Breadsmith

I'm not quite sure that there is much more I need in life besides bread.  I don't discriminate...white bread, wheat bread, cinnamon raisin bread, especially garlic bread...they're all fine by me.  I'm sure that you probably feel the same.  If you don't, then either your diet is extremely unfortunate, or you haven't been to Breadsmith in Lakewood yet.  This awesome locally-owned bakery makes some of the best loafs I've ever had!

Garlic Rosemary Beef Stew

Even though it's finally March, which is spring in my books, I spent the weekend sick as dog!  I was lucky to have my awesome boyfriend Howie by my side from Friday after work to Sunday night.  We tried to make the best of my soft foods diet with homemade Tortellini Soup on Friday night (and Saturday for leftovers, of course!), and and an ahhhmazing Garlic Rosemary Beef Stew on Sunday night.  It was super easy to make and let us be lazy on the couch watching Maleficent and the Cavs Game all afternoon without lifting a finger...except little test tastes to get the seasoning just right!  We started prepping the stew at 1:30, and everything was perfectly tender by 7:00 for dinner.  YUM!

Lemon, White Wine and Garlic Roasted Chicken Breasts

If I could cook with any Food Network Star, it would be Ina Garten hands down!  Not only do her recipes include ingredients that most of us have on hand at any given time, but they're approachable twists on classics that we make all the time.  Take chicken breasts, for example.  My usual routine is to take boneless, skinless chicken breasts, season them generously with herbs and spices, and bake them in the oven until they're golden brown.  I wanted to try something new, so I made her marinade for the Lemon Roasted Chicken Breasts, and man oh man did she knock this recipe out of the park.  Well, anything that includes lemon, white wine, thyme and garlic is a home run in my books!  I added my own twist on her recipe by using bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts to give a fancy flair to a Saturday date night meal.  Add my Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes for the side, and you'll have one of the best dinners you've ever made!

Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Bread

Focaccia bread has always been near and dear to my heart because it was my favorite food when i studied in Italy almost 4 years ago.  It wasn't just an "oh, I l always had a side of focaccia bread with my pasta" type of love.  I'm talking I ate more focaccia bread than I did spaghetti, croissants and gelato combined.  At this point, I like to consider myself a connoisseur, so it's hard to find a truly authentic recipe in America.  Lucky for you guys, I've been researching different recipes on Italian websites, and this is as close to the real thing as I can get.  It's surprisingly easy to make yourself, but just make sure you clear out your afternoon because the process is a little lengthy with the time needed for the dough to rise.  It worked perfectly with my massive baking day last Sunday!  I made the bread dough before I started my butternut squash soup and apple crisp, and whipped up the other recipes while this was rising!  It was a heavenly trio to say the least!