Hot Like Ebola!!!: Insane

I think I'm cracking up. No, seriously, I'm pretty sure I'm going nuts. I keep seeing and feeling things that aren't there. For instance, I was just walking to the laptop to post a blog and I literally jumped in fright because I thought that our (bright yellow) vacuum was a large black dog.

Weird, huh?

In a suprise twist, Matt and I acted both married AND productive today! We woke up early, went downtown to see if the mechanic could look at our car (he couldn't), went to breakfast at Frank's Diner, and walked around for about an hour in Riverfront Park. The new gondolas are almost up and the interactive fountain looks so cool! Anyway, we went back home and cleaned out the spare room, moved the snakes in there, organized my bookshelf and desk, and did a few loads of laundry. As of now, all my cheesy mystery novels (except the Jonathan Kellerman books holding up the amp) are on the bookshelf in the spare room, and all the classier fiction is out in the living room. That way, I can read what I want without houseguests giving me strange looks as they peruse the living room.

For dinner, we went all out. We made an artichoke gratin and grilled chicken breasts. Here's the recipe for the gratin:

Lemony Artichoke and Onion Gratin
Filling:
Butter
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Large yellow onion, sliced into 1/4 in. thick rounds
2 15 oz cans artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup vegetable stock or dry white wine (we used stock)
3-4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon each of basil and oregano
salt and fresh-ground pepper
Topping:
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Generously butter a 1.5 quart gratin dish (we used a 2 quart pyrex baking dish). Preheat oven to 350 degreees.
In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and stir occasionally until onions are beginning to carmelize, 5-7 minutes. Add artichoked, zest, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add stock, herbs, and parsley, bring to boil. Reduce by 1/2, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
To make the topping: combing bread crumbs and cheeses. drizzle remaining olive oil over mixture, toss until crumbs have absorbed oil. season to taste with more pepper.
Transfer artichoke mixture to dish and top with crumbs. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and top is brown. Serve warm.

:: submitted by Jenevieve, 4:30 AM
id="comments">3 Comments:

It was tasty, too!