One of the first phrases I learned in French before my trip to Paris was "Where is the bakery?"  My friend Ines (Parisan and former Cast Member of mine) emphasized the importance of French bakeries, and gave me a laundry list of items that we needed to sample. 

Perhaps one of our favorite bakery finds was found in a rather untraditional setting, Disneyland Paris.  What was this confection that could not be located in the bakeries of Paris?  "Brioche Mickey," a brioche bun in the shape of Mickey Mouse stuffed with a healthy dollop of Nutella baked into the center. 

While perusing the Internet for bread recipes, I stumbled across this gem of a recipe:
http://www.clockworklemon.com/2011/11/brown-butter-brioche.html
Since the recipe creates not one, not two, but THREE loaves, an idea struck me.  Why not make the third loaf with a nutella swirl, inspired by my beloved Mickey shaped roll?! 

This bread took some patience, but it was WELL worth it!  I followed the recipe on Clockwork Lemon's blog, so I will not be reposting it here. . .the only exception is the Nutella loaf, but all I did was "paint" a thick line of nutella horizontally across the dough before rolling it up. 

In my next entry, I'll show you some of the fun things I did with this delicious bread!

When surfing pins, how can one ignore a recipe that starts with OMG?  Plus, the recipe was so simple, I just had to give it a whirl. 

Take raw chicken breasts, put them on a cookie sheet, slather them with a combination of mayo, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoned bread crumbs.  Bake.  Yup, that's it. 

I roasted half of a butternut squash, and whipped up some macaroni and cheese (Peter bought a "gourmet" mix that was BOGO at Publix), and called it a meal!

So here's where it gets awkward: I didn't like it.  The macaroni was good, and the squash was delicious, but the chicken?  Not so OMG.  At least, not in my mind. . .but Peter LOVED it.  Asked for it to be in our weekly rotation.  I have seen a few variations using Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream, so I may try revamping it to see if I can please the two of us with this.  I will say that the chicken was as moist as can be, it was just too overpowering of a mayo flavor!

I'll keep you posted on any recipe adjustments, but here's the original recipe:

Oven 425 degrees F

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Hellmann’s or Best Food’s Real Mayonnaise
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/4 lbs. total weight or about 5 ounces per breast
4 teaspoons Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

Place mayo and cheese in a small bowl and mix.
Lay chicken breasts on baking sheet (I line my baking sheet with parchment paper to make clean up easy) and spread mayo mixture evenly atop each.
Next evenly sprinkle bread crumbs atop each.
Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly and juices run clear. Tops will be browned and chicken will be incredibly juicy. Season with a dash of fresh cracked pepper and sea salt, if desired.

If you're wondering how I roast my butternut squash, I slice it in half, scoop out the seeds, peel the skin off, and then chop it into cubes.

On a cookie sheet lined with foil, I drizzle olive oil over the squash, and shake the pan around to distribute the oil evenly.  Then it is into the oven at 400 degrees or so for about 30 minutes.  I vary the temperature and time depending on what else is in the oven.  Just watch them closely, and flip them halfway through.

Alright, I'm addicted to Pinterest!  I have over 800 pins on my recipe board alone, more recipes than I can possibly tackle, and yet I still keep on pinning.  Some recipes stand out more than others though, and this one had Peter's name written all over it.  

The recipe was very simple to follow, brown a pound of ground beef:

Throw in some onions until they're soft.

Transfer the beef and onion mixture into a casserole dish, and add a can of cream of celery soup.

Top the casserole with frozen tater tots

Bake at 375 F for approximately 30 minutes (you're looking for the tots to be browned).  Top the tater tots with a cup of cheddar cheese, and return to the oven until the cheese is melted.

I served the casserole with some broccoli that I steamed and then sauteed with garlic and olive oil.

I think it is safe to say that this meal was a success!  Peter went back for seconds, took leftovers for lunch, and asked for me to add it to our dinner rotation!  

So Peter wanted in on the Philly Cheesesteak, but he wanted "wit whiz," aka with veggies and cheese whiz. Here's his colossal sandwich!

I think I will stick to the provolone, but as long as he's happy!

My husband, Peter, was at the theatre (he's currently Stage Managing a Community Theatre Production of the Music Man), and so I was home alone on a Saturday night.  Ready for a relaxing evening, I threw on my pajamas early on and combed through the fridge and the freezer looking for something to make. 

Leftovers?  Ugh.  Lean Cuisine?  A smart choice, but not quite what I was in the mood for.  Then it dawned on me. . .I recently bought a new product (well, new for me) - Steak Umm Sliced Steak.

As luck would have it, I had purchased hoagie rolls and provolone cheese earlier that day in preparation for making lunches for work. 

Steak-umm's were VERY easy to work with.  Remove steak from freezer, place in pan on medium-high heat, watch it turn brown. 

As you can see in the picture, one serving really did not make enough, so I ended up doubling the meat.

. . .and into the oven to be broiled.

Watch closely, as the broiler can quickly switch from broiling to burning QUICKLY!  My sandwich was slightly singed, but still edible ;-)

For my side dish, I nuked a whole spaghetti squash in the microwave on the vegetable setting.  (Make sure you poke lots of holes in your spaghetti squash with a fork, or else it can explode in the microwave!)

I cut open the squash, and used a fork to pull the flesh into strands.

I scooped out the strands of "spaghetti" and threw it into a saute pan with some olive oil, garlic, and parmesan cheese. 

Dinner for one was a success.  No leftovers to wrap up, and very little mess to clean. 

. . .especially if you are what you eat!  I have a lot of favorite foods from all different cuisines; however, Japanese food is probably the most consistent!  Whether sushi, teriyaki, or tempura - I'm a fan. 

Anyway, tomorrow I'm "returning to my roots," as I have my first audition in almost EIGHT years!  How this actress lost her way is beyond me, but I am beyond excited to be in touch with that part of me, even if it doesn't move beyond the audition round.  As the audition is for a musical, I'm trying to remember all of the tips and tricks; warm up scales, honey lemon water, hot tea, and no dairy (it causes phleghm, ew). 

Okay, so no dairy.  That doesn't give me a lot of options for dinner.  Italian?  Too cheesy.  Etc, etc, etc.  What could I cook that won't have milk or cheese?  Japanese!  Plus Peter's a fan, so a major win! 

Tonight's Menu:
Chicken Soup with Udon Noodles
- Teriyaki Vegetables
- Teriyaki Salmon (for me)
- Seared Tuna (for Peter)

This is one of those dinners that Peter and I can put together in less than 30 minutes, and without a recipe to follow!  I apologize that I don't have exact quantities, we kind of eyeball everything!

Until next time :)