Happy Monday!

Homemade blueberry pancakes!  Dana made these because Shane didn't wander into our room last night. A treat for Shane=a treat for me. Fluffy, filling, and loaded with blueberries.

We have pancakes for days!

Jelly Bars w/ Raisins

A few weeks ago while driving, Shane, who had just finished a snack of her own asked what I was eating and if she could have some.  I told her that I was eating a peanut butter pretzel bar and since she just had a snack I couldn't give her any.  She said ok, then asked if I was "gonna have a jelly bar too?"  I thought that was funny.


A few days later I came up with a jelly bar plan.  I found a granola bar recipe from Alton Brown on foodnetwork.com and we started.  I had MOST of the ingredients.  Substituting agave syrup for some of the honey, and was also a bit short on wheat germ. Before I baked them I added a layer of jelly in-between the granola.  I chose grape and Shane went with mint pepper. Split down the middle, not mixed. Substituting ingredients proved to be somewhat disastrous. They tasted great but didn't stay together.


On Monday Shane wanted to make raisin bars.  Not really sure where that came from but I said okay. I suggested making jelly bars again, she insisted on raisins.  So that's what we made.  I used the same recipe as before, but only had instant oats not rolled.  Shane wanted to use raisins and Craisins.  She put them in a bowl and we added.   While I was putting granola in the pan Shane said "let's put jelly on them too!".  I spread a thin layer of grape jelly over the top before baking.  So, jelly bars w/ raisins( that's what she calls 'em).....

They turned out great. It was fun making these with Shane.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Shane and I made chocolate chip cookies! She is a great helper.  I followed a recipe on a Ghirardelli's milk chocolate chip bag. I made a few minor adjustments, melted the butter (recipe calls for room temp.) and used 1 egg and 1 yolk instead of 2 whole eggs.  They came out soft, chewy, and delicious!

Homemade Mac N' Cheese

I made homemade mac n' cheese this week.  Made my own cheese sauce.  I used milk, flour, butter, colby/jack and parmesan cheeses.  It was very good, although super rich.  Not to be eaten in large quantities.

Last nights homemade dinner....

Buffalo Meat w/ Onions & Sweet Potatoes.

As far as Valentine's Day goes, we don't get too crazy.  But this Valentine's Day (as in past ones) I made dinner for Dana.  Just threw this together from what we had in the house.  I cooked some yellow onions with garlic, salt, and pepper.  When they started to brown I began cooking the meat.  And added roasted sweet potatoes at the end.  

Served with romaine lettuce as a salad and in a flour tortilla...

It turned out to be very good.

Greetings! from Paradise Pup

Last Friday I went to Paradise Pup.

1724 S. River Rd. Des Plaines, IL. 60018

(847) 699-8590

*CA$H ONLY*

or as it looked on Friday (from the other side)...

As far as favorites go, Paradise Pup IS #1 for me.  I could get anything on the menu and be more than happy. They have burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, sausages (Italian, Polish, and Polish cheddar), Italian beef, fries, shakes, and more. I've been going here for almost 15 years or so.  I used to always get a burger every single time, for the past few years I'm hooked on the Italian beef.  

It is a small place as you can see, and there are items that are made to order.  This can lead to longer waits. This does not bother me, I think it's worth it. For me, it all depends on when you go.  They are open Monday-Saturday 11a.m.-5p.m.  If I can, I choose to go right when they open ( I usually get there about 10:45/50).  Sometimes I'm 1st and sometimes there are a few in front of me.  Going at about 4:45/50 can be effective as well.  I do go other times, choosing these times when I want to get in and out. On Friday's stop I think the snow helped me.  Went at around 2:30/3, it took no time at all. Sometimes I eat there, mostly when the weather permits.  This time I ate at home.

 I ordered....

An Oreo shake that didn't make it home...

1/3 lb. Char Cheddar Burger w/ everything, grilled onions & Merkt's cheddar...

Italian beef with sweet peppers...

and 3 layer fries...

That's right, Merkt's cheddar, chopped bacon, & sour cream. I have gotten these on every trip.

As long as this place is around I'll always go.  The food and shakes are super tasty and everything I've tried is great. Even the tuna pita. You should try it.  

@M_miceK

Chocolate BBQ Buffalo Wraps(Sloppy Joe Wraps?)

Earlier this week I made the chocolate BBQ sauce again, but used a different meat and prepared it with slight changes. I browned some red onions first.  This time I used buffalo meat, marinating and cooking with the sauce and browned onions.  Preparing it this way changed the flavor of the sauce.  It turned out more like a sloppy joe, still very good. This wasn't the prettiest food, but are sloppy joes really pretty??

French Toast with Bagel Thins and Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins

For dinner on Monday night I made French toast with wheat bagel thins and cinnamon raisin English muffins. I made my batter with eggs, milk, agave syrup, & cinnamon.  They both turned out good.  I preferred the English muffins while Dana said the bagel thins were her favorite.

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dana's chocolate chip cookies followed the sandwiches......

These cookies are great every time they are made.  A great chocolate chip cookie with semi-sweet chips.

Open Faced BBQ Chicken Sanwiches

Totally got the cooking bug last night and made a few things.  After making dinner for Shane & Rocco I came up with something of my own.  I used lean ground dark thigh chicken meat again. But didn't make tacos this time. I started off cooking yellow onions with salt & pepper, then adding the chicken. When the chicken started getting some color I added bacon.  I had cooked the bacon in the oven, basically well done/crispy/almost severely burnt. The biggest accomplishment here was making my own BBQ sauce.  I found a simple recipe online and made some minor changes and one gamble.  I used ketchup, sugar, worcestershire sauce, brown rice vinegar, hot sauce, garlic, mustard, salt, and of course the gamble- semi-sweet chocolate chips!  I put all the ingredients on the stovetop over medium heat for about 10 mins.  I added the chocolate chips towards the end.  When the chicken was almost done I added the BBQ sauce to it.  I put the chicken on top of wheat toast, and also roasted sweet potatoes to go with.  Wow this was really great!  The sauce was so sweet & rich, I will definitely make this sauce again. I'm proud of myself for it.

The Original Homemade Banana Bread

More of Dana's Homemade Banana Bread.
No ricotta cheese substituted impostors this time, this won't make it to be made into french toast!

More Tacos! Chicken with Mole Sauce!

Last night, more tacos.  This time chicken, with mole sauce.  I used lean ground dark thigh chicken meat, and another Rick Bayless sauce.  The chicken was cooked with salt, pepper, and red onions.  I added the sauce when the meat was about 3/4 done.  They were decent, I wasn't crazy about the sauce.  Dana made her always awesome guac and some pico de gallo.  We had flour tortillas, though I'd prefer corn...