Food, Glorious Food!

I've been trying to broaden my family's food horizons lately. I've decided to utilize some of my dustier cookbooks, along with a food blog or two. 

These parmesan/spinach Napoleons on filo came from an old Williams-Sonoma cookbook that I've had for a while. 

I found it on the bargain table at Barnes & Noble a few years ago, but it's anything but a bargain now on amazon.

The flavor was good, but they seem a bit labor-intensive for how quickly we devoured them. 

These served as our lunch yesterday. 

Kudos to Caelyn and Morgan.

In keeping with my vegetarian exploration, I chose Polenta Lasagna with Gorgonzola Bechamel Sauce for dinner, from the same cookbook.

Again, the girls brought this together while I busied myself with other things.

If you don't own any Le Creuset cookware, stop what you're doing, go out, and buy some.

If you think it's too expensive, here are some ways you can afford to buy yourself a piece of Le Creuset:

1. Take a month off from going out for coffee. 

(OK. Maybe two months.)

2. Ride your bike instead of burning gas.

3. Don't rent movies for a while.

4. Cancel your magazine subscriptions.

5. Eat beans and rice more often.

6. Have a yard sale.

7. Start your own ironing service for the corporate execs in your neighborhood. 

(Hey! I should try that...)

8. Stand at an intersection with a dog & a cardboard sign.

Your grandchildren will thank you. 

'Cause these will still be around for them to use.

*   *   *   *

While the girls worked on the polenta dish, I moved on to something that would keep the men happy.

After all, where food is concerned, I tend to straddle the fence.

Mmm... Doesn't that fatty bacon grease look finger-licking good?

Meanwhile, the girls were making progress...

Now why haven't I ever thought to shred the vegetables for lasagna?

Certain members of the family were skeptical about this meal, but I saw many hands reaching for seconds.

Morgan made a sauce for the bacon-wrapped asparagus. The recipe came from Martha Stewart Living, originally, but Mo made it slightly more healthful:

1/2 C yoghurt

(ours is homemade)

2 tsp Sriracha sauce 

(We used a similar sauce purchased at our favorite Lebanese market.)

2 T plus 1 tsp fresh lime juice

1 T plus 1 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

And for dessert...

Our friend, Jon, had spent the day with us, as he often does. When I took a plate of these Chocolate Power Bar Balls downstairs for Craig and him to sample, they weren't sure what to expect.

If you 1.) love chocolate, 2.) don't like/have time to bake, and/or 3.) want a less guilty dessert option, then this is the dessert for you. It literally only takes a few minutes to whip up a batch of these in the food processor.

NOTE: I used pecans, instead of walnuts.

CAUTION: My hands were very sticky after rolling these into balls.

BONUS: I got to lick ALL of my fingers, plus the palms of my hands afterward.

By the way, there wasn't one left when we were finished.