Today is not only one of my favorite times of the year but is is also our 10 year anniversary. It’s been good, bad, and even ugly at times but we always seem to make our way back to each other. We both love Halloween and it’s become our special anniversary day because we had split-up for a couple of months but got back together on Halloween in time to get dressed up, hand out candy and of course go to our favorite restaurant for sushi.

This year is a little different, because of the pandamic and also because we are fighting or should I say we are a little distant from each other today, but I decided that I was going to continue with the surprise that I had planned regardless of if he’s here or not and maybe it will be the catnip to the tom cat that will get him over.

I was already going to post a recipe for the pumpkin bread that I make every year for Halloween but this year I changed it up and made it a savory style which came out excellent and is now on the menu for good.

Pumpkin Pan

Coming toggether

Then I found that our favorite sushi restaurant “Blue Sashi Sake Grill” had posted their recipe for our favorite soup the “Coconut Crab Soup“, so yes I’m making that and ordering sushi for delivery today.

Here’s to a wonderful Halloween with more treats than tricks for everyone. Enjoy the tasty soup and pumpkin bread if you dare….Happy Halloween!!

Coconut Crab Soup

Cooking is life for me, that’s why I cook (#wecook). I’ve loved cooking since I was  little girl and my parents got me an Easy Bake Oven for my birthday one year and my dad had cakes and cookies everyday when he came home from work. Growing up I would cook the recipes out of my “Seventeen” magazine and I remember the first one I cooked was for an orange chicken dinner and ok my first try not great, but my dad ate everything I ever made.

As I got older and started working I wanted to go into the food service industry and I wanted to be a chef, in fact after meeting so many chefs during my early college years I wanted to be just like them a superstar. The one thing those chef’s didn’t tell me was the people that would dislike the food or complain or some other such nonsense and me I  guess I was too thin skinned to be a chef so I stopped wanting to be a chef, but I still loved cooking and that’s why I’m here now.

I cook because it’s an art form for me, I’ll look through my cabinets and throw something together and for the most part it all turns out good and yes I will be sharing those on here. It got to the point were my daughter created a notebook for me to write down all my recipes to pass on to her. I had a tendency to not really write anything down…yeah I know.

It’s so funny but now that my kids are all grown-up they all love to cook also, they have their own different styles but its an art form for them and a way to express themselves and I couldn’t be prouder of all of them.

So that’s a little bit about why I cook, pleasure; art; and to feed the people I love.

The other week I posted about helping out our local restaurants and of course I started utilizing the weekly grocery service offered by Happy Gillis and I was thrilled with my bag so much that I’ve got my mom and sister turned on to it and I just ordered the Mother’s day meal for my mom.

With all the fresh veggies that I got in my bag I was wondering what should I make with the “yukon gold potato’s, fresh spinach, tri-colored carrots and the fresh rosemary. Oh and don’t let me forget about the awesome pound of bacon I ordered also. So what did I make I did a “Garden Bag Chuck Roast” with sautéed Spinach on the side. Next time I’m going to save a couple of more strips of the bacon to really cover the roast up. All in all I will be making this one again.

Bacon Wrapped Roast

Spinach

My Dinner

So why do you guys out there cook? I would love to know what you’ve been cooking or your favorite places to eat.

Until next time, peace and all that jazz.

Over the weekend something cool happened, Friday co-workers that I haven’t seen in almost a month we all got together for a “Zoom” online happy hour complete with our favorite drinks and appetizer’s. Then on Saturday it was an online Yelp event that took place all over the USA to help promote local restaurants called Yelps Big Night In.

It was so much fun Friday to see my favorite coworkers on Zoom and I shared with them my Oven Fried Buffalo Thighs and a daiquiri from the KC Daiquiri Shop 

Then Saturday it was Yelp’s big event and it was wonderful to see the response right here in Kansas City for our favorite local restaurants. We decided to go with Jazz A Louisiana Kitchen and like most of the area restaurants they had a family pack special available. We ordered the family Crawfish Fettuccine Dinner, Voodoo Wings, Red Beans and Rice and their Cajun Fried Shrimp.

Crawfish Fettuccine

Voodoo Wings and Fried Shrimp

Red Beans & Rice

This was our first time trying the crawfish fettuccine and I hate I didn’t get a better picture because it was off the chain good, nice and spicy and still hot from the drive over and as always everything was mouthwatering.

This was the two best ideas since this stay at home order went into effect, it was a great way to see my work family and a way to help out our favorite local restaurants during this crazy time in our lives. So hook up with your friends and even family on Zoom and of course help support your favorite restaurant. Until next time, have an awesome week. 

Oven Fried Buffalo Chicken Thighs

Ingredients:
4 Bone-in, Skin-on Chicken Thighs
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Cajun Blackened Seasoning
1 tsp Black Pepper
Your favorite Buffalo Wing Sauce

Directions:
Dry thighs really well, then toss in seasoning and baking powder,
rub in for even coverage.

Lay chicken thighs on cooking wire rack, (coat rack with PAM or oil
so it won’t stick.

Place rack on large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil makes
clean-up easier.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Place chicken on lower-middle rack and bake for 30 minutes. Move to
upper-middle rack, increase temperature to 425 and roast till brown
and crispy, 40-50 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.

Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.

Transfer chicken to bowl and toss in wing sauce.