Watership Down Kitchen

 This is oddly going to be my busiest fall ever. I will be teaching 2 classes at the local college, and private lessons seven days a week. I am still planning to take my own lessons and coaching, find time to ride horses, perform virtually, audition, and prepare for my DMA application. I am going to rely on fast and delicious dinners to get me through to the Thanksgiving break.  This meal is stupid simple to make. I love shrimp as a protein because it cooks in literally no time at all, adapts so well to nearly any flavor profile, and I always seems to have some in my freezer. Pair that with my favorite and floral jasmine rice and we are off to the races. I chose to make this spicy; my new obsession seems to be cayenne pepper and taco seasoning, but this base would also work well with lemon and garlic, or teriyaki and ginger. Nice to have a dinner that I can be eating 30 minutes after I start preparing it. After a long day at work when my brain is fried, I am sure I will appreciate simp

I adore meatballs. I like traditional Italian meatballs, Swedish meatballs, meatloaf meatballs, cheese-stuffed meatballs, Greek meatballs, and these Tex-Mex spiced meatballs. Combined with beautiful four tortillas, crispy romaine, spicy salsa and garlic-lime crema, this meatball taco might be my favorite new recipe of the summer. I like foods that are portable; in the summer, I like being able to eat single-handedly. It makes it a lot easier to et outside. My husband and I have set up an at home outdoor theater. I already had a projector and screen set from my travel lecturing days, so we simply added a bluetooth speaker, a fire pit, some chairs and an outdoor blanket with outdoor cushions. We set the screen against my chicken's fenced in enclosure, and wait for the sky to darken. This is a perfect night-time movie meal. Dessert? S'mores roasted on the fire pit, of course! Ingredients: 6 six inch flour tortillas 4 ounces salsa (medium hot) 1 heart of romaine lettuce 1/4 cup sou

It's been a while since I made a dessert. I was bound and determined today to make something easy, delicious and creative. Inspired by my recent re-watch of the Great British Bake Off series, I opted to put a twist on a cherry pie. I wanted to make a cherry cheesecake flavor profile with a free-form tart finish. Voila! Cherry Cream Cheese Galettes. The hardest part making these is waiting for them to cool down before eating them! Ingredients: 1 can cherry pie filling 1 9 inch pie crust (homemade or store-bought is fine) 1 egg yolk 8 ounces softened cream cheese 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons sugar Egg wash, sugar Method: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut out four 4-inch diameter pie circles from your rolled out pie crust. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until ready. Beat together the egg yolk, lemon juice, vanilla, sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Dollop 3 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture per pie circle. On top of these,

 Meatloaf is a great love of mine. I love traditional meatloaf, with or without the ketchup glaze. I like adding bacon strips on the top when I am feeling ultra-decadent. Something, I put cheese in the center as a fun surprise. Other times, I change the seasoning up; Tex-Mex meatloaf stuffed with pepper jack is a fun and spicy twist on the classic.  With this meatloaf, I am attempting a more mediterranean flavor profile. Full of tangy feta cheese and sweet-tart sun-dried tomatoes, this meatloaf is put over the edge with roasted veggies and a balsamic dressing. Serve it with a glass of red wine and a green salad, and you have a weekend meal that is low on effort but huge on flavor.  Ingredients: 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs 10 ounces ground beef 1 red onion 1 large garlic clove, minced 2 large carrots, sliced into 2 inch sticks 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 1 egg 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste Method : Pr

I just finished watching "Park and Rec" on Netflix, and I loved it. I certainly have the Tom Haverford "treat yo'self" mentality, and Leslie Knope's drive and passion. But, and this is very important,  I share Ben Wyatt's undying love of calzones. This calzone is a variation on my classic meat and cheese. In pepperoni's place, you will find my favorite roasted vegetable, broccoli. Add some delicious cheeses, and you have that portable pizza alternative that delights me and a fictional television character. Enjoy! Ingredients: 4.5 ounces of ricotta 1 head of broccoli 1 ounce of parmesan, grated 1 large minced garlic clove 1 pound pizza dough Flour for dusting salt and ground pepper olive oil Method: Preheat the oven to broil. Toss broccoli with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast under the broiler for 3-4 minutes until the broccoli is tender a browned in spots. Remove and set aside. Lower the oven t