It takes a village to make Mexican Tater Tot Personal Pizzas...

You maybe be asking yourself why this isn't part of The Betty Crocker Project. It's a fair question since tater tot pizza seems like something right up that red spoon alley. But in truth the inspiration for this over the top awesome dinner came from a Twitter exchange I stumbled into with vegan deity Sarah Kramer and John McDevitt - you know might know him as The Laziest Vegan, cruelty-free cover-girl Melisser Elliot and Julia - The SnarkyVegan*... somewhere towards the end I think The Discerning Brute  Joshua Katcher popped in. It was a tater tot love-fest/brain storm. Which inspired Sarah to create this lovely Poutine Pizza and for us to enjoy these Mexican Tater Tot Personal Pizzas a few days later. 

Now we went Mexican with our tater tot pizzas because we had the avocados, jalapenos and salsas and because it seemed like a good way to work a few vegetables in there but really I hope this concept catches on and that we come to see more of these crispy little buddies on all kinds of pizzas in the future. You owe it the 1st grader inside you to make a tater tot pizza at least once in your life... you never let them color anymore.

 To the tots!

The Betty Crocker Project : Cuban Beef-Less Steak Dinner (similar to Ropa Vieja)

Our Cubanelles began to ripen while we were away - making them them beautiful and multi-colored.  

So there's this thing that happens when you get back from an adventure: you realize how many little things you do every day in your regular life. I came home with a small stack of Italian, Greek, and Turkish cookbooks, and dreams of bringing our adventure to your kitchen and tummies, but sadly this required fresh vegetables and bread, which we didn't have. It also required time that was quickly eaten up by catching up on emails and news, following up on our new blog/website, unpacking, and various other forms of being "productive."

Which brings us to today. I had planned to post a recipe today for Carciofi alla Romana (Roman-Style Artichokes) but yesterday I burnt the first and second batches. I know. I can't believe it either. But those little jerks were singed beyond being pretty - although I admit I cut off all the crunchy leaves and still enjoyed the filling and hearts with lemon, all while being reminded the hard way that even the easiest recipes require your undivided attention. So today I have a new bag of artichokes and we're going to try again, because this is a recipe I really believe will improve all your lives. 


So today I'm posting a recipe that I was saving for our friend Cassandra's birthday this summer. Right now our beautiful vegan friend is in medical school in Cuba and making the world a better place. We had planned to add this recipe to our New Friday Philosophy; which usually involves Mexican food, but sometimes you just have to get a little crazy and mix it up*. This recipe is similar to a Cuban dish called Ropa Vieja, except we skip the cows. It may look like something you've had before, but there's a unique fresh flavor from the Cubanellle peppers that really comes out with the lime juice and a subtle sweetness from the rum. It's a lot like our Cassandra. It's also super easy and can be made using things you have hanging around your house; well, except the fancy peppers that you can easily replace with green and red peppers. So tomorrow night when you get home from work, all cold and kinda beat, you can treat yourself to something a little more exotic than the typical soy cheese pizza or veggie burgers** before hitting the town. 


May the New Friday Philosophy be with you! 

Green Tequila Enchiladas

So yesterday I made a huge dent in my emails. Funny thing about emails though -- not unlike that mythical beast The Hydra -- once you slay one email, two more pop up in its place. If you're waiting for an email from me, I want today to be your day. Fingers crossed.

But until then, here are two answers to the two most frequently asked questions we've been getting:

1. Now that the book is done, is The Betty Crocker Project over? After some soul searching and thought: no way. I love it too much. Our friend Anjali gave us a big box of Betty Crocker recipe cards (circa 1970), and we got a calendar full of recipes from Betty Crocker in the mail. So there is a lot more BCP left. We will go on!
2. Was it frustrating/fun writing your book? Well, it was a lot of both. I mean there was the night I freaked out because the spinach we just bought was all slimy when I open the package. I may or may not have slightly sobbed on the kitchen floor and yelled "Fuck you baby spinach and all your cute baby friends like corn and kale!" But then there were really great times like the Banana Split Bundt Cake and making heaps of donuts...

Photo Credit : Natalie Dee (nataliedee.com)

After all that baking, I'm going to listen to the carrot: we're eating more vegetables! Enter these big enchiladas with a ton of leafy greens, potatoes, black beans, and tons of spicy, tangy, and bright flavors. I love them and they were very popular around here. They're one of those dinners that makes a great lunch the next day.

In other only slightly related news, we updated our Nerdery. So please check that out too! 

OK -- back to these dreamboat enchiladas and emails...

Pasta in Fresh Basil Green Sauce

Avocado "cream" sauce is not a new concept to vegan cuisine. I bet somewhere hidden in a deep cave waiting out the millenniums are paintings of vegan stick men eating avocado cream sauce. I've seen Green Sauce used to substitute Alfredo sauce or in potato salad but I kinda like to think of Green Sauce as being it's own thing. It's an cruelty-free living institution... at least in my mind. Sharing this recipe with you all is kinda a big deal for me to be honest. It would be like The Colonel (or whatever robot they have at YUM! brands now) posting the secret list of 11 herbs and spices they have squirreled away in Louisville. But yesterday I had a friend tell me he's been vegan for 20 years because of my help and if sharing these things helps people go or stay vegan - I can do that. I love animals.

I can't remember the first time I had what I call Green Sauce but I do remember in like the 90s* having it at a restaurant once where it was called 'Faux Moray 'and thinking "Green Sauce is freaking amazing stuff. What can't Green Sauce do?" I mean in a world where everything just seems to be harder than it should be, here is this totally vegan sauce that is super easy to make and is so delicious it'll make you do this when you eat it.



This video was such a hit at Ol' Fort Shannon. We make this noise sometimes while we eat and then giggle like kids. Kittens are cute.

We tossed some Torfurky Italian sausage in the oil to give it a bit more flavor and because it's delicious.

The Betty Crocker Project : Diablo Beef-less Lentil Chili Mac

Every food blogger has been there. You make this kick ass casserole-ish dish, a dish that you have a responsibility to share with the world and it's pretty much as photogenic as the monster in Cloverfield. It can be hard to see in photos what makes this casseroley dish special and different than all the other casseroley dishes in the universe of the casseroles and casserole wanna-bes. See if you're the kind of eater that loved our 3 Alarm Vegan Bacon Cheeseburger then you will love this casserole. It's all "beefy" and "cheesy" while sparing those poor cows. It also has that "smokey" and "salty" bacon flavor that makes hipsters and the hipsteresque crave it like Gollum and that evil ring without harming any little piggies. And then on top of all that - it's also spicy. The Chipotle peppers make a nice, deep, rich, smokey, warm spicy that will make you glad you made some Limeade to go with it. You remembered the Limeade right?

 OK - Devil Casseroley Dish, prepare to be made and not in a Goodfellas way...

The Betty Crocker Project : Nacho Knots (AKA Rolls)

OK. Back to the food!

These little buddies are pretty much an example of why Betty Crocker is famous. These are some old school appetizers that will make you get all dreamy eyed like when Captain Kirk met Joan Collins.

Let's make some!

Vegan Double Taco Burgers = A Cure for What Ails You

So last weekend, Dan got sick. I had to miss the prom and stayed home to watch Dr. Who. No, you didn't travel back in time. We're talking NYC's infamous Veggie Prom. I know I could have gone on my own, but it's just a part of our relationship. We treat each other the way we'd want to be treated, and I wouldn't have been thrilled if he had gone off to dance the night away while I was stuck home suffering. So I stayed home and we made Double Taco Burgers.

Now I'm not sure if this a recipe as much as combo trick. A few months ago, I was shopping with my friend Marta, who you might remember her from such adventures as The Danannie Wedding and Vegan Tuna Casserole. We were checking out a new grocery store in Norfolk and found a series of skillet sauces created by Frontera and Top Chef Masters winner Rick Bayless... and heaven to Betsy,* one of them is vegan.

Be sure and read your labels - There are 2 green packets. One is vegan - the other isn't. You can see the ingredients list in this post from The Kitchn.

This sauce even uses agave nectar instead of honey for sweetness. So I got one and tested it out. That night we used it to make some Gardein chicken tacos, but this weekend we took it one step further. During my grocery store scouting, I found these skillet sauces in NYC too, and picked some up for occasions just like this weekend... times when we needed something fast and friendly and absolutely fabulous.

We needed Double Taco Burgers! During a time when nothing seems to be going right Double Taco Burgers are here to make it all seem a little less something. I mean, setting up the cable/internet in a brownstone has turned out to be a challenge designed for the Macgyvers of the world. We had so many cables and cords running through our apartment it looked like Hoth. Then Blogger dies, taking blog posts and comments with it. SIGH. Yeah - we needed some thing to fill our bellies that wasn't going to lead to a lot of dishes and was super quick.

OK - I'm going to say it. I mean I have to right?

Help us Double Taco Burgers. You're our only hope...

An Informal Letter to A Vegan Stuffed Crust Mexican Pizza (recipe included)

Dear Vegan Stuffed Crust Mexican Pizza :

I want to thank you for combining two of our very favorite meals - tacos and pizzas in an enchanting,  seamless and ingenious way that also gave us an opportunity to eat avocados and who doesn't love that? I also want to thank you for being so easy that we could enjoy how delicious you were in less than an hour and not have a huge stack of dishes left to do afterwards. This increased our enjoyment of the night by a factor of at least 10*. Mostly I just want to thank you for taking our minds off the fact that the night we had you for dinner at 8:11 PM, the artificially intelligent Skynet global digital defense network was suppose to have become self-aware, trigger a worldwide nuclear holocaust and then deploys legions of robot killers to wage genocide on the surviving humans. Having a spicy vegan stuffed crust Mexican pizza completely distracted us from the evil robot apocalypse and when we partnered it with a Dr.Pepper**- it ended up being quite a lovely night.

XO- Annie

PS - I forgot to thank you for being vegan and therefore only making the world a better place.

Click Read More for the Recipe.

The Family Album : Herbivore's Michelle Schwegmann makes 'Eating Taco Salad Like You Give A Damn' cooler than ever... SPOILER : There are Fairies involved.

This is what it is all about. Amen.

Many of you already know Michelle Schwegmann as the poster grrl for The Herbivore Clothing Company but did you know that she's more than just a pretty face? She's a pretty bad ass vegan chef who recently launched one of my favorite blogs Eat Like You Give A Damn, is working on a cookbook, raising an adorable vegan kid, has a sweet dog, runs one of the coolest vegan clothing clothing companies and is a pretty face. Yeah - She's pretty much a super hero - saving animals, making vegans cool not crusty and feeding faces with a single bound! Or maybe a few all combined into a one or something... Michelle Rocks is the point and one of those folks that makes Portland, Oregon the Vegan Utopia we all dreamed of when we were little vegans! We are so excited that she's our Guest Blogger today and to add her to our Shannon Family Album... You folks are going to love this Michelle's take our Taco Salad and not just because of all the pretty pictures.

Without further ado -- Here's Michelle!

"You sweet talker, Betty Crocker!" Remember that jingle?

When I first heard about The Betty Crocker Project, I had that immediate feeling "Why didn't I think of that first!" I was jealous and relieved at the same time. Somebody would do this important work, and it wasn't me -- but dang if it isn't a great idea!

So obviously I jumped at the challenge to do a guest post for the blog. Confession: I was slightly disappointed that we were to do the Taco Salad recipe! It's true, though I did not tell Annie. I thought Taco Salad was too easy! I mean, I wasn't going to have to drive across town to sixteen ethnic markets to find the exact ingredients....I wasn't going to need to make 5 items from scratch before I could even begin the taco salad recipe....but wait... what is that? DEEP FRYING? Now I was scared. Talk about foreign and exotic! I'm in over my head and I am deeply afraid. There is nothing like deep burning hot oil to put the fear into me. I am not a deep-fried vegan - I'm more of a saute or steam vegan. Turns out taco salad was going to be exciting after all. I was going to consume something, fried deeply, that was made in my own home. Pigs flew, I tell you.

I enlisted the help of my doting husband and some other deeply traditional friends on Christmas Eve to complete the mission.

The Betty Crocker Project : Avocado & Smoked Sheese Salad with Toasted Walnut Dressing

So I've been watching all the Star Trek Movies. It's been a bit of a marathon - if you will - and pretty much an awesome 48 thus far. Here are just a few of my preliminary observations :

• Best Line : Please, Captain, Not in front of the Klingons - Mr. Spock in Star Trek V - The Final Frontier
• Best Klingon (guest star): Christopher Plummer as Gerenal Chang in Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country
• Best Vulcan (guest star): I have to give it to Kim Catrell's smug Valeris from Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country because Kristie Alley's Saavik in Wrath of Khan is just dreadful. Really just a terrible guest Vulcan for an otherwise great movie. 
• Best Villain :  DUH?! Ricardo Montalban giving the performance of a lifetime as one of the best space villains ever. Though I do give props to Eric Bana for his role as Nero in the latest Star Trek (the reboot). 
• Biggest Tear-Jerker : SPOILER ALERT - OK - I admit I got a little torn up when Spock says “Jim. Your name is…Jim” in Search for Spock. Oh Man...But I have to go with Voyage Home and when the crew of the Enterprise saves George and Gracie from whalers and brings them to a time when they will be safe. Getting a little worked up just thinking about it. Makes me wish Sea Shepherds had a Bird of Prey.

Oh and while I was trying to complete my mission to write this blog post - I found  a pretty amazing picture of Spock punching Wolverine in the face and had to share.

Another mission I have had lately is to try to eat a salad a day. There are a lot of cookies floating around this home of ours right now and other various deliciousness and although we are still having smoothies for breakfast and I have stopped drinking caffeine... well I still wanted some salad in my life. I do admit that this salad has heaps of avocado and sheese so it might not be the healthiest but it is still one of the best Betty Salads we've made since starting this project. I love this Toasted Walnut Dressing and can't wait to try it with some fresh bread or just some baby carrots. I am pretty much in love with it x1,000.  I love it like Captain Kirk loves women with big hair.

The Perfect Friday Night Always Involves Guacamole - Recipe Music Video Included

This has been a pretty outstanding and exhausting week. One of those weeks where even the small things kinda feel like a kick in the stomach. I never finished typing up the post today because I only slept 3 hours last night. I just never got my feet under me today.

All I want to do tonight is get some Mexican take-out with lots of Guacamole and play a game of some kind with my old man. A friend posted this on my Facebook today, and it just seemed like something that needed to be shared...



PS - This video is not culturally sensitive, but the recipe is good and the song is catchy.

The Betty Crocker Project : Mexican Scramble

So I know what you're thinking... Haven't I seen that this recipe before? Except in a sandwich?

Yes. Yes you have. Except then it was called Viva la Sunday Morning Breakfast Sandy, but it was just as good for Brinner the other night. When I was flipping through Big Red, I spotted this, and got a bit nostalgic for one of our most popular standbys.

You need to make sure you have toast to eat it on and someone to share it, with because this recipe makes a lot. This recipe is has been potluck tested and brunch approved.

Another Postcard from LaLa-Land & The Coffee Table

Where we're going we don't need roads.
We don't even need forks but it helps because sometimes burritos get messy. It's not their fault really. I mean we need to have realistic expectations for tortillas and should they really to be blame if we try to fit too much deliciousness in there?

Right down the street from the current Peta office in LA is a pretty sweet restaurant named The Coffee Table. There are veggie burgers, tofu scramble and a few kinds of vegan burritos to choose from and this huge patio in the back. I got the Tofu and Soyrizo Burrito with Pico De Gallo... yep that's kale and avocado slices you spot in there. Yep - it was that good and even at noon there was somewhere to sit.

Oh and did I mention that it wasn't that expensive and they have fancy cream sodas? Because they are and they do.

I had a really nice brunch there with Steph and Lisa when I was in LA. Dan couldn't come. He had to work getting ready for Peta's Anniversary Gala. If you haven't seen the video from the Gala yet - you can spot him doing the red carpet interviews. Well his glasses anyways and his hand holding the mic. I'm pretty proud of him and the great work he does making the world a more compassionate place if you can't tell. All my life I've hated bullies and I'm so lucky to share my life with someone who feels the same way and is dedicated to helping those who need our help the most.

The Betty Crocker Project : The Southwest Pasta Bowl

I know what you're all thinking: that's not a cupcake! Where's my delicious vegan baked treat this week? WTF Annie?!?

Well, this has been a pretty big week for us Shannons. So here's my list of excuses, in no particular order:

• This weekend is our dearest friend Sarah's birthday. I'm making some pretty awesome cupcakes for that and I don't want to spoil the surprise. You all know Sarah as our Facebook group Vegan Foods = Joy poster grrl. I do promise to post the recipe and tons of photos of the cupcakes and DC Vegfest on Monday. Just a reminder, the DC Vegfest is where all the cool kids will be, and it's free. You should swing by if you can!
• Dan & I have full-time jobs on top of this blog, and so sometimes we get super busy with that. We kinda have to do our jobs to pay for all the goodies we are making. The downside of being employed is that sometimes you suck at blogging.
• Season 5 of Supernatural came out on DVD and as many of you might remember, I adore that show. What can I say? I'm a grown woman who loves CW shows. It fills that campy sci-fi nook in my heart where Buffy, Angel, True Blood, X-Files and the classic old school Friday the 13th (the TV show) also live. Hell, I'll admit it: Charmed lives there too. If you're jonesing for something to scratch that nerd itch, I recommend giving Supernatural a try. I had to watch the entire Season 5 back to back for 48 hours and it put a crimp in my kitchen time.
• Dan and I wrapped up Lost. This was actually kinda meaningful for Dan and me, and I'm still kinda wrapping my mind around it. So I'll revisit that.
• We had a pretty big media hit this week. Kinda huge actually. Maclean's magazine (if you're not familiar, they're like 'the Newsweek of Canada') wrote a pretty meaningful piece about our little project that I hope you'll take a minute to check out, and maybe share it with friends or leave a nice comment. You can find it by clicking here. We've been getting even more emails than normal SO I'm even more behind than usual. Sorry 'bout that.
• Robots. They're always messing things up. Example A: Skynet's Cyborgs

But let's not focus on the cupcakes that are coming. Let's enjoy this dish that will make enough for two pretty ambitious eaters to have for lunch for a week. That's not too shabby for something that isn't a cupcake.

The Betty Crocker Project Meets The Shannons for Lunch...

I would like to introduce you to my lunch today: Betty's Rustic Avocado Baguette Sandwich with a side of baby carrots.

I won't lie: if there were a Sandwich Hall of Fame, this fella would be in there all like this. If there were a Little Miss Sandwich Pageant, this sandwich would be in there all like this. If there were a Fellowship of The Sandwich, this sandwich would be in there all like this.

I'm glad no one was around to see me eat this epic creation, though, because to honest this little guy is messy. looked a tiny bit like this eating it. I had a green avocado beard, and next thing I knew I was wearing a trucker's hat. But it was worth it!

I think you'll agree.

The Betty Crocker Project : Crab and Corn Quesadillas

I don't really buy into the concept of "Guilty Pleasures". I don't save cupcakes for special occasions and I love bad TV. Give me a day of Lifetime made-for-TV movies, full of Tori Spelling, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Richard Greico, and I'm a happy gal. I freely admit I'll read almost any book with a vampire in it, no matter how pulpy or melodramatic or just down right dirty. Believe me, some of those vampire books get pretty perv-y. But hey, that's what it is, and I shamelessly admit I read them.

I love quesadillas because they're fast, you can stuff a ton of things in there, and pile a ton of stuff on top--and yet they remain strangely simple. I like to call this The Quesadilla Paradox.

Now, you would think that anything that's mostly melted "cheese" would be considered a "guilty pleasure"; yet I rarely hear anyone talking about a late night quesadilla binge, or having to hit the gym because they overdid it on the quesadillas this weekend. Hmmmm. It's almost suspicious really. Why have we accepted these wonderful "cheese" vehicles as being in any way healthy?

Betty's Corn and Crab Quesadillas are not healthy, but DAMN are they good. We used the Match Vegan Meats Crab, Tofutti Cream Cheese and Daiya Cheddar to replace all the animal products, which I think should lessen the blow. The recipe made five quesadillas, but next time we'd add more vegetables--like spinach, broccoli, or maybe kale--and the mix may make more like eight.

So here's a guilty pleasure you don't need to feel guilty about. No one was hurt in the making of these quesadillas.

The Betty Crocker Project : Huevos Rancheros with Tofu Scramble & BABIES

There comes a point in the life of every relationship when the topic of babies comes up. OK, maybe not every relationship, but these days babies are all the rage around here. Plus, that opening sentence sounded better than: "Sometimes there are a lot of babies."

People are having babies, asking when we're having a baby, there are baby showers, baby food challenges on Top Chef, and I find myself craving baby corn in my salads pretty much daily. This summer will be remembered for this adorable, powder-scented, PJs-with-feet, out-of-control baby wave.

One of my oldest and dearest, Libbe, had a beautiful little girl with the most shockingly wonderful head of hair ever. One of the sassiest people on the planet and my old friend, Amanda, has a darling little girl who dresses better than I do. Fellow vegan foodie Angie's ravishing daughter has been owning my Facebook stalker feed lately. These girls are like the baby versions of Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Claudia Schiffer in the 90s... They're everywhere, but I don't mind, because they're so ridiculously good looking. *

Now, some of you already know my dearest buddy Sarah, perhaps as the cover girl for our Vegan Foods = Joy Facebook page. It wasn't that long ago that Sarah and I were planning our weddings together. I was reading and weeping at her wedding, and she was dancing her ass off at ours in a green dress that I actually wish I had bought for myself. This weekend, Sarah and her husband Shaun (who's also pretty boss; and yeah, I'm bringing that back) had a perfect little girl with big blue eyes named Spencer Hanalei. I'm already dreaming up ways to spoil her, and trying to veganize some of those baby food recipes from Top Chef. I spent most of the weekend checking my phone for new photos of Spencer and updates from Shaun. I have a feeling Spencer is going to be the baby Gisele Bündchen. I'm pretty sure she'll be convincing me to buy a Mac any day now.

On Sunday, Dan and I had brunch with some friends and their entertaining and freaking lovable son Isaiah. I guess he's not really a baby anymore. He walks, feeds peanut butter to the dogs and says "oh man!". But I don't think I have ever had so much fun watching a person smaller than me eat and stack things. Sarah (different Sarah) baked these Strawberry Coconut Scones that tasted great, and were like the supermodel of baked goods. If these scones were a movie star they'd be Audrey Hepburn: all sweet and charming. We'll make them for you guys some time. We brought over our version of Betty's Huevos Rancheros.

When I was first planning this out in my head, I wanted to make a vegan fried egg using a version of The Vegan Poached Egg. But the food needed to make the trip to the Kings' house, and I was distracted with baby updates. So Tofu Scramble it is! This recipe was a big hit, though, and an easy yet impressive spread for Sunday Brunch. I know we'll be making it again with a vegan fried egg... but until then, enjoy this version, and share with friends. This recipe makes enough to feed 4 to 4 1/2 people.

The Betty Crocker Project : Quesadillas

Sometimes we come across one of the Betty recipes that makes us ask ourselves, "Does this really need a recipe?" The thing is, we don't make the rules, and if Betty says this is a recipe, well, it is. Also, some people are beginners... So if this is helpful for you, that's good enough for me! This was a delicious dinner. Next time I think I'll add some fake chicken, or maybe some artichoke hearts, or both. Who knows how crazy our quesadillas might get? Broccoli could be good.

Last night, Dan and his family went to a baseball game to eat veggie dogs and cheer for the doomed Norfolk Tides. I was left home alone to work on my writing a bit and some upcoming projects for Meet The Shannons. I may have also watched a few episodes of Ghost Adventures - which in my opinion is one of the most hilarious shows on TV. If you aren't familiar - here's a rundown:

Three dudes go to famous historical locations with night-vision goggles and cameras, and taunt ghosts like they're picking a fight at Hooters. There are a lot of Affliction and System of a Down t-shirts, and yelling of "Brutal" and "Bro". On one occasion, I think of they were shooting at ghosts with cap guns, which my friend Anjali over at Delicious Coma has pointed out "is messed up for so many reasons." Last night they had a machete. Seriously.

The quesadillas were super fast, so I wouldn't miss a minute of awesome-ness--which made them awesome too!

The Betty Crocker Project : Spicy Skillet Chicken & Limeade

Back in the day, Dan and I suffered from a pattern that many other couples I know have found themselves stuck in. We called it The Friday Night Fight.

After a long week, 10-12 hour days and dealing with folks who... let's just say found themselves surprised it was Friday, and just realized they had things they needed to do this week but hadn't, or whatever the reason they were rude or unprepared all day long... well, Dan and I would find ourselves on Friday night a bit frustrated, fried, and easily irritated. This isn't really a great state of mind to go into a date with, and that's where we'd get ourselves in trouble. We'd try to plan these big dates and end up frustrated with each other when we missed movies or had to wait 45 minutes for a table.

It didn't take us long to recognize the problem and fix it. We're pro-active folks and career activists, after all. Hence the development of the New Friday Philosophy (Ol' Abe, The Great Orator, said it better than I could). No longer would our Friday nights hang under the shadow of "A Plan" or attempts at a "Date Night". We'd get off work when we were done, come home, and play some nerdtastical game till the wee hours of morning, because we had the luxury of sleeping in. We even introduced Gardein Beef Burritos with extra Guacamole from a local spot Dan can stop by on the way home so we could skip doing dishes. Basically we would just be excellent! It didn't take long for Friday to become the best night of the week.

I think that's why at our house, Mexican food always brings with it a relaxing happiness. We dance little jigs as we cook it, and we eat way more than we should in one sitting. We go to bed those nights with big smiles, and wake up excited for the next Friday.

Dan made Betty's Limeade to go with this Mexican themed dish, and together we made a perfect meal for a summer night and brought a little of our New Friday Philosophy to the middle of this very long week.

The Betty Crocker Project : Cobb Salad & Sunflower Seed Herb Whole Wheat Bread

Ever have a "great" idea that turns out to be a terrible mistake?

I don't mean anything epic - like that highway that goes nowhere or mixing tequila and champagne (true story for another time) but just the everyday ones. Examples of this would be not feeding a meter because "you'll only be a minute" or theme weddings that involve hoop skirts and/or top hats. The other day I had one of those. 

It's pretty humid on VA right now and so I thought it would be a great time to focus on salads. Very little stove time and not too many dishes to wash - who doesn't love a night like that when it's hot out? And what goes better with salad than fresh bread? 

Do you see where it all went wrong? 

There is a lesson here :  The bread actually is completely amazing and it is perfect for eating with this salad and really I wouldn't change a thing about this meal - EXCEPT - I should have baked that bread early in the morning before the heat had gotten to me. By the time Dan came home, I was seconds away from passing out. OK I'm being dramatic but I was really freaking hot and basically baking bread in my skivvies. But I'll admit by the time we finally sat down to eat, It was perfection! This bread has a really nice flavor and texture. It makes great sandwiches, toast and is great dipped in this Cobb Salad dressing. So the lesson? Don't bake bread on a humid Virginia afternoon unless it is this amazing bread.