Ingredients
1 whole head garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 10 oz package chopped spinach, frozen
¼ cup milk, skim
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 8oz package cream cheese

Directions
Cut off pointed top portion of head (1/4 inch) with a knife, leaving the bulb intact. Place on double thick square of foil. Drizzle oil over garlic. Fold foil up around head to enclose. Bake in 375 oven for 20 minutes or until garlic is soft. Let cook so that removing garlic can be done quickly and without burning yourself.

Cook spinach according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain well, press out excess liquid. Squeeze pulp from garlic cloves and dice place in saucepan. Add drained spinach, milk, hot pepper sauce, and pinch of salt. Stir until well combined. Add cream cheese, process until nearly smooth. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until heated through. Serve with sliced French bread.

As always here is also a ready to print recipe as well: Roasted Garlic Spinach Dip

Appetizers
Homemade red and white sangrias
Bruchetta de Pomadoro
Bruchetta Grecca
Roasted garlic and spinach dip
Vegetable Crudités (aka veggie tray)
Entrées
Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta
Penne pasta with hand rolled meat balls
Desserts
Waldorf Astoria cake (aka red velvet cake) with cream cheese frosting
Chocolate fondue with marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, and pound cake
Vanilla bean ice cream

Most items I made from scratch if I had the time. The recipes I guess would give away how much work I put into it. I will say it was a ton of work and I was nervous that I would run out of time. It was a blast! There are always lessons learned but I probably couldn’t have done it better than what I had planned. I’ll be posting all the recipes that I used in a couple of days. Keep an eye out…

1. Took a trip to Salem, MA. Saw some cool stuff enjoyed the ocean got sun burned, collect stuff from the coast and Victoria framed to remember our trip.

2. Had Dennis and family come to visit.

3. Took a trip to Charlottesville, VA to see UVA stomp on the Pirates of East Carolina. The season started with such promise and then they lost 3 in a row. As a side note the UVA touchdown song gets really annoying real quick. They need a quick cannon fire and be done with it.

4. Took a trip to Greenville, NC to see East Carolina kick some butt. Go Pirates!!! We did have a quick evacation from the hotel which gave so additional excitement.

5. Took a trip to Crownsville, MD to attend the one the only Maryland Ren Fest. Need I say more!

6. Took a trip to Greenville, OH to see the family at Thanksgiving. Ended up being sick for half the trip and made Black Friday shopping more difficult than normal. Beside the sickness the trip was great!

7. Took a trip to Roanoke Rapids, NC to Victoria’s family for Christmas. We got there on the eve and had a great weekend. 8. News Year Eve, Victoria and I enjoyed working through a box of tissues watching the ball drop. A cold attacked us earlier in the week and we weren’t feeling up for doing anything.

9. Took a trip to New York, NY for my 30th b-day. We enjoyed New York on possibly the coldest days of the year. Besides the bitter cold we headed to Little Italy for a fabulous dinner.

10. Took a trip to Ikea while it may not seem glamorous, it has cause much work since. I picked up some new lights and installed them under cabinets. I replaced the buzzing fluorescent bulb light that was original with the house. I took me two days to do it but I was worth it. We also picked up some new book cases which was inspired by the office being painted.

So now after going through some of my highlights of the past couple of months, I don’t feel as bad. The work week has been tough. I didn’t realize how much stress the extra couple miles would add. I feel lucky if I can cook a whole meal for dinner. Winter also has something to do with it too. Going to work in the dark and getting home in the dark, makes it difficult to get motivated to do anything. So there it is that’s where I’ve been for the past couple of months. Hopefully 2009 might give me some more home time but only time will tell.

I am working on getting pictures of each item I am cooking and sharing with you. I was trying to take pictures before but the battery died and we could find the charger for weeks. So now with the batteries charged I will be trying to post a picture along with each recipe. I know I’m more willing to try a dish that I’ve seen before versus no pictures. I will update any old recipes too so that all recipes no matter how old they are you can view a picture. Hope you enjoy!

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1-2 T olive oil
• 1/4 flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 2 tsp dry parsley flakes
• 1/2 cup of chicken stock

Mix flour, salt, and pepper in shallow bowl. Coat chicken with thin layer of flour mixture. Heat oil on medium high in frying pan. Add chicken to pan and cook until golden brown.

Add chicken stock, shallots and parsley. Simmer gently about 10 minutes, cooking until light gravy forms.

Ready to print recipe: Pan Seared Chicken with Shallots

So here is what you need for the potatoes with saffron and parsley.

• 1 lb red skinned potatoes chopped into large chunks
• 3 to 4 threads of saffron
• 1 T salt
• 2 T melted butter
• 1-2 T dry parsley flakes
• Pepper

Place potatoes in pot and add cold water to cover potatoes by 2 inches. Add saffron treads and salt. Let potatoes boil for 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are just tender. Drain liquid from potatoes and stir in melted butter and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ready to print recipe: Potatoes with Saffron and Parsley

As a recap of what Spagetti Not Really for 2 servings

• 1/2-1 lb ground beef browned
• 14 oz prepared pasta sauce
• 7-8 oz pasta noodle of choice

Cook ground beef until browned. Drain any excess fat. Add pasta sauce and cook until sauce has warmed to person heat.  Meanwhile cook pasta noodles per package directions. Mix together pasta and meat sauce with pasta noodles and serve.

Hope you enjoy Spaghetti Not Really as much as we do.

Ready to print recipe: Spaghetti Not Really

What you will need for two servings:

• 2 medium red skinned potatoes diced
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 1 T butter
• 1 T light cooking oil
• 1 T dry parsley flakes
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp all purpose seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Create flat foil packet with all ingredients in. Heat grill to high heat and place foil package in center of heat. Cover grill and let cook for 10 minutes. Flip foil package on other side and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Gently peel open foil package careful of the hot steam to check to see if the potatoes are cooked fully. Potatoes should be fork tender. Remove from foil and serve.

Ready to print recipe: Grilled Potatoes with Shallots

• 1 1/2 lb ground beef
• 14 oz pasta sauce
• 28 oz of shoestring french fries

Cook ground beef in frying pan until browned. Drain any excess fat remaining. Add pasta sauce to browned meat and heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile cook fries per package if wanted dash some kosher salt immediately after removing from the oven. I highly suggest cooking the fries until they are a little crunchy. Place meat sauce in individual bowls and top with fries.

Ready to print recipe: French Fry Pie

So you will need:

• 1 lb red skin potatoes
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 bag of baby carrots (12 oz) or bite size carrots

Cut up the potatoes and cauliflower into bite size pieces. Place potatoes, cauliflower, and carrots into 9×13 baking dish.

Seasoning for dish:

• 3 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 T minced fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix ingredients in bowl and pour over veggies. Use a spoon to help coat veggies.

Cook at 450 degrees, covered for 20 minutes. Remove cover and cook for an additional 10 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are fully cooked

For a variation, I thought about cooking this recipe on the grill in a foil package. I have to give an update when I finally get the chance to grill out again.

Ready to print recipe: Roasted Rosemary Vegetables