September 3rd

Tomatoes Aplenty

Our tomatoes have been going crazy lately and we've had so many that I just don't know what to do with them.  I gave some away and still had a ton leftover, so I searched for recipes and found this amazing tomato galette. 

Tomato Galette with Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, and Fresh Thyme
recipe from: http://www.wrytoasteats.com/heirloom-tomato-galette-w-honeyed-goat-cheese-caramelized-shallots-fresh-thyme/

Ok you guys...you must make this.  It's easy and it looks (and sounds) so impressive!  I would make this for guests at a summer party.  If not for a main dish, at least for a side dish.  We had it for a main dish though and it was incredible.

I have a minor obsession with goat cheese and the addition of the honey and the caramelized shallots just make everything perfect.  Oh, and not to mention those fresh garden tomatoes (although I'm sure store-bought tomatoes would be great too.)

I can't wait till next year so I can make this one again!

Grades:

Megan - A+ (I don't know how many time I can say it, but I loved this one.  Plus, check out the blog with the recipe because she has absolutely beautiful pictures of this galette that put mine to shame.)

Noelle - C+ (Oh Noelle, sometimes I just don't know what's wrong with you.  How could she have not loved this dish???  I guess for a kid maybe the flavors are weird, but to me they're magical.  If you read this blog, you know that Noelle is addicted to tomatoes.  But, she only really likes raw tomatoes [especially if they are popped into her mouth fresh from our garden].  For some reason the cooked ones don't really do anything for her.  She also disgusts me with her dislike of goat cheese.  With this she loved the crust and wanted to just eat that.  I got her to eat a bit of the rest, but I just couldn't waste it on someone who didn't love it, so I ended up finishing her piece.)

September 2nd

Date Night Italian Style

We got gift cards to a movie theater and restaurant for Christmas and we FINALLY used them tonight.  We enjoyed our night out without Noelle and the food was delicious!

Margherita Pizza and Veal Medallions
Francesca's Fortunato
Frankfort, IL

This was our first time eating here and in all honesty, it probably was one of the worst times to go.  Frankfort Fest was going on and I guess that's a big deal.  This restaurant was right in the center of the festival, so like all the restaurants around there, it was really busy.  Therefore, I don't think the service or even the food quality was what we would've gotten if it was a regular night. 

That being said, the service was fine and the food was still really good.  Plus, who cares if it's crowded?  We get out so little, that we certainly didn't mind.

Doug and I couldn't decide what to get, so we ordered two dishes and shared them.  We got a margherita pizza and veal medallions.  The pizza was good.  Pretty much just a typical pizza.  But those veal medallions tho...they were amazing.

Grades:

Megan - A (The pizza was good, I'd get it again.  But, definitely try the veal.  It was so tender and came with a delicious mushroomy sauce poured all over it.  Yum!)

Noelle - Noelle was with her grandparents having fun while we were on our date night.

September 1st

Counting Cashews

So for my diet there are a limited number of nuts I can eat.  I was pretty excited to eat some cashews tonight until I realized that with the nutrition plan, I could only have 8 cashews.  That's right, only 8.  In the past, 8 Cashews would've been one bite for me.  But, I'm trying to stick to the plan, so tonight I counted my cashews.  There were only 8, but let me tell you, those 8 cashews were delicious!

Strawberry, Spinach, Quinoa, Cashew Salad
recipe from: http://juliasalbum.com/2014/07/strawberry-quinoa-spinach-cashew-salad/

I modified this recipe, kind of a lot.  My strawberries were rotten, so I used blackberries intstead.  I also had no red pepper and I used romaine instead of spinach.  It was still delicious though...especially those cashews (the picture is obviously Doug's salad because it has way more than 8 cashews).

Grades:

Megan - B+ (I liked the salad and thought the dressing was especially tasty.  Next time I'll have to try it with the strawberries.)

Noelle - Noelle wouldn't have toughed this so I didn't even try.