Top Chef on Iris!

It has been a long while since I have done any local eatery reviews. The last few months I have just been introducing Eliot to the many tasty treats of the beloved 'Burg. Just last weekend we walked to the Ringside Cafe to enjoy great live music, a well poured pints and a table full of appetizers. It is so awesome to be able to wander just a few blocks south and find great grub.

The last few weeks I have been cooking like a wild woman. I have made my own granola (inspired by Kim, a newly licensed clinical social worker!), several banana breads (I liked to give them to my folks. I substitute real brown sugar from the splenda mix. They love it.), low fat chicken parmesan which means no breading. I grilled it with extra virgin olive oil and topped it with fresh smoked mozzarella (Eliot was a big fan.), spicy trail mix, chicken and potatoes (not my best), and finally a great apple dessert with an almond crust that we shared with Tracy and Chadd (They were impressed.). So little Miss Betty Crocker over here, decided that this week I would plan a menu (a la Jeni.)

I have only 3 meals on my menu because since my parents keep us knee high in leftovers which is pretty awesome and I can't reject the lazy jaunt on the town, I figured it was a great plan. I just finished making Pasta and Chickpea soup. It was pretty easy to make, though a little lengthy of a process. I got the recipe from Organic Kitchen. I am going to serve it with fresh rolls and probably freeze some too. Super good.

Next, is moussaka. Eliot and I are a bit obsessed with Greek food. The more feta the better, so I thought I would give this eggplant and lamb delight a try. The recipes are very simply written which is perfect for me because I am not particularly good at following them. I will appeal to the artist part of me on this one. The best part of cooking, at least for me, is seeing what works and following my instincts. Lord knows, that I can't help but do that, so I usually look at a recipe as a suggested guideline. This will make a ton, so I will return the favor and share with the parentals. This will surely need a side salad along with it. After yoga tomorrow night I will embark on this project.

Finally, a garlic shrimp feta pasta. I saw this one in a magazine at Kim's. It might have been Food. This is so super simple I didn't even write it down. I will grill some shrimp in evoo and tiny chopped garlic cloves, pasta tossed with fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes and feta. Its light and looks great. Yellow squash and zucchini on the side will be a great compliment.

I will try to add photos as I go! Soup's on!