My Cooking Challenge - Did Someone Out There Doubt Me?

We're a one car family.  Not everyone can do this, but, it's worked well for Nerdy-Boy and I for almost 10-years.  Last year for one of those milestone birthdays, I almost bought myself a cute little red convertible but, ultimately decided that the Pink Stove was really what was necessary  in life.  Saturday I knew I was going to be without a wheels since Nerdy-Boy and our red SUV-hybrid would be off to Happy Valley to watch his alma mater, Penn State play some football.

I had a whole day to get busy with my Pink Stove. I was lying on the divan pondering two things (1.) if a trip to the grocery was necessary before they left and (2.) what in God's name possessed me to chase the happy hour Sapphire and Tonic with the Espresso Martini capper the night before. Whatever show was on the Food Network at 5 a.m. gave me a great idea and a fun challenge - to create a meal using only what I had on hand - no trip to the grocery.  My tomato head and I really didn't want to go to the grocery before 8:00 a.m.

Our CSA delivery this week included a butternut squash and some leeks.  Perfect for the Butternut Squash Galatte from Gourmet magazine I had been wanting to try.

A Kansas City girl through and through, I'm a steak snob.  Rarely do I buy steaks at the grocery, choosing to have them shipped from The Kansas City Steak Company.   I usually have a few in my freezer.  The three strips I found would be perfect with a spicy marinade, grilled and thinly sliced and enveloped in bibb lettuce and topped with a red cabbage and carrot slaw - all veggies from our CSA this week.  Spicy Steak Letttuce Wraps - yummy.

I always have a box of pasta in the pantry - doesn't everyone?  And I always have various hunks of cheese in the frig.  This week the cheese selection happened to be mozzarella, cheddar and monterey jack and the pasta happened to be elbows - you see where this is going.  But, wait - that's not all - a few weeks ago I picked up a can of lump crabmeat on sale.  A quick check of the expiration date and and Yippee-Ki-Yay!  The mac and cheese was being taken up a notch to Crab Mac and Cheese.

Dessert is my favorite course - well, right after the beverage course (yes, at Chez Patton-Isenhour "beverage" IS a course).  I always try to keep good chocolate on hand - I buy it when I see it on sale.  I had enough good semi-sweet chocolate to make two - yes, two - chocolate desserts.  A further bonus score was the Bailey's Irish Cream and Grand Marnier on hand to make dessert extra special - Chocolate Irish Cream Mousse and Grand Marnier Chocolate Truffles. 

I bought a carton of apple cider last week for our out-of-town guests that wasn't consumed.  I added some cinnamon sticks, a few cloves, a little bit of ginger, heated it up on the stove and added a little sumthin, sumthin (Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum) -for our beverage course - Spicy Rum Cider.

My challenge was completed - a meal for me and 5 friends and not one trip to the grocery.  Just me, my Pink Stove and what I had on hand.  If I ever had any regrets about not buying that little red convertible, I don't anymore.  If that red convertible were sitting in our driveway yesterday,  it would have been an enabler.  Instead, the Pink Stove and I faced and met a challenge.  I love you, Pink Stove.

Recipes to follow.