In the Kitchen Lately...

I must confess to you something.  I tried the whole "menu planning" thing.  For several weeks, I painstakingly considered recipes, schedules, and my husbands cravings and put together fabulous meals.  And then I noticed something happen.  Various crucial menu items were snacked on.  Hubby had a pop-in counseling appointment and didn't get home until 9pm.  I got a "What is this?" look after spending hours preparing the meal in front of my hubby.  Not to mention the fact that toddler won't eat a THING I make other than PB&J, chicken nuggets or hot dogs, and baby eats pureed peas and carrots.  It was too much work and the pay off wasn't there.  So I threw in the kitchen towel on menu planning...at least for now.

Now I keep a few staples on hand that are versatile to the whims of my hubby and myself.  Flour, for example can go a long way.  Cornmeal can too.  Of course I still pick up a few menu specific things, but I am not going "all out" any more.  With this approach, I've relaxed in the kitchen a bit, and had fun experimenting.

Caprese pizza.  Cornmeal flaky crust with basil pesto and tomatoes.  Oh, and mozzarella.  Don't forget that mozzarella!

There are few aromas more comforting and enticing than fresh baked bread.  I LOVE fresh baked bread.  Too much, actually. 

In this house, when it comes to desserts, ask and you shall receive (generally).  This cake is a Cooking Light mocha chocolate cake that is TO DIE FOR.  It was a favorite of Danny's, and I hadn't made it in a while.  All he had to do was mention it in passing and suddenly it appeared in front of him that night.