Sunday, September 24, 2006

Cooking in the Kitchen with Blue Lotus and Nicki

I enjoy cooking.

Lavie lets me do the grocery shopping and prepare most of our meals.

I used to do a lot of baking, but with time scare, I haven't had the time to really "bake". Cutting pre-made cookie-dough and popping it in the oven doesn't quite count in my book, even though it satisfies the girls in a pinch.

We have a local "mega" grocery store just blocks away from our home, but the produce quality, well, sucks. It's kinda dingy as well, but the prices are low so because of that and it's proximity, I usually just do all my shopping there. Our Wal-Mart also has a grocery store inside, but I'd rather face a hoard of zombie dead than hit the Wal-Mart crowds.

So, this afternoon I'm going to try a "new" Signature Kroger's store a town away (15 min drive) and see if the prices and quality beats the one in our town. If so, I guess the extra-drive time will be worth it to make it a weekly adventure.

What's in store for the menu besides the usual weekly Valca dinner meal rotation?

I'm going to try to bake up (from scratch) a batch of Pecan cookies from a recipe by Blue Lotus. This girl can cook, Tokyo style. I'm amazed at the photo's on her site.

Nicki from The Japan Years crew blogs a site of her own, Nicki's Kitchen that has some delectable recipes. Which one to add to our list for the week....

Black Beans and Rice -- always a favorite after learning to love it at a local Cuban restaurant (now sadly closed).

Bourbon Pepper Stake -- Yummers!

Bean and Bacon Soup with Cheese Toast -- bring on Fall!

or do I go with a BLT Pasta dish? Hmmm.

I noticed Nicki also posted a new recipe for Purple Cabbage, Apples and Bratwurst. YUMMM! BRATWURST! A meal for a Prussian immigrant's descendant!

I make a kinda-not-so-much-similar dish we lovingly call in the Valca home "Claus's Pot-of-Plenty". Next time I make it I'll have to write down the recipe and share. It's a fall/winter favorite.

Now Lavie's telling me she wants strawberries and angel-food cake as well.

Box or scratch? What do you think?

--Claus

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Claus,

Glad to hear that you are taking an interest in Nicki's cooking site. That is her "baby"... she loves to cook and to share good recipes. I'll have to let her know to take a look at your recent post.

Thanks for spreading the word!

Mike

Unknown said...

Claus,

Thanks for your interest in my site. Glad to know that I've got some viewers. If you end up trying any of the recipes, let me know how they turn out or how you like them. The Black Bean and Rice recipe is probably not "authentic" However, it is a really good easy (and inexpensive) meal and a staple at our house.

-Nicki