Dinner is a Whiz...

As in Cheese-whiz... as in processed cheese food...

It is terrible, but I have realized that I can make The H eat ANYTHING by dabbing some Cheese-whiz on top!!

The crazy thing is, it doesn't take much, and it isn't really THAT bad... Look here at the nutrition info... Now, stay with me here, because that info is for a 2 tablespoon serving of the stuff... way more than is needed to get the job done. To justify using it at all, I force myself to be precise in the measurement of the cheesy goodness.. One teaspoon gets the job done in most cases.

So you divide all of the numbers for a 2 tablespoon seving by 6, and take a look at those numbers!!

Now that is not bad, eh?

And with this magical concoction, I can get The H to eat plain grilled chicken, a wide variety of steamed veggies, anything he has announced he is "sick of," there seems to be no end to what it can do!!

Last night on my way out the door to meet girlfriends, I hurriedly grilled him up yet another burger (he is probably on burger overload this summer) and some grilled potatoes... but he was very happy with his burger, since I plopped a teaspoon of the Whiz on the burger a minute before I took it off the grill, and smoohsed it into a warm bun... gooey goodness for The H, guiltless girl-time at happy hour for me...

When I put regular cheese on veggies, it takes a ton of the stuff to make him happy... the beauty of the Whiz is that when it is warm, a very little bit goes a very long way...

I think getting him to eat broccoli, califlower, squash and other steamed veggies in good amounts cancels out the extra calories (which aren't many) and sodium he gets from one teaspoon of the gleeming goo....

Hooray for the Whiz, I say... try a dab for picky eaters in your house, and marvel at what will dissapear off of plates!

Nestie GTG "Happy Hour"

I am so just like Monica Geller... I am ALWAYS the host... it is one of my favorite activities... So with The H out of town for one last night, I decided to host a little "happy hour" for some of the wonderful Denver area Nesties... I left work a bit early, because I was so excited to get home and play in the kitchen, laying out some appetizers for my guests, and whipping up a pitcher of loosely interpreted White "Sangria"...

I put out a cheese board, with my "cheater" Worcestershire Cheddar spread (I take store-bought plain cheddar spread add some Worcestershire sauce and a dash of tobassco whip it all together and form it into a sort of wedge shape on the board), a nice big wedge of gorganzola, and an herby, mellow goat cheese; surrounded by grapes, sliced pears, and other fruit, and some water crackers.... also:

-cold shrimp and cocktail sauce (Ketchup with a squeeze of lemon juice, a shake of Worcestershire Sauce, a pinch of garlic from the jar in the fridge, and a teaspoon of dill relish all mixed up together)

-grilled bread with laughing cow swiss spread, smoked salmon and blueberries on top

-some garlic stuffed, and some pimento stuffed olives (I love stuffed olives!)

-macaroons (NOT homemade, I picked them up at Whole Foods.. they were really good!)

We ended up sitting around the food instead of out on the patio, drinking Sangria and snacking away the evening, chatting and munching and laughing (and fending off our dog, who was being especially jumpy for some reason).. It was a blast...

Simple snacks, some wine, and great company make a truely memorable evening...

Al Fresco, Solo....

With The H traveling, dinner on Wednesday night consisted of things I would NEVER be able to make for both of us... On the menu: Tilapia, which I seasoned with herbs de provance and grilled, a tomato relish with a little olive oil and basil from my little plant, and a wasa whole grain cracker, because I wanted one.. :) There was not one thing he would have touched on that plate... and I had a glass (OK, two) of Pinot Grigio, which he doesn't drink, and ate on the patio, which he doesn't really like to do... I sat with the dog at my feet, eating my flaky, moist, herby fish with a forkful of tomato in each bite; watching the sky change colors and listening to the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood...

Ahhhhhh... just the thing to wash away the worries of the workaday....

Grill It! with Bobby Flay...

I admit it... I would LOVE to be on this new show... I want to grill with Bobby Flay, on his super-cool patio, perfectly appointed with anything you could ever need for grilling anything, soaking up tips from The Grill Master himself... He loves Mexican food, loves making the prep of food part of the party, and he is always having a drink (perfectly matched to the meal, natch).. my kind of cook, and now he is inviting others in to cook with him... who wouldn't want in on that?

After watching the episode this past weekend, I made a variation of his grilled chicken soft tacos because you can't watch him pile one of those puppies up and take a bite without wanting one too...
I liked what the addition of brown sugar did for the spice rub in this recipe.. it really make a crust on the chicken as it grilled, and it added a touch of sweetness under the heat, which was nice...
We skipped the slaw, since there is no way that The Hub would eat that if he could choose what to put in his own taco, and I went with a supply of cheese, sour cream, fresh salsa, and roasted bell peppers to go with the chicken...

The H really liked the flavor of the chicken, and he always likes it when I do soft tacos on the grill... it just makes everything taste so fresh and bright... Perfect with a Corona (for him) and my new favorite Limeade/clubsoda/Pinot Grigio beverage that I pulled out of thin air (and a less-than-stocked fridge) to take to the pool one Saturday at the begining of summer (try it.. wildly popular with the girlfriends for lazy pool days)
Create-a-drink in one hand, taco in the other, I salute Bobby Flay... I think he would approve....