Fall has officially made her presence known here in the Midwest.  The sky is dark and dreary today with a nip in the air that makes you reach for that cute new jacket you bought for a steal at the end of last season.  Flip-flops lay abandoned by the front door, still clinging to the [...]]]>

Fall has officially made her presence known here in the Midwest.  The sky is dark and dreary today with a nip in the air that makes you reach for that cute new jacket you bought for a steal at the end of last season.  Flip-flops lay abandoned by the front door, still clinging to the hope that they may have one more day in the sunshine.  Alas, the boots will make their way into the rhythm.  It’s time for long, soft cotton socks with separate compartments for each toe.  

Fall brings the scents of apples, pears, cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin(!), hay.  The smell of fall is almost indescribable.  The crisp air that is no longer green, but dry and promising of the cool weather it will bring.  My window is open as I listen to the patter of the rain hit the roof, tomorrow may bring the dance of the leaves but I suspect it will be a few more days of this dreary cool rain before I see the sunshine again.  No matter, Fall also brings the excuse to wear the Tortoise shell glasses without any inhibitions.  And plaid!

No matter the season, The Husband and I slurp soup at least once a week.  It has become our comfort food, not to mention something so easy to reheat for lunch or even dinner the next night.  Soup almost always tastes better the next day, making it so comforting no matter how hot or cold it may be outside.  It seems like it was just a few weeks ago that I was making our Summer Corn Chowder but there’s no turning back now.  The red in the leaves and the cool breeze leave me no choice but to forge ahead with our Fall/Winter version.

**not gluten free**

Cheddar Corn Chowder
Adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T butter
1/4 c flour
1/4 c dry white wine
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 t dried thyme
6 c chicken stock
3 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed (1/2″)
1/4 c heavy cream
4 c frozen corn
1/2 c shredded white cheddar
2 scallions, sliced

Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat and saute bacon until crisp (I don’t particularly care for bacon, so I always over cook it hoping I’ll like it a little more).  Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reduce heat to medium.  Discard all but 2 T bacon grease.  Saute the onions and garlic in the bacon drippings along with the butter for about 5 minutes, until tender.

Once the onions and garlic are tender, stir in the white wine and let reduce by half (about 3 minutes).  Stir in flour, salt and pepper and cook about 1 minute for the flour to loose its taste and become a paste (ha!).  Place potatoes in the pot and just cover the potatoes with chicken stock.  Stir the pot so the flour paste becomes incorporated with the chicken stock.  Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low.  Cook about 15 minutes until potatoes are just tender.  Stir in the corn and heavy cream.  Allow the corn and cream to heat through and thicken (about 10 minutes).

Serve garnished with white cheddar, bacon and scallions.

When I was young (and still today) my mom called me Paula Perfect.  The moniker refers to my never ending desire to do things right, no matter the cost… to make a pretty life.  I strive endlessly for the right attitude, the perfectly straight hair, the organization which would make a sane person itch, the [...]]]>

When I was young (and still today) my mom called me Paula Perfect.  The moniker refers to my never ending desire to do things right, no matter the cost… to make a pretty life.  I strive endlessly for the right attitude, the perfectly straight hair, the organization which would make a sane person itch, the perfectly cleaned home and ready to serve munchies for friends stopping by.  

As I get older I recognize the beauty in imperfection.  Don’t get me wrong, I still put forth the effort to create perfection, but I have my moments where I simply acknowledge that sometimes… perfection isn’t always best.  Sometimes, a chocolate cake is perfect just as it is.  Without the fancy adornments of piping, flowers and perfectly smooth frosting… slopped on frosting allows the people you love to dig into a piece of cake and simply… enjoy. This is the perfect cake for such a pay-no-attention-to-detail frosting job.  This cake… this cake is moist, delicious, full of flavor and… perfect.

**not gluten free**

Beatty’s Chocolate Cake
Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 c flour, plus more for pans
2 c sugar
3/4 c good cocoa powder (I used dark chocolate cocoa)
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t kosher salt
1 c buttermilk, shaken
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 t pure vanilla extract
1 c freshly brewed hot coffee
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 c butter, at room temperature
1 t pure vanilla
4 c confectioner’s sugar (may need more depending on humidity)
1 -2 T heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter 2 (8″) round cake pans.  Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.  (I never use parchment… sorry!)

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.  In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.  With the mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal.  With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting.  Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

For the frosting:

With an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter together until well combined and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla and gradually add in confectioner’s sugar, adding heavy cream and  sugar until it reaches desired consistency.

PS: Is there anyone else that usually loathes chocolate, but loves chocolate cake?

My friend Pamela’s favorite cake is a yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  It’s not her birthday and I didn’t make the cake for her, but instead made Ina Garten’s Birthday Sheet Cake for The Husband who has been moping around the house because I gave away almost the entire apple slab pie I made last [...]]]>

My friend Pamela’s favorite cake is a yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  It’s not her birthday and I didn’t make the cake for her, but instead made Ina Garten’s Birthday Sheet Cake for The Husband who has been moping around the house because I gave away almost the entire apple slab pie I made last weekend.  If history is any sort of predictor, I’ll be giving away most of this cake as well.

Although this is a perfectly good cake, just a tad dry, thank goodness I didn’t make it for Pamela’s birthday because the cake isn’t even close to my favorite.  I halved the recipe and only made a small cake and then frosted it with my own buttermilk chocolate frosting (a current addiction that I’m seeking professional help for).

Guess I’ll have to keep working on a cake recipe for her… but for now, give the chocolate buttermilk frosting a chance.  You will not regret it.

**not gluten free**

Chocolate Buttermilk Frosting
Delta Whiskey

1 (4 oz) bar dark chocolate
2 T butter
1/4 c buttermilk (more or less)
1 lb confectioner’s sugar (more or less)

Melt the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan or skillet allow to cool slightly.  Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in buttermilk and confectioner’s sugar.

Additional confectioner’s sugar or buttermilk may be needed to reach desired consistency.

**Update**

As I’m speaking with my friend Pamela she explains to me that her favorite cake, in fact, is Chocolate with White Frosting.  She just makes the yellow with chocolate frosting for everyone else because she knows that’s what they want.  Done and done. She’s getting the best chocolate cake with white fluffy icing for her birthday in November.

The Husband recently told me he will be in class until 2200 on Tuesday nights.  For someone who cooks dinner every night then takes care of the house chores, Tuesdays suddenly became an inspiring night to catch up.  I could work on all of the crafts I’ve started but have yet to finish. [...]]]>

**not gluten free**

The Husband recently told me he will be in class until 2200 on Tuesday nights.  For someone who cooks dinner every night then takes care of the house chores, Tuesdays suddenly became an inspiring night to catch up.  I could work on all of the crafts I’ve started but have yet to finish.  Perhaps I can catch up on my reading that is awaiting reviews.  I might possibly do a little writing and stop giving myself heartburn with the last minute deadlines (that aren’t exactly last minute since I know about them a month in advance).

Alas, this past Tuesday night was packed with errands that I neglected over the weekend that left me no choice but to walk in the door at 1900, exhausted and hungry.  I still had to call the airline and make a reservation to get to Vegas in October where Tammy Munson and I plan to tear up the town (as much as two married milspouses can do with an escort of many more military bloggers).

I needed something quick and comforting to warm me from the chilly weather that had been spitting rain all day.  I also needed something that wouldn’t take much time as I still had PT to do along with everything else.  Of course Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, never disappoints.  The original recipe is for a full white pizza with homemade pizza dough and an arugula salad.  Give her dough a try sometime, it’s an easy and delicious pizza dough… just requires a bit more time than I had to spare on my catching-up Tuesday night.  Alas, The Husband has just informed me that his Tuesday night class has been moved to Wednesday afternoon.  I’ll have to find another day to not catch up on everything.

White Pizza with Spinach Salad
Adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

1 demi French bread loaf
2 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic (this was a ton of garlic but my goodness it was delish!)
1 t crushed red pepper flakes
3 slices fresh mozzarella (water-packed)
2-3 T grated Asiago cheese
2-3 T grated fresh parmesan
2 c fresh spinach
1 T olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan, heat 2 T olive oil with the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes over low heat until fragrant (about 3-4 minutes).

Slice the demi loaf in half and open it up.  Brush the garlic/pepper oil onto the bread and place mozzarella on bottom half, then sprinkle with Asiago and Parmesan.  Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese has melted and slightly browned.

Meanwhile, toss the spinach, remaining 1 T olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.

When the pizza is done, allow to cool slightly, top with spinach and enjoy!

Truth be told, this was unfrigginbelievable.  I will definitely make the pizza again someday with a true pizza dough and arugula.  It doesn’t reheat very well as soon as the spinach salad tops it, so you’ll have to find someone to pawn that other half off on.

The neighborhood is experiencing a bit of a growing pain this week as school officially started yesterday bringing the end of summer to a skidding halt.  Tuesday night I sat in the front yard and visited with the neighbors as they watched their kids play hard for the last hurrah.  

I have very few memories [...]]]>

The neighborhood is experiencing a bit of a growing pain this week as school officially started yesterday bringing the end of summer to a skidding halt.  Tuesday night I sat in the front yard and visited with the neighbors as they watched their kids play hard for the last hurrah.  

I have very few memories from childhood, simply a handful of  snapshot moments stuck in time.  One memory is the feeling of jealousy and injustice that I was going to school and did not have homework.  My brother had homework and he was cool.  I wanted to be a big kid!

As I sat in the driveway this past Tuesday night sipping a peach-mango daiquiri I felt silly for ever wishing life to hurry up and make me  a big kid.  I’m definitely a big kid now and the homework has been nonstop ever since. Of course it’s a different kind of homework, a good homework.  Like, say… cleaning the blender I used to make daiquiris for the neighbors.

Mango-Peach Daiquiris*
Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

2 c chopped ripe mango (I used frozen)
1 c sliced peaches (I used frozen)
1/2 c fresh squeezed lime juice (4 limes- use the real deal)
1/4 c simple syrup
1 1/4 c dark rum
Fresh Peach slices, for serving

Place the frozen mango, peaches, lime juice, simple syrup and rum in a blender and process until smooth.  Add 2 c of ice and process again until smooth and thick.  Serve ice-cold in highball glasses with the peach slices.

*The original recipe is for Mango-Banana Daiquiris, of which I’m not a fan of banana drinks so switched banana for peaches which turned out to be a fantastic choice.

Wow. Not only is today my birthday, it’s my turn to pick what all of the lovely Barefoot men and women are cooking up this week!  When I joined Barefoot, I was so low on the list I calculated that it would be 2014 by the time I got to pick what our [...]]]>

**not gluten free**

Wow. Not only is today my birthday, it’s my turn to pick what all of the lovely Barefoot men and women are cooking up this week!  When I joined Barefoot, I was so low on the list I calculated that it would be 2014 by the time I got to pick what our group would be making.  I remember the day I stumbled upon the Barefoot website. I was a newbie blogger (still am) and how no idea what I was getting myself into. I checked out the Rules & Req page and shot off an email to the wonderful Tara asking if I could please, pretty please be a part of her group.

I waited with bated breath for an answer.  When I clicked over to my email and saw Tara’s response I nearly squealed with delight.  I’d been accepted!  Of course, I had no idea what I was getting into, nor did I realize just how much some of the people I met along the way would end up affecting my life not only as a blogger, but as a person.

I actually agonized for weeks about my choice for Barefoot this month.  I wanted something summery and light.  I had stipulations though.  I wanted to be careful to consider the vegetarians in our group.  I didn’t want to make a dessert because I didn’t want to be responsible for 150 ovens being on in the dead of summer.  Finally, I chose Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad.  The dish was something I never would have made prior to my involvement with barefoot.  I’m just not that in to sun-dried tomatoes.  My taste buds have been changing though and the point of joining a group like Barefoot was to expand my culinary repertoire.  I sent my email to Tara with my choice of dishes and went about my day.  The next day I opened up The Pioneer Woman and… oh that can’t be! Stroke of good luck!  Ree dished up the salad and added pointers too!

Without further ado…

Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

1/2 lb bowtie pasta
1/2 lb corksrew pasta (I used whole wheat for texture)
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Red Pepper flakes (my addition to give it a little kick)
1 lb fresh tomatoes
3/4 c good black olives, such as Kalamata, pitted and roughly chopped
1 t capers (used about 2 t)
1 lb fresh mozzarella pearls
6 sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped (oops- forgot these)
For the Dressing:
5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained (I used 9-10)
2 T red wine vinegar
6 T good olive oil
1 clove garlic (I used 3)
Salt & Pepper to taste (easy on the salt)
1 c freshly grated parmesan
1/4 c fresh basil leaves, julienne

Taking guidance from The Pioneer Woman, I made the dressing the night before I served this.  (The only thing I did differently was add the parmesan in chunks to the food processor and make it a part of the dressing.)

For the dressing: combine the sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes and capers in a food processor and process until almost smooth. Season lightly with salt and generously pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook pasta until al dente.  Drain well.  Transfer to a large mixing bowl.  Allow to cool slightly, stir in fresh tomatoes, olives and mozzarella pearls.

Serve with an additional sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Results: Uh. WOW!  For something I never would have tried, this has now become one of my favorite dishes.  The Husband could not stop eating it.

I hope everyone enjoyed the choice… because, you know… I’m sitting here wringing my hands hoping everyone loved it as much as we did.

I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since I participated in Barefoot!  We were on vacation last round and I just didn’t think Curried Couscous would be the best snack for the car ride.  

This week’s recipe was chosen by Meryl of My Bit of Earth.  At first, I was less than thrilled about [...]]]>

I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since I participated in Barefoot!  We were on vacation last round and I just didn’t think Curried Couscous would be the best snack for the car ride.  

This week’s recipe was chosen by Meryl of My Bit of Earth.  At first, I was less than thrilled about the recipe choice because I’d never tried gazpacho and never really had any desire to try gazpacho.  Knowing I was going to miss the first recipe of this month, I was scheming with ways to avoid making gazpacho.  Alas, life has a funny way of slapping you.

While on vacation, The Mother-In-Law made one of her favorite dishes for dinner one night… gazpacho!  As I stood in the kitchen roughly chopping bell peppers, cucumbers and onions I thought, ‘this can’t be that bad, it’s filled with veggies that I love!’ The biggest hurdles would be the texture and temperature of the soup, I knew this.  I should not have wasted my energy on fear.  The soup was amazing.  Fresh, tasty, filling, slightly spicy and amazingly wonderful.

I made slight adjustments to Ina’s recipe to reflect what I saw The Mother-In-Law’s use in her perfection of gazpacho.  I hope you enjoy!

Gazpacho
Adapted by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded (too lazy to seed it)
2 bell peppers, cored & seeded (I used green)
2-  14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 bunch scallions
3 cloves garlic
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 T mayonnaise*
Dash of Tabasco

Roughly chop all veggies and place in a large bowl.  Top the veggies with the diced tomatoes (with juice), vinegar, mayonnaise and olive oil.  Using and immersion blender, blend until smooth.

The Mother-In-Law started by chopping everything in the food processor then smoothed everything with the immersion blender and it worked like a charm.  I decided to give it a whirl and skipped the food processor all together.  The immersion blender was fantastic!  I know Ina said to not over process the vegetables, but knowing that I was going to have an issue with the texture, I went ahead and smoothed it all out against her italicized wishes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, add a few dashes of Tabasco and you’re golden.  I prepared the soup before Martial Arts on Monday and threw the bowl in the freezer while we went to kick some bums… it was perfectly cold when we got home.  We served this The Mother-In-Law style with French bread.  I searched for Camembert cheese, but the best I could come up with was Laughing Cow.

*The Mother-In-Law adds 2 T mayonnaise to her gazpacho.  Normally, I would gag at the thought, but she did it before I could have a reaction to it.  In all honesty, it was amazing.  I’m sure the mayonnaise acts as an acid neutralizer for the tomatoes but it also adds a nice creamy consistency to the soup.  Try it next time!

By the way… it ain’t pretty.  Just sayin.

This month the wonderful hosts at Barefoot decided to give us an option to make this month’s chosen recipes or do a little backtracking.  This month’s first recipe is Tuna Salad chosen by Kate at Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails.  I really wanted to make the Tuna Salad (because I adore Kate) but [...]]]>

**not gluten free**

This month the wonderful hosts at Barefoot decided to give us an option to make this month’s chosen recipes or do a little backtracking.  This month’s first recipe is Tuna Salad chosen by Kate at Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails.  I really wanted to make the Tuna Salad (because I adore Kate) but ultimately decided against it because The Husband and I don’t do fishies.  At all.

I thought about doing a chicken salad instead of the tuna and subbing things up but then thought If I eat chicken one more time this week I’m going to turn into a chicken! Also, I’m so strapped for time right now that I needed something quick and easy that I could make with whatever was lurking in the freezer or fridge and then run away to finish one of my zillion tasks.

I ultimately decided to make Easy Cheese Danish from the October bonus round chosen by Val at More than Burnt Toast.  I had puff pastry in the freezer and cream cheese in the fridge so I ran with it.  Of course, I only had one lemon and I’m saving that for a cocktail Friday night (no time to go to the grocery!) so I grabbed a couple dark-chocolate chips and threw them on the bottom of the pastry.  Also, instead of cutting up the pastry into squares and making individual danishes large enough for 3 people to eat, I made one long one to cut into smaller pieces.

You know those cheese danishes you get in the grocery?  You will never want one again.  Make the danish at home and you’ll be rewarded with a great flavor that doesn’t leave that preservative film on the roof of your mouth.

Easy Cheese Danish
Adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa

1 package puff pastry, defrosted
1 8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 c sugar
1 T pure vanilla
2 egg yolks
2 T sour cream
Egg wash
Raw Sugar (for garnish)

In a medium bowl, cream the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth, beat in vanilla, sour cream and egg yolks just until combined.

Roll out a sheet of puff pastry.  On the outside thirds (you know the fold lines… you’ll want the two outside folds to do this: Cut slits from the outside to the center of the pastry (to the fold line) about every 1/2″.  This will make nice little ropes.  Fill the center (which has not been sliced) with a couple chocolate chips then top with the cream mixture.  Take one side of the rope and gently pull to the center, overlap with the other side… repeat until you get to the bottom.  Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.  Place on a sil-pat sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 22 minutes.

Tomorrow night you can find me on my back porch with a nice cold Lemon Drop enjoying the end of the week.  Maybe.  I’ll probably still be running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off.

A really great new feature at the Barefoot site is a Barefoot on a Budget challenge.  We all voted on a recipe that would ultimately end up breaking the bank and modify it to our liking and our budget.

This month we chose Lobster Cobb Salad Rolls.  Although I don’t eat fishies, I do [...]]]>

**not gluten free**

A really great new feature at the Barefoot site is a Barefoot on a Budget challenge.  We all voted on a recipe that would ultimately end up breaking the bank and modify it to our liking and our budget.

This month we chose Lobster Cobb Salad Rolls.  Although I don’t eat fishies, I do love shellfish on occasion.  The rare occasions that I do eat shellfish, I want it to be pure and unadorned by fancy dressings, etc..  With that in mind along with the fact that I live in the middle of Kansas (no freshwater around people!) I decided to tear apart a Cobb Salad and go from there then throw it in a sandwich.

To me, Cobb Salad means: greasy fried chicken, bacon, avacado, corn, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, hard boiled eggs and creamy ranch dressing.

To break this down and put it into a sandwich but also keep my eye on the ultimate challenge: to make this healthy and cheap! cheap! cheap!  I revamped the entire thing.  This is also where I eat my words and proclaim that there really is a sandwich out there that I like!  By the way, sorry to everyone for not giving any love last week for the Croque Monsieur.  Things are really hectic around here and I’ve barely had a moment to breath.

I started with homemade wheat rolls that had a nice crunchy crust.  I used a package of chicken tenders that I got on sale and lightly coated them with a dilly flour mixture.  I made homemade ranch (because, really… is there anything like it in the world?), a few chopped tomatoes, turkey bacon, avocado and spring mix.

Delta Whiskey’s Winter Ranch Dressing:
3 T finely chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, smashed
3/4 t dried dill weed
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 T Dijon mustard
2 T reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 – 1/2 c low-fat buttermilk
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Whisk together all ingredients in small bowl, taste and re-season if necessary.  This is a thinner ranch dressing (again with the texture thing) so you can easily reduce the amount of buttermilk and amp up the amount of sour cream to make it thicker.

Delta Whiskey’s (almost healthy) Dilly Fried Chicken Tenders:
1 package chicken tenderloins (or chicken breasts)
1 egg
1/4 c buttermilk
1/2 flour
Salt & pepper to taste
2 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1 T dried dill weed (or less if you don’t groove  on the dill)
Olive oil

In a small bowl, combine the egg and buttermilk with a whisk.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and dill weed.  Rinse the chicken tenders, pat dry, coat them with the buttermilk mixture, then lightly coat them with the flour mixture.  Cook in a medium skillet on medium-low heat just until browned.  Transfer to a foil lined cookie sheet and finish cooking them in the oven at 375 degrees (about 5 minutes at the most).  I swear, this is fantastical chicken!

I also bake the turkey bacon on a foil lined sheetpan at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes until crispy.  That way, you don’t have to use additional oil to get it cooking (not to mention, it cooks evenly in the oven).

To assemble the salad sandwich:
In a medium bowl, combine a couple handfuls of lettuce with ranch dressing, be liberal with the dressing as this is the moisture for the sandwich.  Quarter some cherry tomatoes, set aside.  Halve, peel and slice an avocado.  Grate some pepperjack cheese, and start assembling.

Slice a roll in half, start layering: Salad, chicken, bacon, avocado, tomatoes and cheese.  Voila!  The.Perfect.Salad.Sandwich!

I seem to be full of apologies today, but I’ll send out another one.  I didn’t take too many pictures because I was on the phone with an old buddy who’d called to say he was deploying again this summer.  Trying to wield a blackberry, chicken parts and salad fixings got a little dicey.  I wasn’t about to pick up the camera too!

Anywho! You aren’t a barefooter yet?  Come join us!

Cost breakdown
Homemade rolls : approximately 50 cents
Homemade ranch dressing: approximately $1.00
Chicken Tenders: $1.99 on sale at Target
Avacado: 79 cents
Cherry tomatoes: Probably 30 cents from a $2.00 package
Salad Greens: Sunk cost. I buy my salad greens at Sam’s for $5.00 which is about 15 c of salad greens.
Total Cost:  Approximately $4.58 for 2 fabulous sandwiches!