Saint Kitchen and Tap for dinner and some local brews.  I picked the macaroni and cheese with roast beef debris and it did not disappoint.  The roast beef debris had a yummy sauce and paired fabulously with the creamy cheese and bow tie pasta.   

Ole Saint

Macaroni with Roast Beef Debris

Posing in a pretty hotel

After dinner, we took Ashley and Ethan back to the hotel before heading out to Bourbon St.  It was a truly unique experience.  There were people everywhere and from all walks of life.  We wandered for a bit to take in the sights before settling at Pat O’Briens, where we had to try the iconic hurricanes.  It was pretty cold that night so we walked some before returning to the bar in our hotel. 

Hurricanes on Bourbon St. 

Our goal on Saturday was to go to Cafe Du Monde for beignets and coffee.  We walked to Jackson Square for some sightseeing and to get breakfast.  The line for Cafe du Monde was insane, but fast moving and we were able to enjoy the delicious treats with the flavorful coffee.  We ended up wearing a bit of the evidence, but that just showed how much we enjoyed our food!  We did a fair amount of walking, stopping at Brieux Carre for beers for the boys before stopping at Acme Oyster for lunch.   

Some of our favorites in front of the St. Louis Cathedral

Cafe au Lait from Cafe du Monde

Beignets! 

Oysters

Poor Ethan didn’t feel well after a long day in the cold, so he and Ashley missed out on our dinner that evening.  We also took the opportunity to hit up several dive bars and enjoyed the sights and people watching.  The following morning, the boys tried to go to a bar for some amazing fries while Ashley and I got ready for our tea time.  It seemed like a weekend of mishaps because the kitchen at the bar didn’t start serving until later, so the boys missed out on those.  Our tea time got cancelled due to a pastry problem and we all ended up eating brunch instead.  After brunch, we stopped to pick up some pralines before heading home.  We stopped in Lafayette, LA to visit a neat home store, Paul Michaels and then for a yummy pizza dinner.  Mike and I stayed one more night in Beaumont before heading home.  It was another amazing adventure with our “framily.”  We can’t wait to see where our next adventure might take us.

Tea for Brunch

Dream Dinners: Grilled Bruschetta Chicken Skewers

My parents came to Austin for a whirlwind preholiday vacation, so we have been dining out a lot.  I was really glad that I had some Dream Dinners meals in the freezer so that I had something healthy and quick to make after dropping them off at the airport.  I am still finishing up the last bit of my November meals and I need to get cracking on December.  Fortunately, Mike has a bit of time of near the holidays so we will be home to enjoy plenty of meals together.  I knew this meal would be tasty, as we had made it previously in the store as the appetizer.  I always have pasta or rice and frozen vegetables on hand, so I decided to pair it with orzo and broccoli.  I got my orzo started and then read the recipe for the chicken.  I decided that we would be eating the chicken breasts whole and I didn’t feel like using the broiler or grill pan.  In the end, I opted to create my own cooking plan.  I poured the chicken and marinade in a skillet and heated them up over medium heat and put the lid on.  I cooked the chicken for 6 minutes on each side to start.  After the initial cook, I cooked them for another 2—3 minutes on each side.  I checked to make sure they were cooked through, we plated our food, and dinner was served.  The chicken was moist and tender with a little bit of a sweet flavor.  It paired nicely with the orzo and broccoli.  After all the indulgent foods we’ve been eating lately, this meal was truly a “Dream Dinner.”  We were fed quickly, easily, and with a healthy meal.  I look forward to finishing my November meals tonight and finally getting started on my December meals. 

Dream Dinners: Rosemary Smokehouse Turkey Burgers on Pretzel Buns

I have been super busy lately and have gotten very behind on making my Dream Dinners meals.  In fact, I am finishing up the last few from November still.  Before we left for vacation, we tried a new meal.  I was excited to make the turkey burgers and I was very confident that they’d turn out yummy.  I decided to serve my burgers with tater tots, so I got those started before I made the burgers.  I haven’t had a lot of luck with turkey burgers on my grill pan, so I decided to pan fry them.  I preheated a skillet on the stove top.  I put the ground turkey and seasonings in a bowl and mixed it well.  I formed the turkey mixture into 3 large patties and cooked them about 7 minutes on each side.  Once the burgers were almost done, I put the buns in the oven to lightly toast them.  We put the burgers on the buns, topped them with BBQ sauce and served.  The burgers had wonderful flavor with the rosemary and cheddar cheese mixed inside.  I love the pretzel buns and the BBQ sauce adds an extra zing.  I was super happy with the meal and the leftovers were great the next day, too.

Dream Dinners: Baked Chicken Chimichangas with Corn Medley

We are still working hard to finish up our November batch of Dream Dinners.  It means that grocery shopping has be pretty easy with just grabbing snacks and breakfast items.  Last night, I sent Mike and Lola for a walk while I got started on dinner.  I preheated the oven and prepped my pan by removing the lid and sticking it on a baking sheet, just to be safe.  It was still lightly frozen so I knew I would have to check everything to make sure it had cooked through.  I placed the bags of verde sauce and sour cream on top of the oven as it preheated to help them thaw faster.  I cooked the chimichangas for 20 minutes uncovered and then pullled them out of the oven.  Frustration set in because I had to flip them in the pan and I obviously did not spray the pan well when I made them.  I put them back in the oven for another 20 minutes.  With about 5 minutes left, I started working on the corn medley.  I heated up a small skillet and added the butter/seasoning and corn, cooking until done.  After the chimichangas had baked, I covered them with the green verde sauce.  We made a mess scooping them out of the pan, but they still seemed tasty.  I drizzled mine with sour cream and we were ready to eat.  They were delicious and paired well with the corn.  This was a gooey cheesy mess, but it was very tasty.  In the future, I will try to do a better job spraying the pan and make sure I am wearing my patient pants when I am cooking this meal. 

Dream Dinners: Italiano Chicken and Orzo

Saturday was a busy day at our house, so we decided to stay in for dinner.  I pulled out the Italiano Chicken and Orzo and dinner was a breeze.  I heated up oil in a skillet and added the chicken mixture, cooking and stirring for about 5-7 minutes. Next, I stirred in the seasoned tomato mix to blend.  I added in the orzo and brought it to a boil.  I let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the orzo was tender.  I did add a little more water after 15 minutes to achieve the desired consistency.  We sprinkled with cheese and were ready to eat.  This meal was so simple and so tasty.  It produced so much, too, so we were able to eat plenty that night and have a couple of portions leftover.  Another great Dream Dinners meal came to rescue this busy family! 

Hello Garbo’s!

‘Tis the season for giving.  On Friday, Whitestone Brewery was collecting toys for the Blue Santa Program, which gives toys to kids who have left their homes due to domestic violence.  They were also donating a percentage of sales to the program.  We picked up some toys and decided to enjoy a few hours at our favorite place.  We also got to try a new food truck, Garbo’s.  They are known for their lobster rolls, but we are not lobster people.  I picked a cheeseburger and took the recommendation to add bacon on top.  Mike tried the blackened cod sandwich and we split fries.  Our food was pretty good, but not our favorite food truck ever.  My burger was a solid burger and I liked that the bacon was chopped rather than in strips.  Mike thought his sandwich was just okay, maybe not quite what he expected.  The fries were well seasoned and crispy.  The weather was nice so we ate on the patio before heading in to the bar to hang out with a friend.  We were happy to donate to a worthy cause, spend time at our favorite place, and I even won a crowler of beer.  Good times all around! 

Dream Dinners: Honey Pecan Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Applesauce

We are behind on our November meals and I just assembled December’s meals today.  For the next several meals, it will be Dream Dinners, leftovers, or out.   The pork tenderloins that we make are always tasty and this was no exception.  I preheated the oven and got my pan ready.  I also determined that I would use the leftover sides from the other night and save myself time and fridge space.  First, I added the pecans to the crumb mixture.  I used tongs to remove the pork from the marinade and place it on my baking sheet.  Next, I packed the crumb mixture on top of the tenderloin.  I put the tenderloin to bake for 35 minutes on the bottom rack in the oven.  While the pork was cooking, I brought the cranberry applesauce to a boil and then let it simmer for about 25 minutes.  After the pork cooked, I let it rest for a few minutes before Mike sliced it.  That gave me time to heat up the sides and set the table.  We served the sauce on top of the pork with sides of rice and gingered carrots.  Everything was so good!  The pork was cooked perfectly and the sauce tasted like fall.  Hopefully, this item is back on the menu in the future because it was a hit for us. 

Dream Dinners: Sweet and Sour Chicken with Sweet Gingered Carrots

Last night, I had a meeting at work so Mike made one of our Dream Dinners meals.  He started by making some rice to serve with the chicken and then got started on the chicken.  He heated up some oil in a skillet and cooked the chicken for 3 minutes on each side to brown it.  Next, he added the sauce to the chicken, turned down the heat, and cooked it for about 15 minutes.  At the end of the cooking process, he heated up a small skilllet and sautéed the carrots in the butter blend for about 5 minutes.  We served the chicken over the rice and put the carrots on the side.  This was a really yummy dish.  I loved the flavor of the sauce and the carrots were a perfect pairing.  The only thing I didn’t love was the baby corn, which I kept on the side for Mike.  We really liked this meal and would be happy to make it again. 

Dream Dinners: Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms and Mashed Potatoes

Thank Goodness for Dream Dinners!  Last night, I was tired of leftovers and too tired to go out, so I was happy to have a meal that was quick and easy to make for dinner.  I definitely made modifications to this meal by leaving out the mushrooms and adding a side of my delicious green bean casserole (ok, 1 leftover).  I started by heating up some oil in a skillet and cooked the chicken breasts for 2 minutes on each side.  To the chicken, I added the onion mixture, reducing the heat, and cooking it about 5-6 minutes until the onions were soft.  While this was cooking, I put the mashed potatoes in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Next, I added the Marsala sauce to the chicken mix and stirred to blend, allowing it to simmer 5-6 minutes.  Once the chicken was done, I removed it from the heat and stirred in some culinary cream.  We served the chicken over the potatoes with a side of green bean casserole.  My green bean casserole has a jalapeno kick, so the creamy chicken and mashed potatoes were a great addition.  Mike was not as impressed as I was, but I really liked it.  The chicken was cooked perfectly without being dry and I enjoyed the flavors in the sauce. Once again, Dream Dinners saved the day!

Cubs, Hawks, and Bears-Oh My!

This was a long weekend and we spent a good portion of it at our happy place, Whitestone Brewery.  Mike had to work the early shift on Black Friday, so he was tired and I didn’t really feel like cooking or eating Thanksgiving leftovers.  We were eager to try the food truck, RWB’s Chow Bus.   Our beertenders told us great things about this food truck with lots of Chicago favorites.  The menu was quite varied with pizzas, salads, sandwiches, and more.  Eventually, I opted for the Redbird, a grilled chicken sandwich with a side of crinkle cut fries.  Mike picked the Italian beef tacos and an order of America Balls.  The food was excellent.  My chicken sandwich was very simple, but the chicken was well seasoned and cooked perfectly.  I love crinkle fries and these were a perfect specimen-crisp and salty.  Mike loved his Italian beef tacos that had a bit of spice to them.  The America Balls were fried cheese balls, which were right up his alley and much tastier than the last deep fried balls served at Whitestone.  All the food was amazing and there were more menu items that we’d gladly try given the chance.  We didn’t stay long, as we were tired, but it was a great way to kickstart our weekend.

The Redbird

America Balls

Italian Beef Tacos

Dream Dinners: Outlaw Chicken Sliders with Mac and Cheese Wedges

On Wednesday, we were heading to Whitestone for a Turkey Testicle Festival, but we knew we were eating at home first.  I had defrosted another great Dream Dinners meal that I was able to cook and assemble while Mike and Lola went for a quick walk.  I preheated my oven to 400 and got my pans ready.  On one pan, I placed the chicken pieces and the mac and cheese wedges went on the other pan.  I baked everything for about 15 minutes.  Next, I pulled everything out and put together the sliders with a bun, a piece of chicken, Swiss cheese, and french fried onions.  They went into the broiler for about 2 minutes until the cheese had melted.  We topped the sliders with some smoky chipotle sauce and we were ready to eat.  We were really impressed with the mac and cheese wedges this time.  They were cooked through and crispy-much better than a previous attempt.  The sliders were good, too.  I loved the addition of the crunchy onions and the chipotle sauce added a nice bit of spice.  This was a perfect meal for our on the go lifestyle that we seem to be having lately.  

A Tryst of Fate

Monday was a rough day.  We realized that the garage door had been open over the weekend due to some sort of issue with the sliding mechanism.  I thought I had fixed it Sunday afternoon and nothing seemed out of the norm.  When we got to the garage Monday morning for Mike and Lola to go to to work and play, I realized something was not right.  There was insulation from the garage door all over the place.  We quickly loaded up, thinking maybe one of the neighbor’s cats had been trapped in the garage at some point.  I realized that there was urine all over the windshield of the car and knew I was going to be dealing with a mess.  I dropped off Mike and Lola and decided to take a better look to see what I was dealing with.  Upon looking at some footprints on the car, it was obvious that I was not dealing with a cat, but likely a raccoon.  I called Animal Control to have them check out the situation.  The two ladies from Animal Control confirmed that a raccoon had been there, but was no longer there.   Next, I had to deal with getting the car clean.  I went to a car wash, hoping that it was a place where they would clean it by hand.  Unfortunately, I realized too late that it was an automatic wash, which I absolutely hate.  After this trauma, I went to pick up Mike and Lola.  Mike suggested that maybe we should head to Whitestone for a few beers and dinner.   

Duke of Windsor (cheeseburger) 

Mike is so smart!  We got to hangout with one of our favorite beertenders, Trish, and try a new food truck, Tryst.  The cool thing about Tryst is that its a farm to food truck type of place, so it has an ever changing menu.  We just missed the fried chicken, which smelled amazing.  We were able to try several other items.  I opted for a cheeseburger, Mike got a pimento cheese sandwich that sounded perfect for him, and we split the loaded fries.  After ordering, we hung out at the bar and he brought our food to us.  Everything was super tasty!  My burger was cooked perfectly and had great flavors.  Mike loved his sandwich and it was almost designed for his with pimento cheese, bacon, and sweet and spicy pickles.  The loaded fries had a little bit of everything on the menu including beef, bacon, cheese, jalapeños, bbq sauce and even a fried egg.   They were definitely the most unique loaded fries I’ve ever tasted.  Tryst seems to be quite a staple at Whitestone with brunches on the weekend and they even helped with the Turkey Testicle Festival on Wednesday.  I can’t wait to try the brunch and many of the other dishes that Tryst has to offer.  I also felt much better after spending time at our happy place away from our garage problems.

By Grace (loaded fries) 

Duchess of Windsor (pimento cheese, bacon, crybabies) 

Dream Dinners: Old Fashioned Meatloaf with Twice Baked Potatoes and Bacon Ranch Green Beans

Dream Dinners makes a delicious meatloaf.  I am choosy about meatloaf, as my recipe from my mom is my favorite, but Dream Dinners does a good job creating a tasty meal.  In addition to the meatloaf, we had a delicious twice baked potato wedge without all the work, and bacon ranch green beans.  I started by preparing my muffin tin and preheating the oven.  I love the tip of making meatloaf in a muffin tin because it cooks much quicker and is already portioned out.  I mixed the ground beef with the oatmeal mixture (this is why I loved this recipe!) and combined it well.  I split the mixture into 6 balls which I put in the muffin tins.  I drizzled the chili sauce over each meatloaf muffin and baked them for 25-30 minutes.  Next, I prepped the potatoes.  I put some foil on a baking sheet and put each potato skin on the sheet.  I mixed the filling bag and piped the potato mixture evenly on each skin.  I baked the potatoes for about 20-25 minutes.  When the meatloaf and potatoes had just a few minutes left, I cooked the bacon green beans in a skillet.  This was a fabulous meal!  The meatloaf tasted very close to mine, with just a little kick from the chili sauce.  The twice baked potatoes were super yummy and so easy-I wished we had more!  We look forward to the chance to make this one again.