Happy Sunday!

Hey everyone!  I guess August just hasn't been the best month for me, blogging-wise.  This last week I was traveling; I went home to Wisconsin for my brother's wedding and frankly didn't touch my computer for nearly a week.  I'll be honest, it was kind of glorious.

So then, when I got home to my husband who had been living off of corn dogs and PB&J, well... we had no food in the house.  So yesterday we finally made it to the grocery store, and I decided that since I really haven't made anything amazing in, well, too long, I would cook a big, delicious meal for us and our friends G&L.

The Menu: 

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

with Twice Baked Potatoes

and Broiled Parmesan Tilapia.  

To drink, we had home-juiced apple-strawberry cider, which I neglected to photograph... my bad.

Also, I had planned to make chocolate molten cakes and homemade vanilla custard, but that fell through as G had promised to take L to a local creamery for dessert.  Due to a hilarious miscommunication, however, I bought the groceries anyway... I believe the text message to my hubby said, "If she thinks she can make something better than creamery ice cream, tell her to go for it."  So, what do I do?  I try to make something better...  The problem: that message was supposed to be followed immediately by one that said "But really though, L really has her heart set on the Creamery."  G, however, was driving through a canyon and... we didn't receive that second text message for a few hours.  Fail.  Funny, though!  I'll be making the custard later today...

Anyway, I thought I'd take pictures of the process.  Strawberries, cleaned and tops cut off:

Ready to be shoved in my food processor.  I have to say, I think of all my kitchen gadgets, this might be my favorite.  It's definitely at the top of my list with the Kitchenaid Stand mixer.  Here's why:

I used the slicing disc, and went from this:

To this:

In approximately 2 minutes.  I'm not exaggerating.  Best.  Device.  Ever.  I've used a lot of fancy food processors before, with a gazillion speeds, but this Cuisinart is my favorite.  If you want to learn more about it, click here, then watch the demo video.  Be warned though: unlike many food processors whose blades are only "sharp," these blades WILL cut your fingers wide open if you're not careful.  Trust me, I know from experience.

Here's an entertaining picture of my hubby shaking the salad dressing for me:

The oil and sugar was a little, um, congealed, and it looked gross.  But that's why I love Blender Bottles!  There's a little whisking ball inside to help mix stuff.  Most people use them for things like protein shakes, but that pink one in M's hand pretty much lives in my fridge with salad dressing in it.

Next up, Potatoes?  For these, I use PONYGIRL64's Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes recipe on Allrecipes.com (LOVE that site).  Here's a look at the process:

It's not in the recipe, but I always rub baked potatoes thoroughly with EVOO and Kosher Salt before I bake them.  The skins are both crispier and tastier that way.

Lastly, the Tilapia.  G and L liked this, but I honestly thought it was a little bland.  I definitely didn't love how it turned out, so... rather than sharing a recipe, I'm gonna say go invent your own.  I'm going to give it another whirl this afternoon with a few leftover fillets.  Here's a tip though: I like to broil or pan-cook tilapia.  It cooks fast that way, and the flavor is still great.

Anyway, I hope you all want to go cook a giant Sunday dinner now!  I know I do... and this time, I'm making dessert!  Happy Sunday Everyone!