Meals this Week

Can you tell that it's Summer around here?  I didn't know that I was going to lighten the load when it came to posting on the blog this summer but it has happened and I just have to be okay with that.  I want to make sure that my content is real and that I am not just posting to throw something up there.  I have seen my stats dwindle a little bit over the past month which makes me sad but in reality I have been enjoying living life!  

One thing that I have started to get back into is cooking.  It's been a while since I have posted anything food related (or recipe related) and it makes me kind of sad since it really is a big part of my life.  I want to share it more.  I know that I really need to up my food photography skills but I just get so wrapped up with the cooking process that I usually forget to document with photos...I will work on it - I promise!

I really have been on a roll lately with making foods and it's time to share what's been cooking.  But first lets start with the Menu for this Week:

Monday: Fried Cod with a side of sauteed homegrown veggies: kohlrabi and green beans

The fish really couldn't be any easier all I did was mix together in a bowl 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp seasoned salt, some pepper and enough milk to get the right coating consistency.  Then I just seasoned the fish and dropped it in the bowl.  Meanwhile I heated up a good amount of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and then I carefully dropped the battered fish into the hot oil and fried for about 4 or 5 minutes on each side until cooked through and nicely browned.  It tasted so good, especially with my homemade "tartar" sauce of mayo, seasoned salt and lemon juice (I didn't have any relish or pickles to make it a real tartar).  I am definitely making this again...the only thing I would change would be to first coat the raw fish in flour before dumping into the batter.

Tuesday: Pasta.  A few weeks ago I was perusing our local TJMaxx in hopes of finding a counter top pasta maker, since I somehow failed to grab the one that belonged to my mom when we had our estate sale back in 2012. (I would get the one for my Kitchen Aid but no one has $150 to drop on one of those) So thankfully I found one similar for $24.99...much more manageable and takes just as much time as the attachment one.  We had planned on having pasta but then realized that we had no noodles in the house - so I got to put mine to work and it was SO good you guys!

Here's how I made it: 1 1/3 c flour, a pinch of salt 3 eggs, and 1 T olive oil.  Mix all ingredients together in a Food Processor until dough comes together, then knead on a floured surface until smooth.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for a minimum of 30 minutes before working.  Then use your pasta maker!  We paired ours with frozen meatballs and jarred marinara sauce.  So good I may never go back to dried pasta!

Wednesday: Our vegetable garden is booming with produce and we need to use what we have.  What better way than with a Stir Fry?  I just cut up all the veggies and cook in a little bit of oil in my cast iron skillet (I love that thing) and near the end I add some stir fry sauce.  Put it together with some rice (or quinoa if you want to be healthy) and enjoy.  Also excellent with chicken or shrimp.

Thursday:  BBQ Chicken.  We hosted a neighborhood potluck this past weekend and one of our neighbors brought us some marinade.  So we are going to try it out.  I will be sure to share how it was on here (I promise) and maybe we will make it again!

Friday: Wedding Rehearsal for my bestie!!! I mentioned earlier that both Ellie and I are in my friends wedding and I couldn't be more excited.  I finished Ellie's dress on Monday and it is so adorable.  I can't wait to share it with y'all after Saturday.  

Saturday: the Big Day! It's wedding day and I am looking forward to having some really good food after standing up at the alter by my bestie's side!

Sunday: Fajitas are always a good choice.  Just grill up some bell pepper, onion, mushrooms and Chicken/Beef/Shrimp add some cheese and a tortilla and you are one step closer to heaven!

So I am dying to know, what have you been cooking up this summer?

♥ Ashley

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