Dinner and Dessert

Tonight I had to fend for myself (and the boys) for dinner, so after much deliberation at work, Turi came up with a suggestion of making tuna-melt sandwiches. I've never made a tuna-melt sandwich before, but after brief instructions (they are pretty easy), I thought I'd try it! I happened to have a loaf of Sheepherder bread (super tasty and soft, but not quite comparable to Eric Schat's Sheepherder bread), and for the boys I used Monterey Jack cheese and tuna for their sandwich. (Gluing tip: put cheese on both sides of the tuna inside the bread to melt and help keep it all together. Thanks Turi!) For me, though, I used salmon and Asiago cheese, and can I just say what fantastic taste combination that turned out to be! I tried the boys' sandwich, and that was almost as good as mine, but then I prefer salmon. The sandwiches look a little burnt in this picture, but that's just the butter- they were actually the perfect "crispiness."

To round out the meal, I figured I should make something green, and add some carbs. So I made a side dish that I created myself (one of three) with Orzo pasta, yellow squash and zucchini. It's pretty easy, and I used to make it all the time for the boys when they were babies and still learning to eat solids. Basically you boil water (not too much), add Orzo pasta, some squash and zucchini, a boulion cube and some butter. Let it simmer until the pasta is done, and most of the water has boiled out. When it is almost finished cooking you can also add some cooked chicken or beef or whatever is left over in the fridge to add some protein if you want to serve a one-dish-dinner. It should be just slightly soupy, but that all seems to evaporate once it is served.

After dinner, we made chocolate cupcakes, compliments to Turi's grandmother Martha. I borrowed this recipe from his blog. I won't give away her recipe here, so you'll have to find it yourself on Turi's Stuff. I fudged a chocolate frosting recipe from The Joy of Cooking, and if the speed in which my boys scarfed their cupcakes has anything to do with how well they turned out, let's just say that actions speak louder than words. A fun evening, cooking and baking together, just me and my boys. :)