The yummy!

I love to cook. I'm not sure if y'all know that about me but it's one of my passions. I love everything from the easy to the most intricate gourmet. A few years ago for mother's day I had all the mothers and grandmothers over for a fancy dinner. I decorated the table with rose petals and tea lights. This was the menu:
When everyone came their strawberry mango mesculun salad was served inside half an acorn squash (that was the bowl) The appetizer was Salmon En Croute with cucumber dill sauce. I poured some sauce over the salmon (in a puff pastry-so it was in a slice on the plate) and then put extra inside a cucumber well on the side. The main course was plum chicken, Asparagus Tivoli, and Rosemary shallot and mushroom potatoes. Along the rim of the plate I sprayed some margarine and shook on some pretty spices to decorate the plate. For dessert I served a "beggars purse" which is a warm pastry with fruit chocolate and cinnamon inside. On the side was a scoop of sorbet, either chocolate or mango.
I have the pictures on a different computer, hopefully after my long weekend, I will put them up.
I also really enjoy good easy recipes. When it is going to be just the two of us for dinner or for shabbos, I experiment. Either with new recipes or I throw together whatever I find in the cabinets.
This past week I made two made-up recipes that were delicious and I thought I would share them, hey why not?

The first one was a cross between a meatball dish and a chinese lo-mein so I therefore call it Chinese chopped meat casserole, how creative of me!

1 lb chopped meat
onion
celery
1 can tomato soup
1 can water
1 can mushrooms
can chow mein noodles

I sauteed the chopped onion and celery then mixed all the ingredients (except for a little bit of the noodles) all together and put it in a casserole dish. I topped it with the leftover noodles and baked uncovered for an hour on 350. The noodles on top were crunchy but the ones inside the casserole were soft and lo-meinish :)
bteavon!


The next one was real quick. I had to go out but needed to cook dinner. I love chicken recipes that are covered really tightly and cooked for 3 hours. They come out so soft. I cleaned chicken bottoms and covered them with marinara sauce. I added lots of italian spices- basil (my fav), oregano, etc. I threw in some cut up veggies- zuccini, string beans, carrots, whatever you want. Then I covered it really tightly with foil. (btw, make sure everything in the pan is swimming in sauce. I used a 16 oz can of marinara) I baked it on 350 for 3 hours. The chicken melted in my mouth!!!


I can go on and on with recipes that I love or that I've made up but I will stop here. Have a wonderful shabbos!