It's a Great Day for Gazpacho!

This morning, little PJ and I loaded up the car and headed to Zilker Park for a run around Lady Bird Lake and some spectating at the Capital of Texas Triathlon. At a tender two months, Piercy Joye is a seasoned race spectator, as she watched her Daddy finish the inaugural Ironman Texas triathlon last weekend in The Woodlands.  Today we were hoping that, even with our late start, we would get a glimpse of stunningly athletic Gramma Annie, my mother. Mama never really trains for any race, she's simply always in great shape and has long been my inspiration for a lifetime of fitness. I am always so proud to be her daughter, and had a great time indulging in post-race sno-cones with the three generations of Huddle/Flanagan/Browne gals!

PJ and me spectating at Ironman Texas last weekend

Needless to say, when Piercy Joye and I got home, we were both hot, covered in Auditorium Shores dustiness, and hungry! PJ ate first, and then Greg and I mowed down last night's leftovers: catfish with a side of beet and grapefruit salad. This deliciousness was only in our fridge because I've recently gone back to weekly menu planning.  When I was unemployed after the big crash a couple of summers ago I took up meal planning as a way to stretch the grocery budget. Since April 6th I've taken a job with a new boss that doesn't pay me in anything except poopy diapers and the cutest smiles you've ever seen in all your life. This, along with a jelly-filled midsection I'm trying to rid myself of, has inspired me to get back to my meal planning roots.   Every Wednesday, when the weekly grocery deals come out in the newspaper, I sit at the kitchen table with my girl and we plan a week's worth of Browne family dinners. We usually get one or two days off during the week: my Grandmother, Joye Flanagan ("Angel"), has a full family dinner at her home on Wednesdays, and Mom and Daddy like to have us over to their house many weekends.  The grocery list is devised, the menu then gets taped to the fridge, and we work through it, and move things around as we please. On this HOT Memorial Day in Austin, nothing sounded better than "Thursday's" steak, gazpacho, and bulgur salad:

Please note my disgruntled husband's request for after-dinner treats... sparse in this season of attempted postnatal weight loss...



 As soon as lunch went down the hatch, PJ was overcome by a miracle... the Miracle Blanket! This little gem was hidden in the box of clothes from our friends, and we are ever so thankful. It is the ultimate straight jacket of swaddling blankets for the Houdini-wannabies of babies, of which Piercy Joye commonly considers herself.

Piercy indulging in a delicious nap

While Baby Girl was snoozing, I got elbow deep in veggies and turned out a batch of delicious Gazpacho! Nothing says summer to me like a cold bowl of this delectable soup.  I think I ate a gallon of it last July before I realized I was preggers with PJ, so we know she digs it too. I love a recipe from one of our favorite cook books that we received as a wedding gift, Bride and Groom: First and Forever Cookbook  by sisters Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford.

This cook book is a must-have for all cooks, newlywed or not!

 My meal planning techniques usually include making a comprehensive grocery list so that I can avoid any last-minute trips to the grocery store, but I'd forgotten to grab a red bell pepper last week. Greg went to the store to get one for me while he was running out for beer and sunflower seeds, tools of the master gardener who spent his day working in the yard. All of these vegetables just make my mouth water for that delicious gazpacho!

We'll be excited to use tomatoes from our garden in a few short weeks!

 This recipe calls for red wine vinegar and hot pepper sauce or Tabasco.  I love Colavita white wine vinegar (a recommendation from my favorite cooking journal, Cooks Illustrated). Last week when I noticed we were running low on red wine vinegar, I purchased this bottle of Colavita, but I'm still deciding if I like it very much. Anyhow, it's what we have so I'll use it until it's gone.  Instead of Tabasco, I finished off our bottle of D'Elidas Habenero hot sauce, my very favorite. We discovered this sauce as a gift from Greg's pilot friend, Pam Perdue, who flies for Continental Airlines and picked some up for us in Peru.  I did some research and found out where I can order more... mmmm! 


"Secret" Ingredients

 That little bottle on the far right is a new try for this recipe, but I couldn't resist! That flask of tiny orange balls is homemade chile petin vinegar, courtesy of my Aunt Debi and Uncle Tim Flanagan who made everyone in the family a batch of this super spicy vinegar for Christmas last year from their homegrown chile petins!  Apparently, it's just good ol' white vinegar and a LOT of the spicy chiles. We've been working through ours slowly... Yowza, it'll getchya!

Greg's putting on steaks this evening that have been marinading since last night, and I'll round out our table with a little bulgur salad from another fantastic go-to book:

I'm sorry, Cooking Light, but that cheescake cannot be healthy! Must. Resist. The. Urge.

 I love me some tabouleh, and I found this awesome bulgur salad recipe in Cooking Light with cucumber, Red Onion, garbanzo beans, dill, feta cheese (I always use regular goat instead) and lemon. Delish.  I can't wait until dinner tonight!

Bulgur salad!

Meal planning has been a great way for us to put delicious meals on our table, reduce wasted food, and keep some moolah in the ol' pocket book.  By doing a couple hours of planning and shopping once a week, I've also been able to add to my cooking repertoire without too much thought on a daily basis.  Plus, it seems to leave me with more time to do things I love!

Lastly: On this Memorial Day, thank you to all of those who have served in the military, and whose family members have served in the military.  Your sacrifices do not go unnoticed. God Bless America!