A Good Appetite

Chicken and Lentil Stew

2009-12-09T11:00:00.001-06:00

I made this dish up as a way to use up some leftover roast chicken. It was so good though I'd cook chicken just to make it again.This is a simple, rustic dish but the flavors are just wonderful together & its pretty darn healthy. (Who doesn't need a quick healthy meal during the busy holiday season?) When Matt & I went to La Belle Vie for our anniversary, one of the dishes had lentil served over

Corn and Smoked Sausage Chowder

2009-12-08T07:00:00.002-06:00

While we were at my parents over Thanksgiving my dad whipped up with corn & sausage chowder for lunch one day. It seemed to come together in no time & was a big hit with everyone especially served with his homemade breadsticks.Matt really liked it so wanted to make it at home right away. We forgot to get my dad's recipe but Matt figured he could wing it. I think my dad's was slightly thicker but

Maid Rite & Weekly Menu 12/7 - 12/12/09

2009-12-07T07:23:00.001-06:00

So, I said I'd tell you more about some special places we ate on our trip to Memphis & one of them is Maid-Rite. This was top on Matt's list of places we should visit on our trip.Maid-Rite is one of the first fast food franchises in the United States starting in Muscatine, IA in 1926. By the end of the 20's there were four restaurants, all of which are still open. They were one of the first

A Good Appetite Cookbook Wish List

2009-12-06T07:00:00.001-06:00

Here's some of the cookbooks on our wishlist list year...Ok, we already have Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day but it's so good we think everyone should have it. And finally one book that's not available on Amazon but can be ordered directly from Zingerman'sNext week a list of food's we like to order online or get locally that you can get online.If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or

What we did with CSA box #15 and what's in box #16

2009-12-05T11:30:00.000-06:00

Once again we were traveling for one week of this box so a lot less to show (also I don't put everything I use onions & garlic in since that would be just about every dish.)1. Curried Root Vegetable Soup (recipe next week) 2. Maple-Glazed Chicken & Squash3. Corn & Sausage Chowder (recipe next week) 4. Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Apples & BaconAnd what's in box #16....Kabocha & Festival Squash -

8 Weeks of Cookies - Browned Butter Sugar Cookies

2009-12-04T07:00:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you but I love browned butter in baked goods, it gives them such a nutty, rich flavor. So, when I saw this cookies in Cooking Light I knew they had to go on the Christmas baking list.I'm kind of torn about this recipe. I like the fact the dough can be used right away & I don't need to wait for it to chill. The dough is quite crumbly & hard to roll out. It's very hard to keep

We have a Thanksgiving Giveaway winner!

2009-12-03T10:53:00.002-06:00

Thanks to everyone who entered & for all your amazing comments. The random generator chose #4 which is Rose from Hey Cutie. Rose email me with your address so I can send your package off.If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at

Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Apples & Bacon

2009-12-03T07:51:00.005-06:00

We had a pretty traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year. Matt brined a turkey & then rubbed it with an herb butter before roasting, He made gravy, adding the reserved bacon fat from this dish to it for extra flavor. My sister made mashed potatoes & the basic onion & celery bread stuffing (my family will never have any other stuffing). My mom made creamed onions, broccoli & cranberry/cherry

Posole

2009-12-02T09:44:00.000-06:00

When we went on our little Ranch Gordo buying spree while in San Francisco last month, Matt picked up a bag of dried hominy. We'd never cooked with it before but he said he wanted to make posole. It just so happened there was a recipe in the latest Cooking Light called Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew that looked pretty darn close to posole to us.Why have we never had this before? Why have we never had

Spanish Spaghetti

2009-12-01T07:00:00.001-06:00

We are both feeling like we really overdid it over the holiday with the huge servings at the Southern restaurants, the home cooking at my parents' and all the Chex party mix. So, we decided we need to watch what we are eating a little more or at least watch our servings sizes. My mom had a copy of Cooking Light at home so I grabbed a few recipes from it including this one.When I read the title of

Weekly Menu 11/30 - 12/05/09

2009-11-30T07:05:00.002-06:00

We are home from our extended Thanksgiving vacation. We drove down to Memphis to visit my parents. We decided to take some extra time to drive there & follow the Mississippi on smaller roads rather than drive the direct route. We also decided to avoid the typical road trips food stops like McDonalds, Culvers & such as much as possible.Lunch in LaCrosse was at the Hungry Peddler (it was hard to

A Good Appetite Christmas List

2009-11-28T07:00:00.001-06:00

Looking for some ideas for what to get the cooks on your list for Christmas? Here are a few favorite things from our kitchen as well as a few things that are on Christmas list.Krups Electric Kettle - I learned the joys of an electric kettle while vacationing in northern England over New Years. The boiler went out in our rented house & the only hot water we had for anything including bathing came

8 Weeks of Cookies - Hazelnut Cinnamon Crescents

2009-11-27T07:00:00.004-06:00

This is another cookie from the latest issue of Bon Appetit. I'm attracted to this type of cookie, very buttery and not overly sweet.This dough comes together quickly in a food processor and the cookies are easy to shape so they aren't too time consuming. I realized after I tried one that it is basically a Mexican wedding cookie or Russian tea cake just made with hazelnuts instead of almonds or

Handmade for the Holidays

2009-11-26T17:00:00.002-06:00

Why not avoid all the Thanksgiving weekend shopping madness & buy handmade this holiday season? HandmadeMN, a collective of Minnesota crafters & artists, are having a sale on Etsy this weekend. Over 50 stores are part of the sale and you can find accessories, art, bags, bath & body products, children's gifts, housewares, jewelry and vintage items.Everything in my store, The Snuggery, will be 10%

A Thanksgiving Giveaway

2009-11-25T07:00:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving is the season to remember all the things you are thankful for. Matt & I are thankful for all of you who spend a little time with us reading this blog & especially those of you who take the time to comment. As a way of saying thanks we would like to share part of this year's harvest with one of you. Here's what the prize package contains...Spiced Honey, Black Forest Preserves, Pickled

Prosciutto Wrapped Tenderloin with Apples and Brussel Sprout

2009-11-24T07:00:00.002-06:00

This is one of those simply fabulous meals. It's super simple to make yet the finished dish looks & tastes fabulous.Matt has a pork tenderloin wrapped in prosciutto when he ate at One Market in San Francisco & wanted to try making it at home. I had some brussel sprouts I wanted to use up & Matt wanted to cook apple with the pork so we just did both together. The brussel sprouts & apples were

Corn and Pepper Soup

2009-11-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

Matt has a list of soups to make for lunches this winter so we won't get bored having the same ones over and over again. This was a soup he found of Elly Says Opa. I can see why it made it to his list since the Southwestern flavors always seem to appeal to himI was a little worried I wouldn't care for this soup especially with how strong the smell of peppers was while he was cooking it. In the

What we did with CSA box #14 and what's in box #15

2009-11-21T07:00:00.001-06:00

I have to admit we didn't do very well with box #14 especially since we headed to San Francisco the day after we go it. Basically we used an onion here, some garlic here, a little spinach here, but we have a lot left. Luckily much of it will last.& what's in box #15....Cabbage - Matt is joking we need to make saurkraut, I'm serious about it!CarrotsFestival Squash - One of these makes a perfect

8 Weeks of Cookies - Chocolate and Peppermint Covered Shortbread

2009-11-20T07:00:00.002-06:00

I love shortbread! I think it could be tied with snickerdoodles for my favorite cookie. So, when I saw this cookie in the December issue of Bon Appetit, it went on my list for this year's holiday cookies.This is a super easy cookie to prepare & the results will make a pretty addition to the holiday cookie tray. Matt & I both really liked the flavor & he commented that he liked the fact they

Beef and Pumpkin Chili

2009-11-19T07:00:00.002-06:00

I came home from working at the library last night & was greeted with the smell of chiles, cinnamon, pumpkin & a just a hint of chocolate, amazing. Nothing like coming home to a dinner cooked by your husband, especially one that smelled & tasted as good as this one.We picked up some baking pumpkins earlier this fall at the farmers' market & Matt said he wanted to use one to make chili. He took

Stuffed Squash

2009-11-18T07:00:00.001-06:00

You might think from reading this blog that every dish we make is a tasty success but let me tell you right now that isn't the truth. Take last night's dinner for instance.This dish wasn't a total failure, the stuffing was actually pretty good, the problem was the squash. We decided to try a variety that was new to us called Buttercup & its flavor did not blend well with the stuffing at all. I

Red Beans and Rice Soup

2009-11-17T07:00:00.001-06:00

I knew I wanted to make a bean soup this week but the type of soup would be decided by the beans we chose to go in it. We went through all the new varieties of beans we had picked up from Rancho Gordo in San Francisco & decided on the Sangre de Toro beans. According to the Rancho Gordo website these beans are great for red beans & rice so I went with that idea for the soup.I spiced the soup up a

Weekly Menu 11/15 - 11/20

2009-11-16T09:27:00.000-06:00

Not much exciting to write about from this weekend. I spent my time filling a large order for gnome Christmas ornaments on my Etsy shop.While Matt had the fun of cleaning out the gutters before winter, what an icky job. Too bad I have vertigo & can't get up the ladder to help, yup, too bad ;)Menu Planning Monday....Since Matt is back from San Francisco the two of us are back in the kitchen

We have a winner!

2009-11-14T07:00:00.002-06:00

The winner in the Singing Dog Vanilla contest is #31 Carol in Indian Springs Village. Carol, I don't have your email so email me at katbaro at yahoo dot com with your mailing address.If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at

8 Weeks of Cookies - Salted Chocolate Covered Caramel Cookies

2009-11-13T07:00:00.001-06:00

It's hard to find a candy I like more than chocolate covered salted caramels. (If you live in MN you have to try the Byerley/Lund's brand, they are to die for.) It's probably because I am such a fan of salty & sweet together (remember I'm the girl who put bacon on cupcakes & ice cream twice.) Then Ino at Kitchen 22 started talking about making cookies with this flavor on Twitter so I had to try