Good Eats

Yesterday, the hubby and I decided it was a lazy Saturday...I didn't do much, other than watch TV, knit a little and do some laundry. I did force myself to get out and run, although I didn't make it very far. This Omaha wind is INSANE...I couldn't take it. Here's my breakdown:

Mile 1: 13:03
Mile 2: 26.08
Mile 3: 39.25
Mile 4/Total: 53.08
Avg min/mil: 13.24

So, although my run felt miserable, I definitely improved my mile time, go figure! :)

                                                                                                                                                                 

Well, I have been a cooking/baking-machine lately...and I've been trying to cook at least 1 meal each week. It's really hard with just two people, I've always said that (and been told that). After making a big meal, we end up with all of these left overs, and I am just not a left-over type person. But, I've been trying to cook some things out of my cook books and since it's been getting cooler, soups and chili have definitely sounded yummy. So, here are some eats out of our kitchen:

Okay, so this is the making of Trader Joes beer bread...now, this stuff couldn't be easier to make! And if you haven't tried it yet...you are missing out BIG time. Basically, all you do is combine the mix and 1 bottle/can of beer...SO easy. I have tried a few different types of beer over the years and Heineken is our favorite. Oh, and the baking of it makes your house/apt. smell incredible.

And...before I realized that I didn't have a picture of the result, we had eaten half of it. Haha, you get the idea!

[Disclaimer: ignore the messiness of the pan!] These are my stuffed mushrooms...I could eat them all day long, I swear. So easy...mushrooms stuffed with stuffing (that has been combined with the chopped up mushroom stems) and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Great combination of ingredients! I made these at Thanksgiving last year, as an appetizer, and they were gone in about 5 minutes...I learned that I should always make more!!

 This is homemade corn chowder that I attempted...but don't go being all amazed, I used a recipe out of a vegetarian cookbook I got a few months ago. But, I was very pleased with how this turned out. It is such a perfect soup for a cold, fall/winter day! I added yukon potatoes, broccoli, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onions and CORN, of course...lovely!

And, of course, you have to top it with cheddar cheese! :)

Okay, so I did NOT make this one...but I had to feature it. It's 'beer-cheese' lasagna from a local Italian place called Lanskys. This dish was SOOOO good...lasagna noodles, beer-cheesy goodness!! Mmmmm, I'd like to see if I can replicate a similar recipe!

And this week, it was chili. This is a pic of the pre-cooking...black/kidney/pinto beans, tomatoes, red onions, red & yellow peppers, zucchini and Mornning Star's meatless meat crumbles. It cooked on low all day and I came home to a great smelling apt. 

And, don't think that I forgot to enjoy a glass of wine with all of my good eats! :) This is a local sweet red wine we picked up, very nice!

Please don't think that I'm boasting about making all of this good food...cooking is enjoyable for me, but I really don't cook that often. I'm trying to branch out, try new recipes and makes some things that I can share with you all. And if you want any of the recipes, just let me know! :) Bon Appetit!