Coffee and Cannolis

First of all, why don't I utilize the William's Sonoma web-Site more often?! Oh yeah, that's because I would probably be broke because a person can only have so much will power!! I really need to make a trip to the mall to check out William's Sonoma again but unfortunately it's at a mall with too many lovely stores that I cannot afford :( So, anyway! I had a pound of baby carrots that I needed to use up and I'm not really a fan of cooked carrots so I had to think of another way to use them up. Didn't want stew, didn't want to make a soup, didn't know what else to make so I kinda gave up. Then, as I was planning my meals for the week I thought about making French Dip Panini sandwiches and it dawned on me... POT ROAST! I could kill two birds with one stone - a pot roast would provide sufficient roast beef for a dinner and two sandwiches AND I could use up the carrots in the roast! I wasn't too excited though as I've never made a good roast.

No, I didn't win anything to get this chicken dinner but the dinner itself was quite a winner! Before leaving for work yesterday I knew I had to pull some chicken out of the freezer for a simple baked chicken for dinner. Well, I decided to throw together a marinade too since I had no desire to get in to work on time (long story...) So, with not much in the pantry and fridge I think I came up with a really amazing marinade to make this basic chicken still simple but not so basic. To go along with it, I made some baked potatoes and roasted asparagus. All very simple but still so good. Seriously does not get any easier than this! Baked Marinated Chicken Ingredients (just eyeball measurements based on how much chicken you're marinating and how much flavor you want!) 2 b/s chicken breasts Extra virgin olive oil fresh lemon juice garlic (I used garlic powder) Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (lightly smashed in palm) Dried Italian Seasoning S&P Directions - Place marinade i

After a cold and wet winter (but before a cold and snowy Easter) I was so excited for Spring and I wanted something lemony. Unfortunately my husband is not a huge lemon fan so I couldn't go as all out as I wanted (Chicken Francese with lemon pasta and roasted asparagus coated in EVOO, lemon juice and S&P)... on Friday I just stuck with the chicken but forgot to buy asparagus and didn't know what else to make so my husband requested breadsticks. That's all, chicken and breadsticks. What a way to start the weekend! I've made this chicken before and I LOVE the recipe BUT I can never get the coating/breading to stick to the chicken when I cook it. In fact, with any coated chicken I can't get it to stick! Chicken Francese (recipe curtesy of Tyler Florence on http://www.foodnetwork.com/ ) Ingredients 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds) All-purpose flour, for dredging Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 large eggs 3 tablespoon

This probably won't last long, but.... I'm thinking I might start journaling what I eat each day, as well as what exercise I do. I say it won't last long because I know myself.... I forget about things or just plain give up or get bored with it. I know it's supposed to help a lot of people realize what they eat, that they don't work out as much as they think, etc., but I'm pretty certain I know what I eat and I know how much I workout but I just don't understand how I've GAINED weight since joinging a gym a year ago..... So anyway... here's week one of trying this out. Hopefully it'll work like everyone say's it should. (p.s., I have to stay late at work a few days this week so probably not the best week to start giving my work out schedule will be out of whack, but while I'm in the mood to start a "routine" I should now otherwise I may never feel the urge to do it later!) WEEK ONE Desired Weight Loss - 25 lbs or 2 dress s

Ah, surprise... I made yet another pasta dish! What can I say though, I will never apologize for my love of pasta, regardless of the fact that my problem body-area is my gut! I've been trying to think of new ways to cook chicken and new pasta dishes so naturally I thought, how about a pasta with chicken?! I honestly don't know how I thought of a chicken cordon bleu pasta but does it really matter?! So anyway, I made this over the weekend and I loved it (I think my husband just liked it, but he does not have as big of a love affair with pasta and chicken as I do!) There are a few things I would have done a little differently though (noted below).... Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Ingredients ~ 8 oz. desired pasta (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste Rotini) 2 B/S Chicken Breasts, diced in to small cubes (1/2"?) (I planned on roughly shredding but I was exhausted so I went the quicker route!) 4 slices prosciutto, cut in to thin strips 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour

I'm not a huge burger fan. I don't crave them and I don't usually order them at bar & grill joints or pubs as I'd much rather sub the beef for chicken but sometimes you see a burger and it just looks SOOO good.... A few weeks ago I was perusing my local grocery stores' circular and I saw that they sell premade hamburger pattys - all "fanicified" and ready to cook. One was a bacon cheeseburger with the bacon and cheese, all up in it. (Yes, I just went there!) I've seen this done before but usually as an "inside-out burger" with the burger molded around the fillings but this one just looked more appealing (and easier) to me. After my quest to replicate the recipe (kind of a no brainer if you know how to make a burger), I was pleasantly surprised by how moist and tender the burger was, especially considering we ended up grilling it a little too long and it became well-done.... Cheesy Bacon Burgers Ingredients (1) lb. ground beef (I used

I made this lasagna on a Sunday afternoon, kept in the fridge and then made on Monday when I got home from working out after work. I must say, I loved the feeling on Monday knowing that I didn't have to slave over my stove to make lasagna (or anything!) One of these days I'll get off my lazy butt and make a few meals on the weekends to make throughout the week. Planning meals in advance is not my problem, it's making them in advance that I never get around to doing. Anyway, this recipe is similar to the recipe on the back of the lasagna noodles box (as well as the Barilla web-Site I'm sure!) but I tweaked it a little too. First of all, I didn't notice that the meat I had was a pound and a half and secondly I like my sauce meaty and to simmer for a little while. So, here ya go, the recipe that DH said was the best lasagna he's ever had. This guy grew up watching Garfield and begging his mom to make lasagna all the time so he knows his lasagna! We had the left