Happy New Year!

I am proud to say that I started to follow my dream in 2011 with the start of this blog, and my ever-so-humble pies. I look forward to continuing and expanding my interest and love of cooking in 2012! As it is the last night of 2011, we are honoring that moment with "party tray" and movies. My consultants, Daughter #1 and #2 were pivotal in choosing each course for the night. We've finished the cheese and cured meats portion of the evening (which means, we had cheeseball--Daughter #1's fave--and summer sausage--Daughter #2's fave).

We are moving on to semi-homemade spinach dip, followed by a feast of processed foods courtesy of our fave Kroger store freezer section, dubbed many years ago as "Frozenville" by Hubby-Bubs!

We will rightfully kick off 2012 tomorrow with corned beef to give us good luck in the year to come. And please continue to check in for more healthy, delicious, homemade, "real" recipes from Duffy's Kitchen --I'm already making my menus!

Best to you and yours!

Simple Pleasures

check out my easy-peasy scone recipe. You'll rock the house with out much effort ~

Butter Burgers~

There is something about a good burger. The last really good one I had was from Boogie Burger on Hubby-Bub's and my 14th anniversary. After that, my next fave are the burgers we made on a teeny-tiny grill about 5 years ago when we had the pleasure of a family vacation at Lake Monroe.

I've said it before, sometimes it is the atmosphere in which you have your meal. Hubby-bubs and I both agree it was the opportunity to tune chaos out and just be a family. We didn't doctor up the burgers, but cooked them on a little hibachi and we ate quite late. It was because it was a moment in time--a time for us to be together as a family without the chaos of everyday/get-the-job-done/don't forget homework and laundry...etc. part of life--the food tasted so GOOD!

I do often times try to recreate that burger. It's impossible because of the time and place we were in. That, however, does not stop me from trying to make a good burger. So...here's what I like to do.

I take my ground beef/chuck (or whatever you might like to use--don't go all sirloin, however. You will lose the fat that makes burgers good) and add a little Lawry's salt, pepper, parsley and, yes...I said it...BUTTER. (soften that butter if you need to)

I use my hands to mix it all in well. And then make your patties--don't forget to put in a dimple in the middle of your patties to help them shape up well.

check out the pies!

Come one, come all...enjoy a pie. Check out my newest button on my blog--Pie Love.

Jamaica, Mon!

Daughter #1 is working on a special presentation. She was assigned a country on which to do a PowerPoint presentation. I had recollections of my 6th grade presentation about how I wanted to be a veterinarian. 6th grade has come a long way, my friends.

Part of her presentation is to bring a food culturally associated with her country. Daughter #1 got assigned Jamaica. The joke, early on, was that I got excited and said..."OOOOH, YAY! We can make Jamaican patties!" The response was the requisite eye-roll and "MOM! Stop!" response.

But, guess what, we were making Jamaican patties tonight--only because Daughter #1's presentation is tomorrow, and she was slightly panicked...so the patties didn't sound like such a bad idea.

Now, I'm always happy when I'm in the kitchen, so I was more than willing to help get the job done. I will give Daughter #1 credit, she did most of the work, even crimping the dough.

Turns out, these things are pretty darn tasty! I ran out of pie dough (there's enough for her to share with her class) and tried puff pastry for the abundance of filling I had left. While the puff pastry was good, we all agreed that the pie crust is the way to go.

So now I have a bunch of meat left...I made a Jamaican meat loaf! Hubby-bubs will eat it--smile:) Check out the recipe for mini-Jamaican patties on recipes~

Next!

Well, I don't know about you, but we had a lovely Thanksgiving. My mom and I were major "chatty-chattersons," as we always are when we get together; then there was Wii, lots of laughing and so much more. Hubby-bubs' brine made for a fantastic, juicy turkey--although the process took a little a longer than expected. We have to give him credit--he worked from 8 until 2 on Thanksgiving (the downside of managing a wine shop).

Outside of the fabo turkey, my faves were the pear/cranberry chutney I made for the first time, the stuffing (always my sweet spot), and the green bean casserole recipe borrowed from my sister.

So...what to do with those leftovers? I froze much of the turkey, some of the mashed taters and stuffing. Last night I borrowed something I saw on TV with Emeril Lagasse and made stuffing cakes. I plopped one of those babies down on slices of turkey and a smidge of gravy...mmm...mmm.mmm.

Tonight we are doing pasta that I think we can add the remaining green been casserole too--throw in some olives if you want to (we have some remaining from "party tray.") And I am baking up fresh bread as well.

But now we move on. Christmas and Daughter #1's 12th birthday on Dec 24. She's chosen a theme for the cake--flowers. As I know I cannot make frosting flowers, I bought some at www.fancyflours.com. I wanted the sugered pansies, but they were cost-prohibitive. Daughter #1 picked out some she liked--we'll go with that.

Coming up...peppermint marshmallows, peppermint bark, a family favorite and much more.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

How glorious that I had today off! Last night was spent cleaning. Today I was in my mode--in the kitchen with an apron on, prepping for the big dinner tomorrow night. Daughters and I picked up our fresh "Turkey Tom" today at my favorite meat market--Kincaid's. It's like stepping back in time to a simpler way of living when you walk in there.

After an early afternoon Thanksgiving Eve nap, I spent the rest of my time in the kitchen. Apple and pumpkin pies, cinnamon ice cream, prep for the stuffing and sweet potato casserole.

Hubby-bubs is in charge of the turkey--he's doing a brine.

Tomorrow---we wake up in time to watch the parade and do last-minute prep. Then it's all about food, family and festivities--and football (Green Bay, baby)!

I'm grateful for my children, my Hubby-Bubs, my extended fam, my friends, my job, the opportunities I've had this year to expand my horizons, our home, food on our table, clothes on our backs, education for our children..and the beauty of waking up every day to a world in which we can choose to make a difference--big or small.

Blessings to all of you!

Preparations!

Things are in full swing at the Duffy household. That means quick and easy dinners--tonight...pasta! I have a date with a Swiffer and some Pledge in the next couple of days! Best wishes to you all for a happy, healthy, fun and safe Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving!

I know, I know...you are all anxiously awaiting what we will fete on for Thanksgiving. Between now and after Jan 1 is one of my favorite times of the year, for so many reasons. I love the side of me that delves into the spirit of the festivities. I'm the one who gets the computer all set up to watch Santa's journey through NORAD. Daughter #1 will be Santa's helper this year, as she learned some things about how he works. I won't mind one bit that I get laughed at for continuing to put on SantaTracker--I get so excited!

So, now...here's what I'm taking about...Thanksgiving Dinner. There have been two times in my life where I have been ill on Thanksgiving. First time...I was about 12 and spent the day on my grandmother's couch unable to ingest anything other than Sprite. It's a sad story. Last year we hosted the entire Duffy clan and I came down with a virus. Hubby-bubs had to go to work that AM, so I spent the morning on the couch with ibuprofin to take my fever down, watching the Thanksgiving Day parade and doing my best to give the Daughters instructions on what to do. I rallied until almost through dinner. I had my pumpkin pie in bed, made by sister-in-law and delivered by Daughter #1.

This year is bound to be different. We have just my mom and Jim coming so it will be a smaller affair, but that doesn't mean it's not worthy of a good effort. So...here you go:

Turkey: I ordered my fresh turkey from our fave meat market--Kincaids. Walking into that place is liking walking through a time machine. I'm an instantly back as a child at South Bend's Farmer's Market. Fresh is best, in my mind. And it's not that much more than frozen. Anyhoo--Hubby-bubs is in charge of the turkey. He's done a variety of things...even soaking the bird in a brine overnight (which required him getting up at 3 am to turn the bird). Last year, it was simply butter, salt, pepper and an aluminum foil tent. It was FABO. Why make it hard, when it can be easy and sooo tasty!

Stuffing: we don't stuff our turkey, so I guess technically this is dressing. Again, we've done simple and complicated. This year, I'm following Betty Crocker and adding spices that we like. Do what you love.

I'm doing my sister's green bean casserole which calls for shiitake mushrooms. Then, mashed taters, sweet potato casserole, apple salad (also known as Waldorf salad) and rolls.

Dessert is apple pie with cinnamon ice cream and pumpkin pie with whipped cream.

Great Day!

I'm usually the one asking for money, as I've been in the fundraising biz for nearly 20 years. Today, I had the distinct pleasure of working with 20 or so fabulous women from my OPTIONS class - a program with The Women's Fund - to decide how to disseminate our collective contribution. It was a wonderful process that left me feeling inspired and fulfilled. I am sad to see my year with OPTIONS pass, but I am looking forward to serving as an alumna.

Coming home from that experience, I came into the house to find a dozen roses, sparkling wine and a take out menu for Boogie Burger in honor my Hubby-bub's and my 14th anniversary. Couldn't top it off better! Hope to get in a game of cards as well!

Certainly feeling blessed at this very moment!

Orchard Auction!

Congratulations to the entire Orchard Auction team that put together a great--and I believe quite profitable--event on Saturday night! I am always amazed at our Aladdin staff who not only feed over 700 people a DAY at school, but can also put together a lovely plated dinner for 200. I'm stealing their pear, cranberry, pumpkin seed salad we had Saturday night for my own table at Thanksgiving. I'll have more to say about Thanksgiving later...

I put together our weekly menu and on tap for tonight, burgers on the grill (since it's 65 degrees out) and homemade onion rings, which I am monitoring while I blog. It's a bit of a process which usually includes taste testing. However, Daughter #1 always gives me a stern warning not to do so, since it leads to me eating 1/2 the batch!

Monday we will have BALTs--bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato sammies. Again, it's going to be near 70 tomorrow, so heavy food doesn't sound good. Plus we're keeping things relatively simple since we'll also be prepping for Thanksgiving.

Tuesday - Hubby-bubs and I will celebrate our 14th anniversary:)

Wednesday - we haven't had fish in a while, and we love tilapia, gently coated and pan fried. Lemon-herbed orzo will go perfectly with this dish.

Thursday - I have an event with the Women's Fund, so it'll be leftovers for the rest of the fam.

And then we'll see what Friday brings....

Comfort Food

There were snow flurries here in Indianapolis today. It seems to me that this is one of the earliest times that we've seen snow fall in this area in a long time--perhaps a harbinger for things to come. After all, the Farmer's Almanac does call for a snowy winter for our region. And I'm quite excited about it!!!!

In any case, cold, snowy weather does call for comfort food. I stated that I was going to make chicken and dumplings tonight. I did...and the house smells fantastic!

It also brought up some really heartwarming memories. Almost 12 years ago, Daughter #1 was born on Christmas Eve. We brought her home 3 days later and then we were blessed with many kind visitors who brought food, gifts and fellowship.

Hubby-bub's sister (who was married 2 months before us and had also given birth to a daughter 7 weeks before Daughter #1 arrived) came to our house to drop off a meal. I was napping with the baby at the time, but I remember my mom heating up that meal for dinner--it was chicken and dumplings. And it was the absolute BEST chicken and dumplings I had ever eaten. And I still compare any chicken and dumplings to that meal.

I wonder sometimes if some foods or meals become better because of the circumstances in which they are eaten. I don't think I will ever have chicken and dumplings like that again, probably because of that specific time and place in our lives and the loving intent with which that meal was provided.

The Week of Cookies

I've been focused on these 200 owl cookies I'm making for a work event. Sounds simple enough, but the process does take a while. It's been a multi-evening effort for me, therefore, most meal planning has been fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants.

I had a streak going over the weekend: make-your-own-pizzas last Friday. I love making my own pizza dough! And it's really quite easy, as is making homemade bread, which I also love baking.

I did manage to boil some pasta last night. I had some leftover "dirty rice" as well, so it was a bit of a smorgasboard last night.

Tonight, I'm sorry to say, it was frozen pizza, in order to save time so I could finish up the owl cookies.

Now--I'm excited about tonight! The weather took a nasty turn. The temperature went from 66 degrees at 11 am yesterday to 45 at 5 pm. There's talk of snow. That means the weather is perfect for comfort food! And one of my favorite comfort foods is chicken and dumplings, so that's on the docket.!

We will have enough leftovers to sling us into the weekend and Hubby-bubs and I will fete on Saturday at the event for which I made the owl cookies--I've seen the menu and it looks better than anything I would come up with.

Looking into something Columbian over the weekend to take to our friends who have a new baby boy! Mom's Columbian and we wanted to honor the heritage. Thinking about carne asada and arepas!

Flashback

So, I am making these owl cookies for an event at work--200 or so. Not such a big deal, except I want these things to look good. My first round turned out great. 2nd round didn't live up to my standards so they went in the Duffy family cookie jar. I'm under a deadline, so I have to get these things done, right? So tonight, I'm baking cookies simultaneously while I'm firing up dinner and frosting my hoo-haaa off--with royal icing which I want to set up before I add the "eyes" of the owl.

Earlier on, in the middle of dotting one of the eyes on these owls...it hits me. 14 years ago I was in a similar situation.

Back then, I had this fabulous idea that I was going to make giant wedding cake cookies for everyone who attended Hubby-bubs and my rehearsal dinner. I had ordered the giant cookie cutters from Martha. I had made the handmade dough and cut them all out and, somehow, stored them in our teeny-tiny freezer until it was time to decorate them. I even went so far as to buy veil material to wrap them individually and tie with a gold bow.

However, I found myself swamped with last minute details and, the Thursday before our wedding it snowed like crazy. My sister and brother-in-law made it that night through the snow (they were coming from up north) and saved the day with the cookies.

I'll never forget the picture of my future husband and my brother-in-law slouched over a table decorating wedding cake cookies--of course they thought they'd have some fun with a few. Those never made it to the rehearsal dinner:)

I still have some time on the owl cookies and I'll get them done. Life's just a little different than it was 14 years ago. It made me chuckle to remember that time in place.

Three Hits This Week!

Weekend Halloween parties and trick or treating on Monday threw my meal planning slightly out the window, but I made it up by being efficient mid-week.

A tradition in the Duffy household: Halloween's the only night the children can have candy for dinner. Maybe it's not a good idea, but I've never been able to figure out how to feed them something decent on that night. As a kid, I remember going trick or treating and then having to come home and eat chili (which, at the time, I hated) before having any candy. So, maybe that's the reason we don't even try. In any case, we call the day after Halloween--also All Saint's Day--the Halloween Hangover. Daughter #1 and #2 don't want to get up because they've been jazzed all day by school activities and the excitement about dressing up and trick or treating, then eating too much junk and staying up too late. And hubby-bubs lies in wait until they go to bed so he can raid their stash! I wake up the next morning and find candy wrappers everywhere. Each year I implore him: if you're going to hit their stash late at night...HIDE THE EVIDENCE!

Anyhoo, we're back on track. My first big hit was the vanilla scones I made from scratch on Tuesday night--in honor of a friend's birthday. Best scone I ever made, I gotta say.

Second hit--spag and meatballs on Tuesday night. I have a personal quest to make the best meatballs. I've done enough research to think that the perfect meatball requires a delicate combination of meats and herbs. I admit I typically use ground beef or chuck, so that's probably a strike against me. But, for some reason, this time around, they were delicious!

The coup de gras is the fact that I planned ahead and, while cooking the spag and meatballs and baking the scones on Tuesday, I coupled the ingredients to make spaghetti tacos for tonight! If you're not a regular iCarly watcher, you may not know about spaghetti tacos. The first time I made them, I did it for the daughters, but they are actually pretty good and fun--check out recipes for my personal touch on this iCarly fave.

I was inspired by our food service folks this week--they made chicken enchiladas. I've rocked the house with my own, so--now that the weather is again turning to the cold side--I will make this over the weekend.

Look for my story about etouffee and planning for the holidays coming up.

My Love Affair with Etouffee

Ehhh-to-faay. You have to say it the right way. With the best Cajun drawl you can muster. Like its name, this is a dish that takes time. So pour yourself a tall glass of Sauvignon Blanc and enjoy the process.

I've never been to New Orleans. Hubby-bubs went 30 years ago for Mardi Gras (before we met). At that time, for him, it was all about the party. For me, the actual place--its culture, history and food—conjures up a combination of mystery and romance. Of course Hurricane Katrina does come to mind. But my inclination is to go to that magical side: of Sissy Spacek in the movie “JFK” talking about going to Antoine’s for Easter dinner; of wandering Bourbon Street hearing jazz on from street performers; of nibbling on beignets and sipping café o’lait at Café Du Monde.

My love affair with etouffee started simply--by watching Emeril Live and then finding his recipe that I thought I'd give it a try. We are quirky people and like to celebrate anytime we can. It seemed natural create the tradition of making etouffee for the family every Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent begins. The tradition stuck, but now I make the dish throughout the year when I have time to attend to the beautiful process of caramelizing onions and then adding the trifecta of flavors--garlic, celery and (for me) mushrooms).

Creating the roux is one of my favorite parts. When it comes together in that beautiful caramel color I know I’ve achieved success. This is a high-point for me, as I am terrible at making gravy.

It all comes slowly together after you add chicken stock and other things that make you happy—cheese, chicken, crawfish, shrimp…whatever you like. And I feel a bit “Cajun” as I create my own pot of deliciousness.

And then, as if by magic, the ingredients communicate and create their own Mardi Gras in your mouth. It’s worth every minute!

Using Resources

Remember when I said we made enough steak and chicken for other meals? Well, I used that tonight. The extra cooked beef became beef stroganoff--I had an onion and mushrooms leftover to use as well. So, a little planning and taking stock of what's on hand can make a difference.

I made homemade cranberry scones last night as well, for a pitch-in for a celebration of Daughter #1's performance this morning. Yummy!

Successes and Failures

I always like to hear bad news first, so here's my failure: I tried to make pumpkin pie pops. Some time ago was my first shot at it and it didn't work. Second time around this afternoon was another failure. Now, I realize that when trying something new it may take 10, 100, 1000 times to get it right and I'm not willing to give up. Thankfully, hubby-bubs is willing to eat all my mistakes.

However--here's the success part--since the pie pops didn't work, I threw the remaining pumpkin pie filling in a pie shell and the Duffy's will have pumpkin pie for dessert.

We did take advantage of the lovely fall weather last night and grilled out steak and asparagus on the grill. I also made my favorite summer salad (recipe posted)! I love it when I'm frugal and I got a deal on the steak, which I cut up and froze in order to turn it into beef stroganoff on Wednesday, once the weather turns cooler.

Tonight it's lightly breaded chicken with quick risotto (one of Daughter #1's favorites). Again, I was frugal and bought enough chicken to make this dish and chicken chili cheese etouffee on Friday. The chicken is cut up and frozen and will be ready to go!

It's likely we won't have leftovers after tonight's dinner or on Wednesday so I'll likely fill in with a pasta dish--I'll let you know what I decide. Until later....

Camp Gray

You have to be a VIP to get privileges to come to Camp Gray...and we are very honored that our request is always accepted. It's by invitation only, and all about family, so you can't make reservations.

We saw deer and coyote and enjoyed a great bonfire (grilling hot dogs and s'mores) and got to carve pumpkins.

Daughter #1 taught us all how to grill a PB&J over an open fire. We left with homemade Concord grape jelly made from grapes grown on the grounds of Camp Gray...delicious!

Tonight we had another variety of party tray--nothing fresh, I'm sorry to say--all processed food, which I don't like. But it is the ND vs. USC game and I just got back from being out of town.

The weather forecast has changed and it looks like it will be warmer than we expected. That means GRILLING as long as we can.

We are flying by the seat of our pants for the next few days, because we can! But I'll keep you posted about what we decide to adapt our menu--and I'll post recipes as well.

What a Weekend!

Well, the Duffy's had quite a weekend and one full of "party tray!" That's our term for heavy appetizers. Friday night was Orchard's Alumni Day event for which I am responsible. It was a lovely evening and Daughter #1 and #2 helped me set up. And our good friends at Aladdin, who serve over 600 students and faculty/staff each school day, presented a wonderful display of yummy food. The shrimp was my personal fave!

Saturday, we partied with "party tray" again at my mother-in-law's surprise 70th birthday party. Fifty people came to celebrate and each brought their own signature appetizer. Another evening full of fun, laughter and love. I brought my newest signature dish that a friend of mine shared with me. I "Duffy-ized" it and have posted the recipe.

Two nights of "party tray" is plenty, however...and two events in a row is a little tiring. Outside of making cinnamon rolls for tomorrow's breakfast and baking some brownies, I haven't spent much time in the kitchen today (actually most of the day was spent on the couch watching Lifetime Movies. Sad, but true!) So tonight, with the help of the Kroger bakery and Bob Evans, we will have an old-fashioned, Midwest meal--fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

Our schedule gets a little lighter this week--volleyball is over and we are heading into Fall Break--so here's what I've come up with for the next few days before Break begins:

Monday - spaghetti carbonara (always a hit and I have a healthier version thanks to Cooking Light Magazine). I'll serve garlic bread and a big salad as well.

Tuesday - the weather will turn a little cooler at this point in the week so I'm going to try something I haven't done before. I have leftover shaved ham and cheese from the appetizer for the birthday party, as well as some puff pastry. I'm going to try ham and cheese puffs---we'll see how that turns out. The meal needs some veggies so I'll make asparagus (a Duffy fam fave) or edamame. I got inspired for edamame again today when Daughter #1 was singing that song "Hey Mama" by Matt Kearney only she thought the lyrics were "ed-a-ma-me, ed-ed-a-ma-me." We had a good laugh over that!

Wednesday - LEFTOVERS!

Thursday - Fall Break! We'll see where the inspiration leads me:)

Have a great week everyone! Stay tuned. This week: Finding Martha should publish:)

Missed My Deadline!

Sorry for missing my Sat deadline for posting the weekly menu for the Duffy household. We had a crazy-busy schedule! Saturday we ended up at the Northside Knights of Columbus' Octoberfest. 78 RPM (Uncle Tim's band) played. It was super fun. I was thinking about that bratwurst all day and I wasn't disappointed. It was a beautiful night and we spent about 2 hours with good friends and family.

Sunday we enjoyed the Butler Ladies volleyball game against Green Bay. Daughter #1 is on the volleyball team at school, so we joined a few teammates to take it all in. It was like a ballet watching those Lady Dawgs play.

Over the weekend, I made 3 pies: pecan, pumpkin and sweet potato. I'd always wanted to try a sweet potato pie so that was the inspiration. I thought I'd bring them all into work to see if it could inspire some folks to order some Pie Love pies for the holidays (more on Pie Love pies later).

I also made 3 chicken pot pies which I mentioned Friday's post. We're enjoying ours tonight.

So...leftovers tonight.

Tues...the volleyball team is having a pizza party tomorrow (no cooking for me)

Wed...remember that pork I bought? We didn't cook it so we'll take care of that on this evening. I have a leftover sweet potato I didn't use for the pie, so I'm thinking sweet potato fries and zucchini fritters for sides.

Thur...if the team wins on Tues., we are out to Brownsburg for the finals. I'm thinking leftover night again.

Fri...I have a big work event and Sat we celebrate a family birthday.

Outside of my cooking/baking extravaganza this past weekend, I'm not in the kitchen much this week, except to heat stuff up.

Coming up next week...."Finding Martha" and details about Pie Love!

Friday Night!

It's been a busy week at the Duffy household. Last night hubby-bubs and I got to attend a great event--the Preview Party for The Container Store opening up in Indy this weekend (Oct 8 and 9). Ten percent of all proceeds this weekend go to support The Women's Fund, an organization that is growing nearer and dearer to my heart. The food was fabulous--catered by Hoaglin Catering. I think our absolute favorite was the butternut squash soup served in individual cylindrical glass--you guessed it--CONTAINERS! It made me want to try a batch of that on my own.

I also give them applause for the macarons. However, and this is no knock to Hoaglin, Circle City Sweets still corners the market on those. If you haven't tried them yet, you must! Pistachio is one of my personal faves.

Tonight is frozen pizza night at our house. Not very unique or exciting, but just what the doctor ordered for the end of a very busy week.

My hope and dream for this weekend is to make 3 pies: sweet potato, pumpkin and pecan. I want to bring them to work for people to sample.

As usual, I'll be making out the menu tomorrow for next week. As a teaser, on tap for Monday night is homemade chicken pot pie. I'm making two batches for friends, so why not make a 3rd for my own fam, right?

Fritters! Who Wants Fritters?!

Well, the taco soup didn't last long. Hubby-bubs went to town on it during the Notre Dame/Purdue game. Fritos go a long way to adding the appropriate crunch. Sadly, we didn't have the were-with-all to last the entire game. It was lovely to wake up and read about an Irish win (sorry Boiler fans).

The Weight Watchers chicken was a hit last night. But the zucchini fritters stole the show. I am always surprised that Daughter #1 will eat things like asparagus and zucchini, but not mac and cheese. She helped make the fritters and then couldn't wait to be the first to give the finished product a try. (recipe for both WW chicken and fritters are posted under "recipes.")

The Duffy household schedule got changed up (not an unusual occurance) so we'll indulge in BALTs (that's bacon, avacado, lettuce and tomato) sammies and french fries tonight. And hopefully make it through the first quarter of the Colts/Bucs game:)

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit

Happy October 1st everyone! No, friends, there's no rabbit on the menu this week...although I've had rabbit, as has my mother--but that's a story for another day.

Growing up we used to always say "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" first thing on the first day of the month. A friend of mine from 'Da Region used to say "bunny bunny." Apparently, it's an old British superstition dating back to the early 1900s. Saying that phrase first thing on the first day of the month is supposed to bring you good luck throughout the month. So, my friends - rabbit, rabbit, rabbit to you!

Now - here's the weekly menu for the Duffy family. Documenting our meals has made me realize that I need to make a little more effort into putting more healthy options on the table. So, here's my attempt at doing so:

Tonight - it's Notre Dame vs. Purdue this evening and the weather is chilly, so I decided to make Aunt Mary Beth's taco soup (I'm realizing that, along with other things, she has really good soup recipes). It's relatively easy and uses ground turkey, fat-free refried beans and salsa (recipe posted). I'm making home made guacamole as well.

Sunday - I have a great Weight Watchers recipe for chicken breasts that is soooo easy. Mix up some reduced sodium soy sauce with Dijon mustard and paint it on the chicken with a kitchen brush then lightly cover in breadcrumbs and bake. We'll have our fave kicked-up brown rice with sauteed onion, celery and mushrooms (the kids don't even know what's in there and they love it) and my famed zucchini fritters.

Monday - we're looking at milder temperatures, so it could be a good night to grill. Pork tenderloin is something we all love and cooks up enough to make shredded BBQ out of it later. We'll grill romaine lettuce as well with a light vinaigrette dressing.

Tuesday - I have a Board meeting this evening, so it'll be a leftover night for hubby-bubs and the kids.

Wednesday - BBQ pork (see Monday). I'm thinking deviled eggs and cole slaw with reduced-fat mayo, bacon bits and blue cheese crumbles.

Thursday - hubby-bubs and I were invited to the Preview Party for the brand new Container Store opening up in Indy. Appetizers, cocktails and dancing for us! Finally, a date night:) Can't wait!!!! Kiddos can have frozen pizza with the sitter.

Friday - yet to be determined depending on some pending plans. I was thinking make-your-own-pizza night. I like to make my own pizza dough. It's easy but takes a couple of hours to rise...etc. It'll depend on my energy level and our schedule. After all, I'll have been out the night before, quite possibly past my bedtime (usually 9 or 10 pm--I'm such an old fogey!!!)

Have a great week everyone. I'll keep you posted how it all goes.

Readjustment

So I have sick kiddos--don't know about you, but if they are under the weather I typically don't send them to school. I spent the day administering popcicles, Raman noodles and anything else that sounded good to them.

Ergo, I blew my menu plan. First of all, I used all my chicken for the pot pie---such a worthy sacrafice. Secondly, I was lucky enough to find some ground beef I had bought and frozen a couple of weeks ago. So...I gave the girls a choice: hamburgers or meatballs?

Hamburgers won. And my hubby-bubs was only too kind to put them on the grill.

In my scrounging of the refrigerator, I did find additional options to go with said burgers. I still had fresh tomatoes and a cuke, and feta cheese to make my killer salad (see recipes) and a sweet potato just hanging around that was begging to be made into sweet potato fries (sans the garlic aioli which I like to make with that--but I was under the gun).

At the end of the day everyone is satisfied and I remember that, sometimes, you kind find inspiration with what you have on hand and can go "off script." so to speak!

Easy Potato Soup!

My oldest daughter really likes potato soup. She won't eat hot dogs or grilled cheese, but she'll eat potato soup. Go figure. I never particularly liked potato soup growing up--I don't really know why, really. Looking back, I'm guessing it was because of the texture, rather than the taste. After all, I certainly liked potatoes fashioned in other ways--baked, fried, gratin, french fried...etc. But I was always kind of a "texture over taste" kind of girl, and still am to a degree.

Anyway, I started buying potato soup mix a few years as a way to get a quick meal on the table as a nice compliment to BLTs. It worked just fine for a while. And then my daughter had Aunt Mary Beth's potato soup. From daughter #1's perspective, that mix was no longer very good. I have to admit, Aunt MB's version was definitely better. But I kept buying the mix as a time saver. Turns out it wasn't a time saver or a money saver when half of it was abandoned in the refrigerator after my husband and I got tired of eating it three nights in a row. So, I went on a quest to find another quick recipe that would attempt to challenge the "potato soup gauntlet" that had been thrown down at my aproned feet by my daughter. Thank goodness for the internet. I found a recipe that seemed to meet the challenge, and I put it into my menu for this week. A new recipe to try can go very well or not so much. I've thrown out enough meals and then cooked up a frozen pizza enough times to know that to be true.

According to my menu plan, I was going to make the potato soup tonight, but my oldest begged me to whip it up last night. So I did. I dished it out to the kids before I tried it myself, figuring that daughter #1's palate would indicate whether it was a recipe to repeat. The good news: the soup passed the test! When the request for a second bowl came through, I decided to dish myself up some. Yup, it was good. Probably not as good as Aunt MB's , but good enough.

The other good news is that I have leftovers tonight to offer my family when they get home from their haircuts. I hope that, like a fine Cabernet or good pot of chili, this, too, will be better with age. Regardless, soup's on at the Duffy household! For the recipe, check under the recipe button!

Pot Pie a Success

The verdict is in an it's a big ol' YUM-O on the pot pie. Full disclosure: chicken pot pie was never one of my favorite meals. I was testing this recipe for a couple of reasons. 1) I want to branch out on my pie offerings and include savory options as well as sweet. 2) I wanted to make a pot pie for my hubby-bubs. It's one of his favorite meals. We've been together 20 years and I've never made one.

My personal experience with chicken pot pie has never really been favorable--mostly memories of processed Banquet meals heated up in the oven, the contents of which was soupy and full of peas (probably for filler).

My approach was to make everything from scratch using fresh ingredients, throwing i what some might think are atypical ingredients like chopped shiitake mushroom and a few slices of crumbled bacon. Additionally, I decided to roast the chicken instead of poach it. I coated it in olive oil and some rosemary--the result being tender and flavorful meat.

I can say now that I am no longer anti-chicken pot pie and this meal will be in the regular fall/winter rotation.

The smell of pie

It's so comforting, isn't it? A pie cooking in the oven creates a warm and inviting environment. Apple pie on tap for dessert at the Duffy household. It is also Saturday--the day I make out my menu for the next week. We have a busy week on tap, with three volleyball games in a row, so I tried to plan ahead to allow for some leftovers on crazy nights. Here's what we have planned:

Sat - burgers on the grill with homemade onion rings (one of our faves--I have to restrain myself from trying them or else there aren't many left for dinner. Alongside that - I plan on making one of my happiest side dishes: tomato cucumber salad with black olives and feta.

Sun - growing up, Sunday nights were my mom's night off for cooking. We usually had cereal and it was a treat! I like Sundays because I actually have time to cook. This Sunday, I'm trying my hand at homemade chicken pot pie. Never done it before, but it is one of my hubby-bubs favorites. Since the Colts don't play until 8:20 pm this will be a perfect meal before I catch the 1st quarter and then head off to bed.

Mon - volleyball game away (quite a bit away), so I've planned for leftovers this night.

Tues - volleyball game away, but closer to the Duffy household, thankfully. It's predicted to be a cool day, so I'm thinking a great night for potato soup (homemade) and BLTs. Check out my tip for making bacon easily on recipes!

Wed - one more game, this one's at home. Something quick, but satisfying is in order. Something quick with chicken and and Stove Top stuffing (I bought 3 lbs of frozen chicken breast knowing I'd need half for the pot pie and keeping some in reserve for an extra meal)

Thurs - leftovers - yup, again!

Fri -who wants to cook on Friday? Usually not me. Although the start of the weekend signals "fun food." Likely to be a pizza and salad night at the Duffys.

Welcome to Duffy's Kitchen

Thank you for visiting my blog! My life is very busy...we are a two-career family with two beautiful, busy daughters. Cooking and baking is love to me. I'm happiest when I have an apron and slippers on in the heartland of our house--the kitchen! My husband and I have backgrounds in the restaurant industry (that's how we met) and love good food and beverage. It isn't always easy to balance work, activities, homework with a special meal. One of my greatest joys is to take my Saturday morning and plan out the week of dinners that takes into account our schedules, the weather and our bank account. I hope that you will find this a place of inspiration and a resource for all kinds of ideas for meals and anything food-related (including ideas for entertaining). I will share my menus, recipes and creative ideas with all of you. Check out recipes to find my most recent menu for the week and a special recipe!