I really didn't have to do much cooking this past week--I coasted with turkey leftovers and scrambled eggs.

But, I did make Honey, Mustard & Herb Chicken, from the Yum & Yummer cookbook.

Here are the chicken thighs, fresh from the oven, with their lemon slice hats.

They also plated up attractively:

However, they tasted more lemony than Honey-Mustard, and I'm not sure that I'd make them again.

I also had two sweet potatoes that were really needing attention, so I assembled Pork & Sweet Potato Pie yesterday.  I was headed to the theatre in the afternoon, so I cooked the parsnips & sweet potatoes in the morning.

The parsnips form the base, then there's a ground pork layer, covered with mashed sweet potatoes and heated through in the oven.

My sister gave me two zucchinis, so I must get them grated up (maybe tonight) and next week's offerings may feature some zucchini recipes.

Bon appétit, everyone!

I am stealing WhiskeyintheJar Romance's idea of Menu Monday.  I find it difficult to convince myself sometimes to cook when its "only me."  The idea of photographing & sharing made the cooking much more interesting to me.  We just finished a long Thanksgiving weekend, hence the Tuesday-ness of my Menu Monday.

First up was Apricot-Sriracha Glazed Meatballs.  They were from the appetizer section of the Yum and Yummer cookbook, but I used them as a main course.  They were excellent and I think I can safely say that I will make them again.

Next, I made a pasta casserole (fancy Mac & Cheese) with roasted butternut squash, lots of garlic, and bacon.  Provolone cheese in the sauce, plus topped with Parmesan.  Really good, but I'm starting to think that dairy doesn't agree with me, so I don't think this will be a repeater.

More successful was this Chili Garlic Chicken stir fry.  Another sauce with Sriracha.  Very tasty and since this is the second time I have cooked it, I think its safe to say its one of my go-to recipes now.

For book club on Friday, I made this plum coffee cake.  The recipe actually called for peaches, but I had plums on hand, needing to be used.  This one was delicious and the book club women dug in!  A success.

My contribution to Thanksgiving dinner was Pumpkin Bread--I tried two recipes, both gluten and dairy free.  The one on the left was made with almond flour, the one on the right with a gluten free mix.  Both are tasty, but the one on the right is far more attractive.

You can tell in this photo that the almond flour loaf really didn't rise.  It tasted fine, but the texture was a bit soft.  The other (from Gluten Free on a Shoe String) had better texture, rise and appearance. 

It's challenging to cook for one and to do so gluten-free.  Plus, it remains to be seen if I can stick with this photography project!  Encouragement is appreciated.

See http://egglandsbest.com/bestinclass for details and download link.

Do not have to enter sweepstakes or subscribe to anything to get the free ebook (PDF format).  

Download booklet here. (if "here" doesn't work, that's:  http://www.quadfamilyeggland.com/pdf/recipe.pdf )

All I can say is YUM! There were a few errors with typing (i.e. ginder vs ginger), but those are easy to overcome. I found so many recipes to try and they are perfect for one person. I am excited to try so many of them. 

by Sarah Thompson

The cover picture of this book is enough to see that it's for the more intricate and polished end of wire jewellery making. This is not one for beginners!

Having said that, the basics are still covered. Tools, Materials and Techniques are the first chapters, followed by Weaving and Sculpting before it gets into Symmetry and Transformation.

There are a lot of full color pictures of some very impressive jewellery pieces. The chapter on tools is straightforward enough and would be useful at any level of experience. It goes into more detail than I've seen in other books on wire weaving. Materials is slanted towards working in silver, though other craft wires are mentioned.

The chapter on techniques seems short, yet it's mind boggling. How can something look easy and complicated at the same time? As I said, this one isn't for the beginners. Weaving and sculpting are similarly simple yet complicated. Then instructions for the pictures pieces give the reader a chance to apply the information and find out just how easy/complicated putting it all into practice can be!

I'll be honest, this book scares me. It also intrigues me! I want to be able to make the sort of amazing jewellery that is shown but I know it's not as easy as it looks. I think practice is in order, but I'm not ready to invest in silver to the extent that making the really cool pieces would require.

The pieces are gorgeous though and the instructions are clear and detailed, so maybe someday.