Monday, October 3, 2011

Channeling Julia Child

Okay, maybe I wasn't whipping up Boeuf Bourguignon or Coq Au Vin but I was feelin' my culinary mojo yesterday.  I was craving a good grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup since the weather is a little cooler, it seemed like a good time to dive in.  I rarely indulge in soup because of the sodium content (well over 1000mg of it for a can) but yesterday that was what I was craving and so was the Mr.  I busted that bad boy outta the park!  He wanted ham on his so I gave him a full serving and I did half.  I got some Trader Joe's Italian Loaf round bread and I picked my poison.  A slice of thin lacy marbled colby jack, a slice of lite muenster and 1/2 an ounce of asiago cheese.  I pressed it on the panini press and we chowed down.  The hubby raved, which is always my objective.  He said he'd have paid for it and it was better than anything in a restaurant.  Good thing I was inspired for dinner.  Earlier at the grocery store, I bought some tri tip angus steak.  We rarely have steak but I was feeling it.

I put some black pepper on each side and seared them and then finished them off in the oven.  As they were cooking, I microwaved some potatoes, scooped out the middle and added an ounce of light cream cheese, cut up some green onions, pepper and skim milk.  I returned the dreamy mixture to the potato shells, topped them with a little asiago and broiled them for a few minutes.  While that was going on, I made a quick garlic herb butter and after the steaks rested, I put about 1/2 tbsp of it on top and served it to the salivating hubby. Here's a crappy pic of it with the point and shoot...



He sunk in his chair, eyes rolled back, groaning that groan that symbolizes total foodgasm and makes every cook, professional or not, feel accomplished.  It was damn good.  He raved from beginning to end and even gave me a big ol' smooch.  He said that we have eaten better in the past few years since we began our journey than we ever did when we ate whatever we wanted when we wanted.  Curious yet true!

What signature dish do you make ensures you'll get rave reviews?

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12 comments:

  1. That was seriously better than any restaurant I could have gone to for either meal. That was like the best food in a day I've ever had and yet it was all within my calorie range which is even more awesome! You've beyond proven that you can still eat well, enjoy the food and lose weight at the same time!

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  2. Grilled cheese and tomato soup is one of my all-time favorites. Seriously. I love it. And now, I want it.

    My "signature" dishes are: cheesecake, alfredo sauce, marinara/meatballs, turkey foccacia sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies, potage parmentier, and turkey.

    Those are the most requested anyway.

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  3. The two that come to mind that my husband always asks me to make are meatloaf with a fresh mushroom gravy, and chicken manicotti. The hubs is not much of a pasta guy, but he'll bring leftover chicken manicotti for lunch almost every time.

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  4. To be honest, I'm not much of a cook. I can't think of anything offhand. Well... the little one asks for pancakes every meal, but I don't think that counts. I do make a mean lasagna, but I think I may be my own biggest fan there.

    Hubby makes a potato soup to die for. I don't even want to consider the calorie count, but it rocks! I keep trying to get him to tone it down for me, but so far no luck.

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  5. That looks and sounds AMAZING!!! Now I'm salivating!

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  6. I cook a lot, it is just my way to wind down at the end of the day.

    My signature items... Dark Chocolate brownies, chicken enchiladas, and my meatballs are what my husband would say. He could eat those meat balls everyday I'm sure.

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  7. Serious drool action going on here...not right for first thing on a Monday morning! LOL

    That's definitely my kind of meal...love me a good piece of beef! :-)

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  8. My homemade lemon cheesecake with lemon curd is always a hit (but not healthy!), my hubby is thrilled with anything meat and potatoes. The whole family loves my crockpot meatloaf and my pistachio crusted chicken salad with avacado dressing is delish!

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  9. Mine is not healthy at all. I always used to say I could make gravy out of anything (and I can...is it any wonder I look like I do?) My kids all beg for my fried chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy when they're home...and biscuits and gravy for breakfast. The only thing healthy my family seemed to like was a dirty rice I made up once with toasted pine nuts, green onions and curry. I sure do miss grilled cheese sandwiches though!

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  10. I can rock: enchiladas, chicken pot pie, meatballs, most kinds of soup, and chocolate brownies. Last week I made a grilled cheese sandwich with provolone, roma tomato and pesto that was so yummy. I can't wait to make it again. :)

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  11. Thanks for sharing your cooking prowess! It's always neat to see what other people's strong suits are in the kitchen!

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  12. It is so true--that I'm eating better and enjoying it more now that I've lost the weight. Did you ever really enjoy anything when it was fixed however (with lots of butter and salt, usually), and could eat as much as you could hold? NO! But now that you limit yourself in portions and fix it in healthy ways, it tastes so much better. Altho---last night I was thinking maybe I should go on a low (or non) carb diet for a few weeks so I could just PIG OUT on meat. I'm not gonna do it, but pigging out on meat sure sounds like fun! Then hubby pointed out that I already don't eat many carbs, so I'm afraid a pigging out on meat (with or without carbs added) would just add pounds!

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