Egg & black bean burritos. 

Breakfast for dinner! A classic phrase that inspires visions of pancakes and wine, or bacon and whiskey….or perhaps this lonely looking tortilla.

What you can’t really see is the mound of cheddar that was melted on top of the pan of eggs and black beans (from a can) and the green onions tops that were snipped (with scissors! so useful) into the mix. 

Joe’s away for the evening. Having this again, with a side of banana bread. Your New Mexican grandmother’s breakfast for dinner. 

Sprinkles! with Irish coffee ice cream.

I usually get chocolate sprinkles. There were faint tinges of anise-chemical in these ones (was it the red ones??) but I loved the crunch. 

First of all: the noodles formed little cluster-intersections that made random awful hard bites because, well, I’m not sure why it happened. Because I didn’t stir them immediately after I added them to the pot? Noodles can be so. demanding.

Joe decided to have macaroni & cheese from a box because he is a spoiled. Possibly because this recipe is a little heavy on the vinegar. Or possibly because he is pregnant, which is the only explanation I sympathize with. So stick to your story, mister.

I was inspired to cook Sweet n Sour Brisket from the classic white textbook Joy of Cooking by my aunt Annie’s post (recipe). I used this pan, which I have only ever used for gratins. It took reading the little sales paragraph on Williams Sonoma to learn that it could be a roasting pan. That’s what happens when people too young to register wisely go ahead and get married. 

The 3.66 lbs of meat ($15.70 at my local cheapest grocer) will probably feed us for three days. I’m definitely trying potato pancakes tomorrow. 

My slices. That one has bacon and apple. (Taken with Instagram at Otto Pizza)

Over dinner Joe said that if he had known the easy-roasting technique for chicken (that I mentioned in the last post) a couple of years ago it would have changed his grad school years. Cooking for himself, and being a firm believer in the one-chicken-breast-protein boost, left him in front of the stove stir-frying an awful lot. 

This one is from Lady Gouda. I loved the super easy peanut sauce dressing. My suggestion? Double it. 

Cozy lunch on the coldest day of the week. Martha’s macaroni and cheese, heavy on the truffle oil. (Taken with instagram)

We got three full dinners out of this festively messy layer cake. Plus Joe sneaked some into work for lunch. Can of black beans, three chopped peppers, bag of frozen corn, two of those delightful sauce packets by McCormicks that I never have an excuse to buy…

Bridget’s recipe is relaxed and generous with leeway for the distracted cook.

I used my new favorite way to cook chicken breasts for this: rub with olive oil and salt, and put in the oven for 45 mins at 400. Best if you can get breasts with bone and skin, for flavor, but oddly, I can’t get them as cheap that way.

Garlicky Fettuccine with Greek Yogurt 

One the quick meal tricks I learned while I was starving and pregnant was combining pasta with Greek yogurt. To feel full for more than 15 minutes I had to combine protein and carbs every time. Now we’re fighting colds (and by fighting, I mean most of our battleships are sunk but we keep playing) so I double dosed the garlic by sauteing a bunch of it in butter. 

A 12 hour “cleansing” virus hit me like a wayward bike messenger and tripled my Gatorade consumption for a few days. I managed to make this blandly delicious plate a few days later.

The get better quick dinner

Tuna melt 

+quarter avocado

+ carrots

+ screwdriver, mostly orange juice, a little vodka for courage.

+ Roasted tomatoes, done in the manner I mentioned here.

+ Homemade bread with a slick of mayo

+ Bacon

it’s Valentine’s Day so I can predict what dinner will be tonight: champagne, slices of different soft cheese, boxes of Carrs, and some fruit. “Snacks” makes the best meal sometimes.

if only we had some of that Ikea caviar.