And the second batch burned even faster, since the toaster oven was already screeching hot.
Round three...this time, I didn't leave them...and finally, I have lightly golden brown pecans ;-)
Susan, please let me know if this is enough of a flop for you.
Please don't be mad at me...I know last week I promised to make my oven baked catfish. But asparagus was on sale this week...and I love asparagus. I had this particular recipe set aside for a Friday during Lent, and decided to make it this week, since fresh asparagus obviously won't last but a few days in the fridge. 
We're going to use them to make a shrimp stock, and boil the orzo in it--this will give the pasta more flavor that it might have otherwise ( i.e.--cooking it in plain water). 
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp and garlic, and saute for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the garlic from burning. Cook the shrimp until they are pink and tender.
They will continue to cook off the heat, so just a few minutes is all it takes. Remove the shrimp, cut into bite-sized pieces, and set aside (you'll see below that I didn't bother to cut my shrimp up). 
and discard them (outside, not inside, unless you don't mind the fishy smell in your house). Add the orzo to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes.
Now add the asparagus and continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes or until the orzo is al dente (take care not to overcook it!).
Drain immediately into a fine-mesh colander.
If you don't have one, you must get one before you make this dish, otherwise all your orzo will go down the drain, since it's a very tiny pasta (and please excuse the mess in my sink!).
Immediately rinse the orzo and asparagus under cold running water to stop the cooking process. This keeps the asparagus a nice bright, green color and stops the pasta from continuing to cook and become mushy (mushy pasta salad is not good!).
In a large serving bowl, toss together the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, shrimp, and green onions.
In a separate bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, honey mustard, and basil. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.
Add this dressing to the pasta, and toss again.
Turn the salad into a serving bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours to meld the flavors.
I liked this recipe because I could make it in advance, and it was really simple. I had all the ingredients on hand except the basil (my basil is about 1 centimeter high in the garden, so it's definitely not ready to pick yet). So I had to use dried basil (boo hoo). This salad tasted even better the next day...so hope for leftovers! The kids were okay with it the first night, and protested the second night (so they had pizza). David's not crazy about pasta, but he had seconds and told me I could make this "anytime." SCORE one for me! I admit...I am pretty happy to find a pasta recipe that my hubby likes!
I hope you enjoy another meatless recipe from me to you!
God bless your table tonight!
Last week was Spring Break for us, and I promised Rebecca we'd make something fun. I saw these cookies on "Picky Palate," and showed Rebecca--who immediately approved of the idea. So off we went to the grocery store to buy the necessary ingredients. We had everything except the sugar and the granola clusters--I found some in the bulk food aisle at HEB.
Here's the granola we found at HEB:
Time to fire up the mixer. I usually let Rebecca man it.
Creaming the butter and sugars together.
In goes the peanut butter...
then the vanilla and egg.
The girls stirred all the dry ingredients together. I make sure one stirs and one holds the bowl with BOTH hands; otherwise your bowl and everything in it may wind up on the floor.
Put your rolling sugar in a shallow dish (I like to use a pie tin). Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop out the dough...
roll the balls in the sugar...which the girls both liked doing until the neighbor boy showed up to play ;-)...
Lay them out on a cookie sheet, and make a criss cross on top of 'em with a fork.
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes. I had to bake mine for about 10 minutes, otherwise, they were too soft.
My kids ate these so fast, I didn't even get a picture. They were also outside at the time...that didn't help either....oh well!
God Bless your table tonight!
Well, I was going to make some crunchy, oven-baked catfish for dinner tomorrow. But...we're going to the Fish Fry at church instead. I guess you could consider it a mini-celebration for David's new job. However, our kids love to go, it's a good meal at a reasonable price, and it's a nice to chat with friends we see there. We haven't gone up until now because eating at home is always cheaper--especially when your husband isn't bringing home any bacon ;-). 
My hubby is the most manly guy I know, so at first, I was a bit perturbed. I have other aprons, but David took this one, the one with embroidered flowers and my name on the front. He says he didn't want to get his shirt dirty (although I told him he had plenty of time to change).
After looking him over, I decided he looked pretty cute :-) I am glad I got a pic, if nothing else, I can show it to his mom (who BTW, made the apron).
Another week of Lent means another meat-free Friday, and a new recipe from me to you :-).
You don't need a hard boil here at all, just a gentle boil...you want this to cook slowly. (If your rice and lentils are not done and all the liquid is gone, add an additional 1/2 cup of stock.) Cook, partially covered for 40-45 minute or until all the broth has been absorbed and the rice and lentils are tender. Remove the bay leaf, cover, and set aside.
This will take about 30-40 minutes, and it makes the onions very sweet. If your onions are starting to burn, turn down your heat (and yes, your entire house will smell like onions, which we don't mind, but you might want to check on your supply of air-freshening spray). Here's pics I took about every 8-10 minutes. 
Add the caramelized onions to the lentils and rice, along with the allspice, and stir gently to combine. It should have a nice creamy texture--the rice should be tender, not mushy.
Put the lid back on, and set the pot aside. 
Heat the same skillet you used for the onions over medium-high heat, and add the spinach. You will probably need to do this in batches as the spinach wilts down--it should take just a few minutes. Personally, I like to add one clove of minced garlic, but this is entirely optional.
Remove the spinach to a serving bowl, and drain off any excess liquid. The spinach should be bright green and limp, but not mushy.
My kids are okay with this...they don't love it...but they all did when they were babies and still being spoon-fed. Ignorance is bliss :-).
