yes, I was cooking last week :-)

I made a “Mexican refrigerator leftovers casserole” Friday night 7/3 – which was pretty tasty, but not noteworthy (I think I can make a better one).

Sooo, facing a holiday weekend @h (AND hungry), I went to the grocery store Sat morning and bought way too much stuff that needed to be cooked. (i.e. more cooking – less blogging since then)

I’m going to do a quick catch up here as I tried a lot of different dishes (so bear with me on the long post) – including Kim’s favorite tri-tip recipe (Grilled Tri-Tip Roast with Tequila Marinade and Cherry tomato relish!), mushroom risotto, grilled scallops, Julia’s beurre blanc sauce, a hamburger, some fun new sides with fresh herbs and my new fave Mexican street corn, and repeated my chicken stock, mayo, chicken salad and chicken pot pie combo (all with one chicken).  Interestingly Kim tried the latter 4 with rave reviews from multiple people.  I’m SO all about those rotisserie chickens now! so many fun things to do with them!

back to my week!  what I learned:

• I don’t like risotto with that particular tri tip recipe – that one wants Mexican street corn for sure!
• my favorite mushroom risotto is with roasted garlic and a splash of white truffle oil
• this Tri tip was much less tender than my first – was it an inferior cut of meat vs. the recipe? (both purchased at Whole Foods and I trust Kim on the recipe choice)
• I prefer scallops done in a cast iron skillet than on the grill
• Julia’s beurre blanc sauce is dreamy!
• cilantro rice should be made with the Milk Street recipe, not one that I found online (after forgetting why I made a note to try it)
• I shouldn’t try to make pork belly bacon jam from memory – didn’t work this time and it was SO good the first time!
• my 9 month old puppy has discovered she can reach the front burners of the stove
• the first cherry tomato from one of your plants tastes SO DIVINE!

there wasn’t really any coordinated dinners – so this is the best “plate” to share first – the last one I made after making my way through all of the dishes (to be identified later)

First up – Tri Tip (above recipe) and mushroom risotto

creamy, dreamy lemon beurre blanc – and on scallops

zucchini salad with lemon ricotta, & fresh herbs and toasted pistachio/sesame see crumble (Italian)

Vietnamese grilled eggplant with pickled carrots, peanuts and fresh herbs

Cilantro rice after I “fixed” it with Milk Street recipe (much improved)

said cherry tomato