You are in luck this morning; I have to get the little boy up and out early for a routine doctor’s appointment therefore I do not have a lot of time to rehash my love for the chocolate fudge cookie dough layer cake or discuss with you how I am still thinking about it, talking about it and conjuring up variations for when I bake it next.
Allow me just one more picture so we can look at the fudginess. Why doesn’t spellcheck know what fudginess is? How sad is that?
Really, all of this cake discussion is completely unfair to the meal which preceded dessert on Friday- I really can cook something besides cakes and cookies you know.
The little boy and I toyed with various dinner recipes and ideas until it occurred to me that all of that added thought and work just wasn’t necessary.
I think stressing recipes and feeling the need to get creative is what scares people away from cooking altogether.
To keep life simple we went with some staples and through in a touch of variety that I knew my dad would love. 
THE STAPLES:
- Skirt Steak with sautéed onions
- Roasted vegetables – rainbow carrots, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and sweet potatoes
- Loaded Potato “Chunks”
- Meatless Meatloaf Bites
Skirt steak is always a crowd pleaser. That is unless you have a room full of vegetarians.
All you have to do is marinate the meat in your favorite marinade (I use Trader Joe’s Carolina BBQ sauce), throw it on a grill pan and it cooks quickly with little effort on your part. I also add a ton of chopped onion to the pan to cook in with the steak.
Since I don’t eat steak, it gave me an excuse to make another batch of the cute little meatless meatloaf bites.
I have made a few different variations since posting the original recipe. I will share the new recipes in the next week or so.
If you come to my house for a meal, you are guaranteed to consume a week’s worth of your vegetable requirement.
I roasted up the rainbow carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts- no crazy and detailed recipe involved.
Simply slice up your veggies, spread on lighted greased cookie sheet, drizzle either olive oil, coconut oil, or, like I do, spray with coconut oil cooking spray and then shake on some seasonings.
Roast in the oven at 450 degrees for a good hour (less is OK and more can be fine too – just watch them as all ovens are different).
The little boy wanted to contribute his own addition to the dinner table as well.
He wanted to make potato skins. He didn’t want to follow a recipe or listen to me (surprise, surprise) so his “skins” were more like loaded potato “chunks”.
Loaded Potato Chunks:
- Slice up a potato into chunks or wedges.
- Roast in a 450 degree oven until potato chunks are soft and tops are starting to brown and crisp.
- Top with shredded cheese and bacon (we used crumbled turkey bacon).
- Broil until cheese is bubbly.
Truth is, appearance doesn’t always matter – his recipe came out terrific and he did it basically all by himself.
Speaking of appearance not mattering, my attempt at Averie’s recipe for Macaroni And Cheese Baked Cheese Balls didn’t quite work the way I envisioned.
Doesn’t look quite like balls, does it? I followed the recipe but my mac and cheese did not stick together as planned.
You know how day-old mac and cheese clumps together? That’s the key to making this recipe work but mine was still “fresh” 24 hours after being stored in the refrigerator.
While it lacked in the appearance department, the taste was spot-on therefore I do advise that you attempt this recipe – just make sure you have sticky mac and cheese to work with.
I have to say – as 2013 comes to a close, I am feeling all cooked out. I love to cook and bake, don’t get me wrong, but I just decided I fulfilled my cooking quota for the year and need a break for the next few days.
What I don’t need a break from is running though. I am going to go try to squeeze in a short run somewhere between everything we have going on today.
I swear by my 30 minutes a day.
Have a great Monday!
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I NEED TO KNOW:
What was the last thing you cooked or baked?
Ever try making mac and cheese balls?
Last recipe that didn’t come out looking right but tasted good?
The Cookie ChRUNicles 
Damn food that stays fresh for longer than it’s supposed to 😛 Mac and Cheese is actually one of the only meals that I prefer eating fresh rather than in leftover form, mostly because of the fact that it starts to get really gummy and rubbery after a few days. And speaking of leftovers, that’s what I’ve mostly been eating for the past couple of days, so I can’t even remember the last thing I cooked or baked. I cook oatmeal every morning, but other than that it’s been all leftover turkey 😆
Oh how I love a fresh pot of oatmeal.
I feel like I haven’t baked in a long time! Unless you count the cinnamon rolls and biscuits I popped open from can on Christmas. I opened my oven door and it completely fell off! I was so freaked out (It’s a super expensive oven) luckily Josh put it back together but now I’m kind of scared!
I would be scared too!
Oh my gosh all the food in the world!! I have missed checking in here!! I LOVE roasting my veggies like that. The more simply they are prepared, the better flavor they have. That is TOO cute that your son made those potatoes!! 🙂 So adorable. Have a fabulous Monday beautiful!
Aw thanks, you too!
Roasted veggies are classic and absolute perfection. Can’t go wrong with them! I made banana bars a few weeks ago that were delish but the texture was off. Good thing I have an arsenal of bananas in my freezer 🙂
I love making roasted cauliflower. I’ve had it more days this week than I haven’t. When I’m not in the mood to actually put effort into my lunches or dinner, I just toss the florets with olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper and throw it in the oven till it gets nice and crispy. It’s so delicious, and so addicting.
You are so right – it is delicious and totally addicting! I eat it while it’s roasting because I can’t even wait for it to cook.
Thanks for trying my Mac n Cheese Balls recipe and yes you have to have really clumpy, sticky mac to work with otherwise it won’t hold up to being breaded but whether or not they completely hold together, looks like they still tasted fine!
okay, WAY too cruel to open with such an ooey gooey delish piece of cake!! 🙂 so yea, i’d prolly just eat dessert, then dinner, then follow it again by dessert, sound good??
i’m so with u on the running, no matter what i always need at least a quick miles fix…power to those 30mins of YOU time! 🙂