T Rex Cake - Happy 30th Bryce!

My husband, Bryce, turned 30 this weekend. We spent 3 glorious days in Whistler [British Columbia, Canada] with 8 of our friends. We ate, drank, skied and/or snowboarded, and enjoyed this delicious and hilarious cake!

Traditional Irish Breakfast

Last year we were able to visit Ireland. We spent the most of our time in the large city of Dublin, although we also adventured to the smaller towns of Bunratty, Doolin, and Galway. In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day please allow me to share with you my most favorite meal of the trip.

Dinner During Lent - Shrimp and Black Bean Enchiladas

It's part 3 of Dinner During Lent, where I'm cooking a different meat-free meal for every Friday during the 40 days leading up to Easter.

Part 1 was simple and quick - pierogies and asparagus
Part 2 was a recipe we brought all the way back from Sicily - pasta con le sarde

That brings us to the present, part 3, Shrimp and Black Bean Enchiladas. That's right, we're straying away from my staple of pasta. Polish pierogies then Italian spaghetti, it's time for a change.

The original recipe is from the 1998 Mayo-Clinic Williams-Sonoma Cookbook which I scored at a Goodwill Store in Hawaii for anywhere between 99 cents and $2.50. Humble beginnings, right? I've made this recipe more times than I can count and it's about time I share it with you!

Dinner During Lent - Pasta Con Le Sarde

Welcome to part 2 of Dinner During Lent, where I'm cooking a different meat-free meal for every Friday during the 40 days leading up to Easter. This year is seems fast food chains are geared up for Lent and even inviting the Pope to join them!

Part 1 included a simple dinner of pierogies and asparagus. This recipe has much more history and work to be done!

Last year when we (Bryce and I) traveled to Europe, the part I was most looking forward to was our cooking class in Sicily. There we learned to cook the esteemed Sicilian dish of Pasta Con Le Sarde, or Pasta with Sardines. It's made with fresh sardines, which are abundant on the island, and wild fennel which only grows in Sicily. On our first night in Sicily I had Pasta Con Le Sarde in a restaurant before learning how to make it the following day in our cooking class.

During our class the English-speaker/tour operator recorded the recipe for us while the Italian-speaker cooked and dictated to him. I didn't take a good look at the notes until just recently while planning to remake the recipe. Mamma Mia is all I can say, here's what they said: 

Dinner During Lent - Ash Wednesday - Pierogies and Asparagus

It's Ash Wednesday, or a Friday in Lent, what's for dinner?

Immediately I imagine my Mom's Tuna Noodle Casserole! A close second is, of course, a fish sandwich. I'm trying to get creative this year with a different meat-free meal each week and calling the project Dinner During Lent.

On Ash Wednesday we kept it very simple. We had pierogies with corn and shallots + roasted asparagus.