Living Insanity's Loving Food

Adam and I tried the new neopolitan style pizza restaurant in Columbia for lunch on Friday.  The crust was perfect and so yummy.  I had a white onion tart pizza with arugula added.  Adam had a red pizza with meatballs.  Mine was awesome.  His needed more flavorful sauce.  The lunch portion pizza makes 4 small slices and comes with an extremely underwhelming salad of mixed lettuce, a few tomatoes and onion bits and balsamic dressing which wasn't even the best dressing.  We ordered zucchini fries and they were amazing but so few.  They stuff the cone they are served in with a bunch of mixed lettuce.  There are just enough for 2 people but I would have eaten more!  I have no photos of our food.  We won't be going back.  Our bill was $51 for lunch before tip.  

 I'm not eating potatoes still, so this beef stew uses parsnips instead. Ingredients: 2 lbs stew beef, rolled in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.  Browned in a little oil. 4 carrots, diced 4 parsnips, diced 3 celery stalks, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 can drained green beans 1 32 ounce box beef broth water as needed 1 teaspoon wocestershire sauce 3 bay leaves 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon paprika dash allspice Brown beef on stovetop Add all ingredients to crockpot.  If beef stock alone doesn't cover everything add a bit of water. Cook on high for at least 6 hours When meat is tender it's time to make a cornstrach slurry. Mix 2-4 tablespoons cornstarch in a measuring cup with some of the hot broth.  Stir together.  Add slurry to the crockpot and let it heat through and thicken slightly. Serve stew with biscuits or rolls.  Sprinkle with parsley.

Naan bread BBQ sauce Mozzarella Red onion, diced pickled jalapeno, diced cooked chicken tenders, diced Oven at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes

  5 small onions, thinly sliced 2 cans beef broth 2 cans beef consomme 1 packet onion soup mix, or onion dip mix sliced of french bread 1 cup gruyere cheese, shredded Combine onions, broth, consomme, and soup mix in a slow cooker. Cook on high 4 hours. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with pieces of bread and then cheese. Put soup on a baking sheet with foil. Turn broiler to high. Bake soup until cheese has melted and starts to brown

 Package of ground italian sausage, browned 1/2 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced chopped parsley, I used dried 3 cups chicken broth 2 1/2 cups water 2-3 dried bay leaves 2 cups marinara sauce, I use a mushroom spaghetti sauce black pepper broken lasagna noodles Topping: mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup ricotta parmesan cheese parsley fresh basil chiffonade Mix ricotta with parsley and parmesan Heat oil in pan and brown sausage.  Add chopped onion and cook about 3 minutes.  Then add minced garlic.   Add broth, water, parsley, pasta sauce, bow leaves, black pepper, and bring to a boil. Add in broken pasta and boil until cooked through. Divide up soup and top with ricotta mixture, mozzarella, and fresh basil. We serve with garlic bread.

We ordered a Thanksgiving meal from Cracker Barrel.  Adam and I have a tradition of having a Thanksgiving with just the two of us.  This year we did it on Wednesday.  I was at work so he picked the meal up and he cooked all of it!  He said the restaurant had a tent set up outside and the meals were in very nice cracker barrel boxes with our name on it.  We did 1pm pickup and he said it wasn't busy until he was ready to leave.  1pm was a great pickup time!   The turkey breast, mashed potatoes, and broccoli casserole were standout great.  The sweet potatoes were okay with a heavy orange flavor.  I wouldn't get the entire meal again.  I'd order a la carte next time and make our own sides and rolls.  I did add broth to the turkey and I seasoned it with a little salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and paprika.     After our private Thanksgiving we had the family Thanksgiving and I made the stuffing balls.  Cracker B...

It has been a while since I made paleo cauliflower mashed potatoes!  I needed a double batch of what I made to cover my casserole dish.  Next time I'll get it right. I used 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets and steamed until very very soft. Butter or plant butter Almond milk, plain unsweetened salt, pepper, garlic powder I would double the cauliflower next time!  

I made a huge batch of taco mac and got to eat leftovers for days.  This is the taco mac recipe from 2022!  I loved this recipe so much I made it too often and haven't made it in a long time.  

1 chuck roast 1 onion thinly slices 1 packet of Good Seasonings Italian Seasoning Dash Worcestershire Sauce Dash onion powder Dash garlic powder Tablespoon or 2 of brown sugar A good drizzle of BBQ sauce Some chicken or beef broth in the bottom of crockpot.  Not to cover the entire roast! Throw everything in crockpot until the beef is falling apart and shreds easily. Bun of your choice.  I toasted the top bun with a little garlic salt, onion powder, parsley and a smear of plant butter. Add cheddar cheese or I used American cheese slice. You can add a little more bbq sauce to sandwich if you like.  My boyfriend likes it saucy,  

I made my favorite pizzas.  Arugula with pesto and balsamic and pepperoni with hot honey.  Quick and easy Friday night.  I wish I had prosciutto for the arugula one, but it was still great.  

 3+ peaches olive oil Crushed tomatoes sugar garlic onion onion powder garlic powder cayenne paprika salt pepper Apple cider vinegar To peel the peaches, boil for 45 seconds and then dump in an ice bath.  You can feel the skins off with your fingers.  Remove peach pit.  Puree peaches in a food processor or blender.  In a saucepan cook onion and garlic with some olive oil.  Add the peach puree, some tomato, seasonings, lemon juice, vinegar and sugar.  Cook down for a few hours.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Use an immersion blender to create a smooth sauce.  We used this sauce on some pork chops and I have no idea why there is no photo!  We must have been HUNGRY.

Hello Fresh tacos are so great.  This one has a pineapple salsa.  To make the salsa you take a pineapple fruit cup, strain the pineapple saving the juices in a bowl.  Mince about a tablespoon or two of onion.  Add diced jalapeno and some chopped fresh cilantro.  Add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.  That pineapple juice gets tossed on your taco seasoned pork at the end of cooking.  YUM.  

 Aldi has German week and most of this meal is from Aldi.  Pork schnitzel that I pan fried and topped with swiss and mustard.  Cheese spaetzle that comes frozen and you just toss in a pan, red cabbage from a jar that was heat up a little bit.  The applesauce is homemade.  Rebecca and I went apple picking when it was Honeycrisp time.  This applesauce was so good.  Just cut up about 10 apples, toss in crockpot, add a bit of water, half a cup sugar, and cinnamon.  

Hello Fresh pork taquitos is one of my favorite recipes and I have made it a few times now.  It was pretty quick to put together and it has a lot of flavor.  

Boyfriend requested swiss mushroom burgers this weekend and I feel like it has been a long time since we had them.  I bought pre made hamburger patties, but I seasoned them with salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder.  I caramelized the onions with butter, salt, and sugar.  I used mayo and mustard on my burger.  Boyfriend chose bbq sauce.  Yum yum

 Walmart sells a tube of ground turkey that is Italian seasoned.  It made for a really great spaghetti sauce.  We used all the usual spaghetti seasonings, but since ground turkey is usually not very flavorful I think this is a good product.  I actually bought another tube of Italian and I bought a Mexican seasoned one as well.  I think the Mexican could be good for tacos or a big batch of chili!

These were so good I have to make them again and soon!  Adam wanted burgers at the beach house so I took the ground pork out of the freezer and the rest of the ingredients were things I had.  Make these!  The caramelized onions with sriracha and lime blew my mind. Ingredients: 2 brioche bun 2 slices gouda cheese 1 sweet onion, sliced thinly.  You will need about 2 tablespoons minced onion. 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 limes, for juice and zest!  The recipe saids 1 lime, but I used 2 1 teaspoon sriracha 1/2 teaspoon paprika 2 tablespoons mayo 2 tablespoons sour cream 10 ounces ground pork 3/4 teaspoon sugar butter olive oil salt and pepper Melt butter in a pan, add thinly sliced onion, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, and a little salt.  Stir around the pan until soft and brown.  Do not let these burn!  Add a little touch of water if pan gets too hot.  This should take around 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in a squeeze of lime juice and sriracha....

 People rave about this dish, but I thought it was just ok.  I probably wouldn't order it again.

 I made the last of my Aldi veal cutlets.  So sad :(  we have to wait for another German or Italian week to find them again.  I had tons of fresh basil in the yard.  It struggled when the temps went over 100.  I'm hoping it rebounds and we can keep it going all summer.   You just have to pan fry these patties in some oil a few minutes each side.  We made our usual spaghetti sauce and noodles.  I bought the nice big ball of mozzarella cheese and cut it into slices.  When the veal is cooked through place it on a sprayed baking sheet, top with sauce, and cheese, and pop under the broiler until the cheese is nicely melted.  Then serve over the noodles and sauce.  Sprinkle of parmesan or basil and you are done!  It's really fast.  I highly recommend buying these veal patties.

  There is now an Ellicott City location for gangster dogs.  It's by the Ritas at Frederick Road and St John's Lane.  I got the Chicago style dog and it was spicy and so good.  I'd get it again.  Adam said his mostly tasted of cheese and not chorizo.  For around $8 they are pricy, but a fun lunch option.

  We got out of work early Thursday because of lightning so I had time to make this!  You need at least an hour.  You have to proof the dough, roll it into two pizzas, proof again, add toppings and bake about 13 minutes.  This had almost the exact toppings I always put on pizza.  It was diced shallot, green pepper, and tomatoes, plus pepperoni.  Then use olive oil on the edges.  After baking drizzle hot honey and dip in ranch dressing.  The recipe was very good, but I already make my own pizzas for pretty cheap.  I'd probably not buy it again.  

  We had a small 4th of July celebration.  I made hamburgers, pulled pork, street corn casserole, and had some cut up watermelon.  Rebecca brought over some very good brownies.   Mexican Corn Casserole 4 cups frozen corn, about 24 ounces 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 diced red pepper 1 bunch of cilantro minced, a few leaves for garnish 1 diced jalapeno 1/2 large red onion, diced 2/3 cup cotija cheese (ours was grated) Dressing: (This dressing is so good I want to put it on other things!  Burger topping, pasta maybe) 3 tablespoons sour cream 2 tablespoons mayo 4 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes) 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon chili powder In a large skillet heat olive oil then add corn, red pepper, jalapeno, and onion.   Place corn mixture into a casserole dish. Pour the dressing over the corn and mix together. Top with the cojita cheese and cilantro.  

These skewers from Aldi are the bomb!  They take about 10 minutes in the air fryer.  Remember to flip them over once.  I sprinkled with tajin after cooking.  They skewers come in a package were each skewer is sealed.  You only open up the number you want.  10 in a package.  They lasted 3 meals for me.  The asparagus was also from Aldi!  It was awesome.  After the horrible Sams Club asparagus I guess I needed to give the veg another try.  My red skin mashed potatoes are not Aldi.  The potatoes were probably bought from Walmart.  This meal was so good.  I love Aldi sometimes!

We went to the beach for the air show.  My boyfriend wanted steak and shrimp for dinner so that is what we had!  I bought 4 sirloin steaks, a caesar salad, and asparagus from Sams Club.  Then I made some instant garlic rice.  I sauteed mushrooms from Walmart too.  The shrimp came from the crab shack down the street.  The Sams club steaks were outstanding.  The produce was not.  I had to throw out a lot of mushy slimy asparagus.  We also had to pick out brown lettuce form the salad.  We wont be buying produce from Sams again.  

There is a new Dash In on route 40.  It's a gas station with some fresh food made to order.  I tried a burger and a smoothie.  The burger was ordered via touchscreen system.  This one has bbq pork and onions on it.  It was messy and hard to find the burger taste overall.  The smoothie was ordered at the counter.  You are given a cup and then follow the instructions on the smoothie machine.  A lot of flavors were out, but this is mixed berry and it was awesome.  I'd get it again especially on a road trip.  There is a Dash In on the way home from the beach house too.    

 The pork on this was perfect.  Seared on all sides then baked in the oven.  So yummy and tender when it was done!  The rosemary potatoes were good too.  The letdown was the sauce didn't have that punch dijon is supposed to have!  I think more mustard would have made it.  I'd eat it again.  It ended up being an easier cook than I thought since several things just went into the oven.

  This was a HUGE letdown on flavor.  It was not basil enough and I added twice as much lemon zest and juice to get any lemon flavor.  Sauce was also not creamy!  We won't be making this recipe again without major changes.

  This is my new favorite Hello Fresh meal. They had a ton of flavor and even included cilantro which I'm always suggesting they include!  

  This was also Hello Fresh, but had a lot more ingredients.  We bought the guacamole side again.  Tons of flavor.  I didn't add a bunch of additional ingredients either, just an extra lime so we had more wedges to squeeze.  I actually prepped everything ahead of time so when it came to dinner I only had to cook the peppers and onions, pork, and boil the rice.

  Hello Fresh box.  This was an easy meal for me to put together on a work night.  My additions were some microwave coconut rice and I added some pickled jalapeno to the slaw for heat.  This makes 3 tacos each!

Chicken, bacon, ranch, avocado Greek tzatziki chicken, dill Chicken Bacon Ranch Flatbread Ingredients: for 2 naan pizzas! naan flatbread diced cooked chicken.  I did chicken tenders that I marinated in italian dressing and chimmichurri diced cooked bacon.  I did 4 strips ranch dressing diced green onion whites diced avocado fresh basil leaves shredded mozzarella cheese Preheat oven to 400 degrees Smear ranch dressing on naan flatbread Add mozz cheese, chicken, bacon, green onions. Bake for 10-15 minutes Dress with avocado and fresh basil.  I drizzled some balsamic on too Greek chicken flatbread ingredients:  for 2 naan pizzas! naan flatbread diced cooked chicken diced garlic cloves (about 3) diced green onion whites tzatziki sauce diced tomato diced cucumber crumbled feta shredded mozzarella fresh dill olive oil Preheat oven to 400 degrees smear olive oil on naan sprinkled with diced garlic smear tzatziki sauce on add both cheeses, tomato, chicken, green onions Bake ...

Ingredients: Southern style hashbrown potatoes, the frozen kind with onions and peppers Tortillas, heated so they are pliable Canned black beans, drained and rinsed Shredded cheese, usually some cheddar  1 lb ground breakfast sausage, browned Spices like salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne if you like heat *I dont eat eggs, but my boyfriend has added scrambled eggs to his I make the filling, top with cheese, and roll each burrito. To freeze I wrap a paper towel around the burrito and then wrap in saran wrap. To cook in the morning you just need to microwave  the burrito in the paper towel a few minutes!  Less than 3 will do

 We added some guacamole on the side, but this dish is awesome too.  I wish it had some cilantro.

 This meal is so so so good!  I added some microwave Uncle Ben's Spanish rice and some microwave text mex pinto beans.  We had enough filling to make a 7th taquito so I grabbed a tortilla form the fridge to make an extra.

 This was the most round pizza I've made so far!  I had to share it.  

  Ingredients: Small round potatoes, these were red potatoes Olive oil Salt Pepper Old Bay Instructions: Heat oven to 450 Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Add potatoes and cook until tender. Drain potatoes. Add foil to a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray or use a little olive oil. Place potatoes on the baking sheet. With a potato masher (we use a meat mallet) gently smash potato. Drizzle the smashed potatoes with olive oil.  Salt, pepper, and add Old Bay to taste. Bake 20-25 minutes until you see golden crispy edges. Eat the perfect side dish!  You can top these like a baked potato if you like.  

 These were crazy good.  I did have to make mashed potatoes too because I like my meatloaf with mashed potatoes.  I had some broccoli that was a little underdone after roasting, so I'd steam it next time.  

 I was supposed to make burgers with the Hello Fresh meal.  I took the ground beef and made goulash instead because that is what I was feeling.  It made so much I couldn't finish it.  I did have to mix macaroni noodles with egg noodles.  

  Honestly, my previous peanut noodles were better.  I didn't like having to cook anything and when I ate this I ended up avoiding the ground pork.  I just like peanut noodles room temp!  

  I had to make my own fajita seasoning so here it is!  I happened to have all the ingredients and these tasted awesome.  I did buy a sliced onion/pepper box form the grocery store to help make this quick. 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon white sugar 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

  There is a new wrap at Big Greek Cafe.  Chicken, bacon, ranch, avocado.  Tasty, and not Greek in any way.