Since all three recipes bake for the same amount of time at the same temperature, make all of them for a fun and easy dinner. Cheaper than going out to eat and tastier, too.

Stuffed Mushrooms
12 crimini or button mushrooms, stems removed
1/4 pound apple sausage, cooked, crumbled
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon finely chopped onion
4 mushroom stems, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt and pepper blend
nonstick cooking spray
Preheat oven to 400*.
Prep a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Mix sausage, cheese, onion, stems, and seasonings in a small bowl. Using a teaspoon, stuff mushrooms with filling. Press filling in with spoon, if necessary.
Place mushrooms on baking sheet. Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender.
Servings: 2-4
Tips: Try Italian or chicken sausage, chorizo, ground beef, etc for different variations. Use Swiss, mozzarella, provolone, or co-jack instead of cheddar.

Oven Fried Zucchini Sticks
1 medium sized zucchini or yellow squash
1 cup Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon water
nonstick cooking spray
Preheat oven to 400*.
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, then in half width wise. Quarter each of the four pieces. (You should have 16 pieces.)
Prep a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Combine panko and flour in a shallow bowl. Beat egg with water in another shallow bowl.
Dip zucchini sticks first in egg, then in panko. Place on baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Serves: 2-4
Tips: Serve with ranch dressing or warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

Loaded Potato Skins
3-4 small potatoes (4 inches long)
1 teaspoon butter
2 teaspoons sour cream
1 slice bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 teaspoons shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Poke several holes in each potato with a fork. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Halve each potato lengthwise. Carefully scoop out potato, leaving skin intact.
In a small bowl, combine potato, butter, sour cream, and bacon. Refill skins with potato mixture. Place on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. Top with cheese and bake 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serves: 2-4
Tips: Serve with ranch dressing for dipping.

This lunch  is a motley crew of leftovers.

Top left: celery and radish

Top right: the last of the cream of broccoli soup

Bottom left: cottage cheese with herbs

Middle right: yogurt parfait

Bottom right: ranch dressing

Today at lunch I sat next to my friend Elijah. I opened my Wednesday lunch. He said, “That looks like a bento lunch.” You are right on the money, my friend!

Mix 1 cup sour cream with 1 t baking soda and set aside.

Cream 1/4 pound butter

and 1 cup sugar. Add 2 eggs

, 2 cups sifted flour, 1 1/2 t baking powder

, 1/4 t salt and 1 T vanilla

.

Mix thoroughly and combine with sour cream mixture.

In another bowl make the swirl topping mix: 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 t cinnamon, 1/2 c brown sugar, 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

Pour half the batter into a greased loaf pan. Add half of the swil mixture, covering all batter. Add remaining batter and top with the rest of the swirl mixture. Use a knife to gently swirl the topping into the batter. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes to an 1 hour.

Tips: I reduced the white sugar to 2/3 cup. I reduced the brown sugar to 1/3 cup.

I used walnuts in this recipe, but you could try pecans, mixed nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc.

I used light margarine and light sour cream.

I used half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour.

just a few:

“My kid can only eat half a cup [paper, like a tiny Slurpee cup, holds about 10 ounces] of popcorn chicken. Can you just charge me for half of this?” Um, no. You should have asked for a quarter of a pound and had them put it in a little bag. When the deli puts it in the barcoded cup, I have to charge you for the whole cup!

“The other big store down the street has spray-on truck bed liner on sale for half the price you charge. Here’s the receipt from the other store. Can you match the price?” Again, um, no. Why don’t you just go back there and buy more at that price. And if you really need EIGHT more cans of this stuff, wouldn’t it be cheaper to just buy a plastic truck bed liner?

“Why won’t my EBT [food stamp card] work on hot food from the deli?” Bitch, can you go to KFC with your food stamps? Then why should you be able to buy fried chicken and mashed potatoes at Big Box Mart with food stamps?

(This was actually a couple weeks ago, but I haven’t posted in a month. Bad, bad blogger! Thirty lashes with wet udon!)

Wife: “Can I match the price on Pepsi cubes at the Other Big Store?” Yes, but it’s a limit of ONE. Husband: “Grumble, grumble. There we’d be able to get two. *whine*.” Wife (to husband in condescending tone): “Honey, where are we? Big Box Mart, not Other Big Store. If she says it’s a limit of one, it’s a limit of one.”

You know, sometimes the customer is right!

Michael and I got married on May 27th, 2005. It was a warm, sunny, perfect day. We got up way too early for my taste and got ready. He had seen my dress, which I bought from eBay, and I had helped him pick out his suit from Burlington Coat Factory. We had precious little time to glimspe each other ready before the arrival of family.

Upon arriving at the courthouse, the two of us decided to go make sure everything was ready. What a sight we must have made crossing the street in full dress at noon, him in a black suede jacket, my white dress billowing around my legs as I clutched my bouquet. I dropped my drawstring purse on the x-ray machine’s belt and stepped through the security gate. As the security guard passed her handheld metal detector over my rhinestone tiara, she quipped, “I bet you didn’t think this would happen on your wedding day”. I laughed and Michael and I continued hand in hand to the basement of the courthouse. We found the JP, found all our family members and sat down on bench to wait our turn.

There was another couple getting married right after us. They were probably in their late 30s. The bride’s family was desperately trying to keep the groom from seeing her even though she was dressed in regular clothes, a neutral top and a brown skirt. “Who gets married in a brwon skirt?,” I was thinking.

The JP asked if we’d like to get married outside. We tripped up some marble steps, pausing for pix, and walked into a lovely courtyard. The grass was lush, the trees were verdant and we were posed next to a marble statue of a man astride a horse. The JP, Sharon, gave us a lovely ceremony. She read the Apache wedding prayer. The ceremony was brief, but poignant. I nearly cried and so did Michael. I had hand-embroidered vintage handkerchiefs for each of us – an “M” on one with a blue outline for Michael and an “S” on one with a pink flower for me. I made corsages for the ladies in the wedding party – Sherrie (mother of the bride), Lavon (mother of the groom), and Bea (“adoptive” grandmother of the bride) – that matched my bouquet. Everyone took pictures. They showed that we were happy and emotional. Thomas (the brother of the groom) made a wonderful video that made us cry. Afterward, we had a nice lunch at Doc Pierce’s. It’s a dark and dated steak restaurant. When I was a kid, it seemed so sophisticated and special. “I’ll have ‘the Bartender’s Special’.” Michael had “ambrosia” – chicken breast in a polynesian marinade with wild rice pilaf.

We had our reception in October. We had the main dishes catered and Michael, myself, Lavon and Sherrie supplied the rest. The tables were covered with simple white tablecloths. I made centerpieces for each table with an antique blue Ball jar, neutral colored polished river stones, white daisies and blue irises. They were flanked by small flute-edged glass candleholders, a blue candle burning inside each one. The wedding favor was a fortune cookie at each place setting. Our friend, Mark, was our DJ and played light, instrumental music while we ate. Michael and I danced to “Purple Rain” by Prince and ‘our song’ “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan. It was so nice to finally meet Michael’s extended family. He cried when they left, because, even thought he was so happy to see them, it was even sadder to see them go. Mark played a great mix of music. I danced with my father-in-law, Bruce and brother-in-law, Thomas. Brother-in-law Matthew was occupied with girlfriend Lauren. One of the funniest moments of the day came at the end. I was gathering leftovers to split three ways (between mom, in-laws and Michael and I). I was rinsing out a container when Lauren came up behind me. “Do not tell me you are washing dishes on your wedding day!” After everyone was gone and food was squared away, Michael and I left. For some reason we went shoe shopping afterwards.

I left my tiara on.