Appetizers - A Year in Review

Tuna Tartare

This is the final post for the Year in Review.  Really,  I mean it this time.  I’ve made my list and checked it twice.

 

Do you suffer from plate envy?  David often out-orders me.  It really ticks me off.  He also doesn’t like to share unless it is him eating off my plate when I am finished.  Out of fear of ordering the wrong thing, I will sometimes order a few appetizers as my meal.  It increases my odds of being right.  I really think the competitive side of me has mellowed in my old age.

 

Shrimp Ceviche Cocktail

·         Bruschetta 

·         Black Bean, Corn and Feta Dip

·         Tuna Tartare

·         Shrimp Ceviche Cocktail

·         Spanakopita

·         Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa

·         Guacamole Deconstructed

·         Queso Compuesto

·         Tapenade

·         Spinach Dip

·         Salsa

·         Palmiers Two Ways

 



Black Bean, Corn and Feta Dip

Spanakopita







Sides - A Year in Review

Oven Baked French Fries

Have you ever selected an entrée at a restaurant based on the side?  Me too!  Beef is beef.  Chicken is chicken.  But give me a side of cheddar grits or shoestring onion rings or risotto and you could talk me into most any entrée.

This is the last post for the year in review.  Thanks for taking a stroll down memory lane with me!

·         Oven Baked French Fries

·         Potato Casserole



Lemon Fusilli Pasta

·         Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

·         Orzo with Arugula, Dried Cherries and Ricotta

·         Lemon Fusilli with Arugula 

·         Carolina Cole Slaw

·         Candied Sweet Potatoes

·         Caroline’s Cornbread Dressing

 

Potato Casserole

 

Entrees - Chicken - A Year in Review

Chicken Tacos in the Crock Pot

Chicken lickin’.  My go-to protein.  Some days I just stare at the meat counter and hope to be inspired.  Then I select chicken and figure I can come up with something when I get home.  Easy to marinate; throw on the grill; bake in the oven; place in the crock pot.  Chicken’s versatility makes me look like a chef some nights that I am not. 

·         Chicken Tacos in the Crock Pot

·         Chicken Parmesan



Chicken Parmesan

·         Parmesan Chicken 

·         Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan 

·         Chicken Salad

·         Chicken Marbella

·         Whole Roasted Chicken

·         Chicken Souvlaki

·         Chicken Pot Pie

·         Sandwich Wraps

·         Chicken-Spinach-Mushroom Crepes 

Whole Roasted Chicken





Entrees - Beef and Pork - A Year in Review

Prime Rib and French Dips

“Beef.  It’s what’s for dinner.”  Does that sound cliché coming from a Texan?  And no, we don’t all live on a farm and ride horses.  We have had running water, indoor plumbing and electricity for as long as I can remember. However, my dad did walk to school barefoot in the snow uphill both ways. 

“Beef” is used here in a broad sense and includes pork.

·         Prime Rib and French Dips

·         Baby Back Ribs

The Luther

·         Carne Asada 

·         Meatballs

·         Ranch Style Chili

·         Brisket

·         Pork Tenderloin with Two Honey Based Marinades

·         North Carolina Barbecue

·         The Luther – Bacon Cheeseburger on a Donut

·         Beef Kabobs

·         Barbacoa

North Carolina Barbecue

 

Entrees - Pasta - A Year in Review

Manicotti

Friends came over the other night and Frank made us homemade pasta.  It was quite the process and there was light a dusting of flour all over the kitchen.  Despite the status of the kitchen, the pasta was amazing, especially because our pasta typically comes from a box.  Next time, you should invite Frank and his family over for dinner. 

·         Manicotti

·         Bow Tie Pasta with Chicken, Porcini Mushrooms and Chard

·         Chinese Chicken with Pasta

Bow Tie Pasta with Chicken,
Porcini Mushrooms and Chard

·         Pasta with Chicken and Sundried Tomato

·         Lasagna

 

Chinese Chicken with Pasta

 

Beverages - A Year in Review

Homemade, Flavored Lemonade

“Cheers to the freakin’ weekend…  I’ll drink to that.”  (thank you, Rihanna).  From tea to champagne to lemonade to sangria, we have a drink for you on the weekday or weekend.


Pomegranate Champagne

Homemade, Flavored Lemonade

Lemon Mint Tea

Pomegranate Champagne

White Sangria

Margaritas

Entrees - Fish - A Year in Review

Lobster Rolls

Fish is brain food so you would think that I would have more than 5 fish entrées.  Maybe it is an avoidance strategy – avoiding the “I don’t like this dinner” refrain (even before they take a bite).  Usually if the main course can be dipped in ketchup then my odds of acceptance increase significantly.  Fish tastes good with ketchup.  I’ve talked myself into it – fish for dinner tonight!

·         Lobster Rolls

·         Miso Glazed Fish

Miso Glazed Fish

·         Sea Bass

·         Fish Tacos with a Tomatillo Salsa 

·         Red Snapper with Parmesan Crust

 

Sea Bass

 

Salads - A Year in Review

Kale Salad

Eat like a rabbit.  That is code word in our house for “close your mouth when you’re eating.”  You know, like how a rabbit eats.  Anyways…  David likes vegetables and would rather have 2 vegetables on his plate than a starch.  It is amazing that we have been married this long.  Salads are a great secondary vegetable option because you can throw most anything together and call it a salad.  Then again, if you are a recipe follower like me, try one of these.

·         Kale Salad

Baby Spinach Salad
with Pomegranate and Orange

·         Baby Spinach Salad with Pomegranate and Orange 

·         Chicken Salad

·         Corn and Tomato Salad

·         Arugula Salad with Parmesan

·         Lentil Salad

·         Butter Lettuce Salad

Breakfast - A Year in Review

Green Chile Egg Puff Casserole

Breakfast: the most important meal of the day and I tend to spend the least time preparing it.  How do you figure?  Perhaps not being a morning person (I use that excuse for lots of things).  Travis is a morning person though.  Bounds into our room way too early and way too happy.  It’s hard to get mad.  Perhaps if I went to bed at 8:30, I could be a morning person too.  Three more hours of sleep could work wonders on my morning grouch. 

 

·         Coffee Cake

·         Challah French Toast

French Toast Casserole

·         Green Chile Egg Puff Casserole

·         Granola

·         Pancakes

·         Potato, Bacon and Cheese Omelet

·         French Toast Casserole

·         Hash Brown Quiche

 

Breads - A Year in Review

Banana Bread

I knead bread.  Some people have gluten allergies; I have gluten cravings.  It is rare for me to meet a bread that I do not like.  You will notice that none of the breads here require kneading or rising or anything that requires patience.  I am fresh out of that most days – gotta save it for the kids (and the hubby). 

·         Pumpkin Bread

·         Banana Bread

·         Sour Cream Biscuits 



Pumpkin Bread

·         Cheddar Dill Scones

Sour Cream Biscuits

Snacks - A Year in Review

Strawberry-Banana-Mango (optional)
Smoothie

Mom, what do you have to eat?  It is the mid-afternoon question of choice.  The daily parental quandary: what to feed your kids in between meals – that is semi-healthy – that they will actually eat.  I don’t look super creative with these recipe offerings with slight variations among them but the variations provide enough flavor difference to warrant separate postings.  So when the kids say they are hungry, try one.

Trail Mix

·         Strawberry-Banana-Mango Smoothie

·         Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

·         Travis’ Trail Mix 

·         Trail Mix

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Happy Hanukkah!

Soups - A Year in Review

Baked Potato Soup

Soup’s on!  You do not hear that refrain too much in our house.  A) The kids do not particularly like soup unless it is chunky.  Perhaps it is too frustrating to scoop up broth. B) Texas weather does not promote a desire to consume hot liquids often.  Our seasons are warm (winter); ramp up to hot (spring); really hot (summer); and still hot (fall).  The kids are now older and their patience and dexterity are improving plus there is a cold snap on its way.  Time to break out the big pot!

·         Baked Potato Soup 



Crab Bisque

·         Crab Bisque

·         Chicken Tortilla Soup

·         Chicken Soup



Vegetables - A Year in Review

Grilled Vegetables
with Balsamic Glaze

To all the vegetables out there, I offer this white flag: second day recognition on The Baker’s Mann year in review.  I may not prefer to eat vegetables, but I do cook and serve them every night.  Have you ever noticed what people eat first on their plate?  I think it says a lot.  David eats his vegetables first.  I eat the starch and save the vegetables until the end.  I have outgrown hiding them under my mashed potatoes or in the napkin (almost).

·         Grilled Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze



Roasted Wild Mushrooms
with Goat Cheese

·         Roasted Wild Mushrooms with Goat Cheese

·         Zucchini with Parmesan

·         Roasted Brussels Sprouts

·         Asparagus with Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette

·         Asparagus Caesar

 

Desserts - A Year in Review

Dessert is the most important part of every meal – I mean, have you ever heard the phrase “life is short, eat your vegetables first”?  Therefore, we will begin our review of the past year of The Baker’s Mann with dessert.  TBM doesn’t discriminate against dessert types or flavors – take your pick between chocolate, ice cream, fruit, cookies, cakes and pies.  Did you know that “stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts”?  So don’t stress, eat dessert!

Chocolate Sheath Cake

·         Butterfinger Ice Cream Pie 

·         Chocolate Sheath Cake

·         Chocolate Praline Cake

·         Mini-Cheesecakes: Traditional and White Chocolate

·         Blackberry Cobbler

·         Peach Cobbler

·         Raspberry Parfait

·         Lemon Bundt Cake

·         Tres Leches Bread Pudding in a Crock Pot

·         Chocolate Chip Cookies with Macadamia Nuts

Blackberry Cobbler

·         Lemon Squares

·         Rice Krispies® Treats

·         Almond Cake with Berries

·         Oreo Fudge Bars

·         Apples for Teacher Pocket Apple Pies

·         Chocolate Pecan Pie

·         Chocolate Mousse

·         Palmiers Two Ways

·         Waffle Sundaes

·         Bananas Foster

·         Lemon Cake