Remember my friend Lindsay? Today I’m finally sharing one of her recipes with you! It’s a simple recipe actually…but delicious!

Cate and I got to eat dinner at Lindsay & Aaron’s house the other evening when Nate was working late (the PhD is ALMOST DONE!). Anyway, everything tasted awesome, as usual. Even these brussel sprouts! Who’d have thought? Seriously, I actually like brussel sprouts pretty well, and these are the best ones I’ve had. Aaron just talked trash about how they smelled…yeah, he doesn’t like them. So, I’ve warned you – if you hate brussel sprouts, this recipe still may not be for you. But I thought it was yummy.

Click here to learn how to make 60-Second Brussel Sprouts. Lindsay was saying one of the reasons they are so good is because you don’t have to cook them for very long, so they don’t get that sulfur-y flavor. Plus, anything with butter is bound to be good.

I am so excited for tonight. And, yes, I’m a loser and the excitement is for a TV show. But not just any TV show. It’s the Project Runway season finale!!!! Can’t wait! Oh man, if Christian wins…let’s just say he better not win. Sorry, dude, you’re talented, but come ON. And did he REALLY win fan favorite? I’m still in shock. Goodness.

Okay, but seriously, I love this show. Love love love it. Wait, can you tell I like this show? And…I love Tim Gunn and I cannot lie. Tim rules.

Today’s picture is of my new shoes. My first animal print EVER. I’m so boring, I know, but at least I’m finally letting the animal out, a little. The real question is, would Tim like my shoes? I’m actually dying to go get some Bitten jeans at Steve & Barry’s, but since I’m not quite back to my pre-pregnancy size (which means I’m not yet wearing these), I have to live it up with shoes.

By the way, if you haven’t gotten on the Runway bandwagon…it’s never too late to start. Bravo plays all the old episodes pretty much 24/7. But be warned…it’s a lot like Pringles. Once you start, well, you know…although, I must admit I’ve never actually EATEN a Pringle, so I wouldn’t know much about that. Yup, I’m weird.

I like milkshakes. They’re yummy. And, believe it or not, I didn’t discover them until Nate’s mom came onto the scene. That’s right, yet another thing for Nate to add to the “I can’t believe Jane hadn’t tried this until she met me” list…like relish on a hot dog. It’s true. I’m a weirdo.

Okay, back to milkshakes. They’re easy and way good. All you do is blend milk, ice, sugar (to taste) and a bit of vanilla (chocolate syrup is, of course, another option). That’s it. So yummy. And the good news is that it tastes a lot like an ice cream shake, minus all that crazy fat and sugar. I would say it may even be a bit more refreshing.

I did mess it up a little the other night by adding too much ice. Well, I suppose some people would have liked it better – it got much thicker and foamier. I thought it was too much…although it made for a better picture. Figured I’d mention it so you could finesse this super fancy recipe to your liking.

Wait – I need to do a little mother-in-law heckling. I just want to say I think it ironic that she gives me such a hard time for Milk on the Rocks…um, isn’t this just Milk on the Rocks in a blender?

Sorry the menu is so late tonight…let’s just say that tonight is one of those tricky crazy mom nights. I won’t go into details, but I gotta get this up quick and run! In fact, I’m just going to TBD a few of the nights and finish the week’s plan later. I REALLY need your menus this week!

MONDAY:
- Pizza (as per Cate’s request)

TUESDAY:
- Spaghetti & Meatballs
- Salad
- Garlic bread (w/TJs whole grain french bread)

WEDNESDAY:
- Rosemary Chicken with Artichokes & White Beans

THURSDAY:
- Our great friends Liz & Dave are visiting us for a night…we’ll see where this crazy night leads us!

FRIDAY:
- TJs Orange Chicken (freezer section)
- Rice
- Little egg rolls

SATURDAY:
- TBD

SUNDAY:
- TBD

The Song of the Week is back – for real this time! Now that the iMac is up and running in the kitchen again, I’m back to listening to music while I cook. The plan is to share my favorite Song of the Week each Saturday. Seems like a nice weekend activity, no?

All of our computers are Macs. I love them. But it is kind of rough when your computers are cooler than you. And the Mac commercials are definitely cooler than I am. Today’s Song of the Week is from one of those commercials. Which means you’ve probably already heard it, but I still think it’s great and this is my blog so I can do what I want. Hee hee.

I was slow in discovering Yael Naïm’s song New Soul. With DVR on our cable box, I NEVER watch commercials. Nate had fun teasing me because I hadn’t heard this song when the rest of America already had it memorized. So, in case you’re like me and haven’t heard it yet, be sure to check it out. It is a happy little song.

My favorite song on Yael’s album album is called Far Far. Love it. The rest of the album is very cool, too – a mix of French, English and Hebrew (Yael is Israeli and hit it big in France) with interesting and different music.

New Soul is this week’s official Song of the Week, however. Here’s why: last night when Cate and I were making dinner, it was the first time she’d heard the song. She loved it and sang the “la la la las” like there was no tomorrow. It was SO CUTE. Plus, right after Anna was born, Nate dubbed it Anna’s song. This song will always do my heart good.

Quick note: I’ve improved my links in the Song of the Week posts. If you click on the names of the songs/artists it will take to you to the Amazon MP3 download, where you can preview and purchase the songs easily. Amazon MP3s are DRM-free, which means once you buy the song it doesn’t track how many computers you have it on. Very cool. Plus a lot of them are less expensive than iTunes. Double cool.

While my attempt at chocolate truffles may not have been stellar, I did forget to mention something I discovered that I HAVE to share with you all…something I did RIGHT.

I’ve always heard that coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate. I’m not a big coffee fan, so usually when a chocolate recipe calls for it, oops, I left it out. However, I decided to give it a try this time around. Let me tell ya, what they say is true. The truffles do not taste like coffee at all AND the chocolate taste is so much richer. (As if you need to make truffles as rich as possible…but if you’re gonna go, go all the way, right?) ANYWAY…it’s true, it’s true. The coffee definitely gave the chocolate taste more depth. It’s an amazing little trick.

For all you coffee drinkers out there, yes, I used nasty instant granules. I know, I know. NASTY. But when you only need 1 tablespoon in a recipe AND you know you’re not going to taste the coffee anyway…well, instant granules here I come.

If your truffle recipe doesn’t have coffee in it, you could probably just add 1 Tbsp and be safe. I would just add it at the end when you add in the other flavorings, like liqueur or oils.

So far my friend Dottie is the only one to share a recipe and truffle techniques (thank you, Dottie!!). I know there are more experts out there! Get over to my original truffle post and help me out already!

I ventured into the world of chocolate truffle making the other night, with mixed results. The truffles TASTE great, but are far from culinarily artistic perfection. I thought today I’d share what I did along with my questions, hoping you can teach me the right way to do this!

Want the job as Truffle Teacher? All you have to do is post a comment! I’m mostly concerned with technique, but of course if you have a good recipe please share that as well!

For reference, THIS (click here) is the recipe I primarily used (although I referenced a few others as well).

Okay, the Truffle 101 Discussion Group is now beginning.

Jane Observations:
- When they say finely chop the chocolate, they mean FINELY chop the chocolate. I just had a few small pieces here and there (see pic), but they were just too big to melt in the heated cream.

- You can store your finished truffles in the fridge for weeks, but eat them at room temp – so much better when they are nice and soft.

Jane’s Questions:
- I wanted to do some hazelnut-flavored truffles. I split the recipe in half and added ~1 1/2 tsp of hazelnut oil, but you honestly cannot tell that they were flavored. Has anyone used hazelnut oil in a similar situation? How much should I use?

- When should you form your truffle balls? One recipe said to leave the mixture out for 1 hour then make the balls. I did that – the chocolate was still so soft it was nearly impossible to work with. Another recipe said to refrigerate for 1 hour then make the balls…so I put the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes. When I tried to make the truffles I actually BROKE the melon baller the chocolate was so hard. It was the biggest pain making the balls (which is why mine look so lumpy). What technique do you suggest? Do you use a melon baller, fingers, two spoons? HELP!

- What is your favorite flavoring and in what quantities should they go into the recipe?

I THINK that was all the questions/troubles I had. Seriously, if you’ve made truffles and they came out, tell us what you did!

Even though my truffles don’t LOOK as pretty as I would have liked…it’s not stopping us from eating them!

I’m happy to announce the winners of the ProFlowers gift card giveaway!

Cora, who said: Chocolate, strawberries, and flowers….Jane you sure know what’s important on V-Day.

Lori, who said: Bring on those chocolate covered strawberries!

Congratulations, ladies! I know you’ll put those $50 gift cards to good use! Please send me an email at weeklydinners@gmail.com to claim your prize!

Even if you didn’t win the gift card, you’re still a winner…get 15% off your orders by visiting www.proflowers.com/pr

Thank you all for entering and for all your great comments – I read every one of them!

Tonight is leftover night…I went out to get Cate some food and found this on the dinner table instead…

Cate and her dad were busy making snowmen. It was so cute. Hey, if there’s no dinner on the table, this sure is a good substitute.

By the way – several of you have commented in the last few weeks about using my recipes (beef stew, tostada goop for enchiladas, pizza dough, to name a few…check the Recipes: Main Dishes page for recipes). I love the positive feedback and I’m so happy the recipes are working for you – yea!

I have a LOT of carry-overs on my menu from last week…I think I must have been half asleep when I went to the grocery store since I forgot half my ingredients! You may be wondering what we ate at all, and, to be honest, I don’t really remember. We didn’t starve, so that’s good.

MONDAY:
- Either hamburgers or BBQ pork
- Chips
- Salad

TUESDAY:
- Beef Stew (Cate’s current favorite)

WEDNESDAY:
- Pat’s Oriental Chicken Salad
- Mini egg rolls (from the frozen food aisle, of course!)

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers

FRIDAY:
- Breakfast for dinner
- Fruit
- Hashbrowns

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Chicken Salad sandwiches
- Chips
- Fruit & Salad

Share your menus! And, if you haven’t entered the ProFlowers giveaway, you have a few more hours…

Don’t forget to enter the ProFlowers gift card giveaway! You have until Midnight tomorrow (Sunday, 2/17) to post a comment…click here to enter!

Nate and the girls sent me roses for Valentine’s Day…aren’t they beautiful? (Yes, they are from ProFlowers!)

Time for your chocolate valentine! Seriously, what is Valentine’s Day without chocolate?

Adrianne made this beautiful Chocolate Ganache Tart (click for recipe from Martha Stewart) today. She even shared a few slices with us! Adrianne and I did a little taste test during the photo shoot…it’s sooooo rich and sooooo good. I’m going to be a good girl and eat ALL of my dinner tonight…don’t want to miss dessert!

May your Valentine’s Day be filled with loved ones…love notes…

…and pretty paper hearts.

My friend Adrianne sent me this awesome Banana Crumb Muffin recipe. Cate and I made them last night. They’re awesome. Nuf said.

Banana Crumb Muffins
From Lisa Kreft via AllRecipes.com
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 bananas, mashed
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1/3 cup butter, melted
* 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon butter

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Remember my yummy chocolate covered strawberries from this weekend?

Now’s your chance to get some of your own! I’m so excited for today’s giveaway!

ProFlowers is giving away TWO $50 gift cards that can be used for any of their amazing products. That’s right, two of you lucky readers will get to shop to your heart’s content! Flowers, plants, gift baskets, yummy treats…including those awesome strawberries! What could be better?

To enter the giveaway, simply enter a comment on this post by Sunday, 2/17, Midnight PT. I will randomly select two names and announce the winners on Monday, 2/18. Make sure you let your honey know about the giveaway…if they enter and win, you still win!

And in case you still need a gift for your Valentine this week…be sure to visit www.proflowers.com/pr for a 15% discount! Just in time for the big day!

Good luck to all on the giveaway!!

Make sure to leave your name on your post.

No reason behind today’s picture except the oranges are pretty.

I apologize in advance…but I need to do just a LITTLE venting… mostly because I didn’t get the opportunity to vent AT the person who deserves it. Actually, I may not even need to vent. I just need to describe what I saw today: a person driving a Prius throwing trash and a cigarette butt out their window. I guess littering doesn’t hurt the environment?!?! Oh wait, that’s venting. Sorry. I’m done.

Okay, a menu. Hmmmm. I am having “cooker’s block” today. Here goes nothing!

MONDAY:
- Squiggly pasta, as Cate likes to call it…probably with the Knorr packet for Herb & Garlic pasta sauce, and chicken
- Salad
- Bread

TUESDAY:
- Pat’s Oriental Chicken Salad

WEDNESDAY:
- Breakfast for dinner…Panckaes
- Fruit
- Hashbrowns

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers

FRIDAY:
- Hamburgers
- Chips or Homemade Fries (if I’m feeling adventurous)
- Salad

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Beef Stew (Cate’s current favorite)
- Yummy bread

Can’t wait to see what you’ve got!

Oh my goodness. My friend Karen is the best. She sent me a dozen chocolate covered strawberries from ProFlowers this weekend. Chocolate covered strawberries are one of my greatest weaknesses when it comes to dessert. Seriously, if I have a good chocolate to dip them in, I can eat a whole container of strawberries no PROBLEM. It’s healthy if it’s fruit, right?

Since I am a connoisseur of this delectable treat, I thought I’d let you know these puppies from ProFlowers are DANG GOOD. Huge sweet strawberries, good quality chocolate. And since they look so pretty on the plate (plates that Karen gave to me, by the way…that girl has good taste), of course I had to share them with you. Enjoy!

Cate and I spent the morning making Valentine’s Day cards. That is one good way to spend a morning.

I thought her cards were too cute. I started to take a picture of her chubby little hands working on a card that was lying on the table. Cate grabs the card right when I get the camera, ruining my otherwise perfect shot.

Mom: “Cate, I would like to take a picture of that.”

Cate: “No, this way is better, Mommy.”

She was right.

Last night we were spoiled big time. Our good friend Brittany brought us dinner because we had a baby…8 weeks ago. She felt bad that she didn’t get dinner to us sooner, but that’s silly. It was AWESOME getting dinner now. What a treat, and still a huge help. Just because Anna isn’t a few days old doesn’t mean we’re not tired or in need of a yummy meal.

ANYWAY, Brit made us the BEST stuffed shells I’ve ever had. You all really must try them! (recipe is at the end of this post.) Brit also brought blueberries & whipped cream for dessert. She added a bit of hazelnut syrup to the cream in addition to sugar and vanilla. It was AWESOME. Good tip, Brit!

BIG THANKS to Brittany and all of our friends who have brought meals over since Anna was born. I can’t tell you how GRATEFUL we are and how great all your food was!!!

I also need to share another Brittany creation with you today. We went to her house for the Super Bowl, where we had lots of fun (despite the game) and lots of great food. What I really wanted to share with you was Brittany’s table runner: real grass! That’s right, in honor of the Super Bowl, she actually bought sod and put it on her table. It was an adorable and affordable idea for a Super Bowl party. I forgot my camera, but Brit let me borrow hers to grab a couple shots…much to everyone else’s annoyance. “Hold on! You can’t eat yet! I need to take tons of pictures of the food that’s quickly growing cold!” Yup, I think everyone was wishing Brittany didn’t have a camera for me to use. Oh, and that’s my guacamole and chex mix!

Spinach & Pancetta Stuffed Shells with Asiago Cream Sauce

SHELLS:
- 1 lb.jumbo shells(about 20) (cook to package directions)

- Olive oil
- 1/2 lb pancetta, 3/4″ pieces

Cook..and add to…

- 2 lbs spinach-washed and drained
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta
- 1 C asiago
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. fresh nutmeg

Put a large spoonful of mix in each shell..

SAUCE:
- 1 T butter
- 1 clove minced garlic

Cook one minute in saucepan..or until fragrant..Then add…
- 1 C cream

Turn to low…
- 2 C asiago cheese (1/2 c. at a time)
- 1/4 C. fresh parsley
- 1/4 tsp. pepper

Top shells with some asiago and cook 25 minutes @ 350. Drizzle some sauce on shells before cooking and more when its done!! Fits in two 8×8 pans.

Okay, I know that title was DUMB. Couldn’t think of anything better. I just wanted to wet your whistle with this pretty picture and a promise of great things to come…

Enter Lindsay Claus. Okay, that’s not really her last name, but it may as well be with the gifts she has to share with us. My new friend Lindsay recently moved in next door. She loves to cook and does crazy things like grind whole spices and make her own corn chips. Yes, I consider that crazy. Come on, you guys know me by now. I doubt sincerely I’ll ever fry up even one homemade corn chip in this lifetime. But that doesn’t change the fact that I think it’s AWESOME. She has some great recipes to share, and her cooking makes for some even greater photography, what with the beautiful ingredients and cookware galore.

I have a few Lindsay features lined up, however, I need to go through the hundreds of pictures I took and pick just a few to share. Until then, I thought I’d share this shot of her beautiful spices in their beautiful containers.

WHAT THE?!?!?!?. Where are those black armbands anyway? We haven’t needed them this bad since the 86 years before the Red Sox broke the curse!

Since we are in mourning, Funeral Potatoes every day this week. Okay, not really. But honestly, how am I going to cook in these circumstances?!?!

I will say this for today’s “festivities” – the food was dang good and the company better. I’ll report on that later this week.

Here’s my menu for the week. Bring it on, folks. I’m getting boring. Inspire me! Wait, no pressure. Post whatever you want!

MONDAY:
- Chicken Piccata
- Mashed potatoes
- Salad

TUESDAY:
- Chili
- Corn Cake Toppers

WEDNESDAY:
- Leftovers

THURSDAY:
- Homemade pizza (w/Trader Joe’s 99 cent pizza crust dough, of course)
- Salad

FRIDAY:
- Squiggly pasta, as Cate likes to call it…probably with the Knorr packet for Herb & Garlic pasta sauce, and chicken
- Salad
- Bread

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Breakfast for dinner…Waffles? Pancakes?
- Fruit
- Hashbrowns