so uh, coconut milk doesn't come from cows?

well, friday's dinner was pork chops with wild mushrooms and caramelized onions. i served it wish mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. it turned out pretty good. that's all i really have to say about that haha.


saturday was lovely weather for our grill-out dinner. we had zesty grilled tilapia, coconut mango rice, grilled zucchini, and corn on the cob. i made dad his own mango rice, coconut milk-less, because he can't have dairy, right? WRONG. apparently, coconut milk, seeing as it comes from a coconut, does not contain dairy. who knew?! (apparently everyone BUT me) :p
it all tasted pretty good. i love coconut rice. for dessert i made lemon bars. they went over pretty well.











for sunday's dinner, dad had requested some sort of pasta dish because he had the Hare & Tortoise 5-mile race on Monday. So i whipped up penne with chicken and sundried tomatoes. it was pretty good, the balsamic added an interesting flavor. i tossed in some almonds at the end; i think walnuts or pine nuts would work, too.





Monday we had some family over for a Memorial Day cook out. We decided to do grilled pizzas along with some grilled meats. we did a grilled veggie pizza (red sauce, zucchini, tomatoes, black olives, green peppers, goat cheese, and some fresh chives). this one was good, but i don't like goat cheese. mom loves it though, so she was happy! the second was a steak and arugula pizza (red sauce, arugula, flat iron steak i had cooked in a skillet, and provolone). i love creamy provolone, so i thought it was pretty good. the final pizza boasted olive oil and garlic as a base, topped with sundried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, sweet italian sausage, fresh mozzarella, and a bit of fresh rosemary. twas tasty! overall, the pizzas turned out pretty good. i had started to worry earlier in the day that my dough wasn't rising like crazy, but it ended up doing it's thing slowly but surely. we toasted the pizza dough in a skillet like flatbread, then topped and grilled. some of the crust did get a little too crispy on the grill, though. we also grilled turkey legs and brats.

i also made spicy cashew dip and served it wish fresh veggies and crackers. it was actually pretty good. i'm embarrassed to say who it comes from, so i'll let you discover that on your own. hey, everyone deserves a chance, right? ;)

for dessert i was all set to make a delicious fruit crisp, but david usually makes it (at least the topping), so i wasn't 100% on all of the adjustments we'd made to the recipe. i gave it a shot, and failed. the topping just didn't come together like it should've. i guess that's permanently his department now. we also had the fixins' for smores. however the grilled weren't still hot enough when we were ready to make them, so i think everyone just found their own way to put a sandwich together (microwave, used the semi-hot grill, etc.). all in all, it was a beautiful day and delicious food!

as for the weather, i'd say it's being pretty nervy. it was like 50 degrees yesterday, 48 right now, and uh, hello, IT'S ALMOST JUNE! not cool. as for today, i might work. i might hit the mall (if i work, go a little early), because while cleaning the kitchen yesterday, i found some great coupons to limited & express. i just can't let them go to waste. oh ya! i cleaned the kitchen. now i have much more space to work in (okay, now i have space to work in). :)


what's cooking tonight: tofu parmigiana, some type of vegetable, and for dessert, some experimental GF cupcakes.