Yami: “Maou. Those meals you made on your last vacation were really good, especially the crab cakes. So I was wondering, since you’re on vacation this week…” She trails off on her train of thought, and begins to blush.
“You wouldn’t mind cooking more for me, would you?”
Maou: “Anything to make you smile, and I think I know the perfect dish.”
Tonight’s dish: Broiled Salmon Florentine with Florentine Rice!
An oddity, but delish nonetheless.
I guess you could call it Chicken Pot Pie, but with biscuits as the top pie crust?
We make this too! It’s great in colder weather, which means cool weather here in Florida.
Mark Gosdin
I had some buffalo chicken left over from the nachos, so I made some mashed potatoes, mixed the chicken and buffalo sauce, and topped it with ranch dressing!
Was going through the cabinet to decide what to make tonight, and saw a recipe on a can of chili. My curiosity got the better of me, and besides, I still had half of the bag of tortilla chips from the other night.
Chili Nachos!
Done that many a time. Better with home made Chilli.
Mark Gosdin
I found this in our freezer. I don’t know where we got it, or exactly how long it was in there, but I had inspiration!
A smoked turkey leg!
Cooked it for over an hour, then dissected it and made smoked turkey sandwiches with a side of chips!
(I didn’t take a picture of those though…)
Dinner tonight. Baked buttermilk garlic chicken using grinded down Special K as a breading, with lima beans and a rice and black bean blend.
I’m also trying to improve my baking skills, so I tried making honey cinnamon cornbread:
(Yes. With real corn kernels in it.)
The original dish was supposed to include rice, but I accidentally dropped the bag when retrieving it from the cupboard. Had to improvise a meal. Turned out pretty good for what I could do. 
Orange teriyaki ginger marinated pork tenderloin (topped with more of the marinade as a broiled on glaze) with a loaded baked russet potato and biscuits with apple jelly.
Improvisation is the test of a true Chef.
Mark Gosdin
Yami: “Your meals are really good Maou, they even rival Mikan’s! Will you be making anything tonight?”
Maou: “I have to go back to work tomorrow, so I thought I would make something I haven’t made in a very long time. I thought you might like it.”
Yami blushes.
Homemade chicken noodle soup!
Used chicken backs, simmered for about 4 hours to make the broth, strained them out, then added noodles, celery, onions, carrots, and chicken breasts diced into chunks then heated to boiling. Reduced the heat and let cook for about a half hour.
Maou: “I really hope you like it Yami. This was the very first recipe I ever learned. Taught to me by my late Grandma Sadao.”
Yami: “It’s so good! It’s not salty or has that processed flavor, like that canned stuff!” She looks down with a subtle blush. “Thank you for showing me all of these delicious earth meals Maou.” She blushes harder. “Maybe you can show me more on your next vacation.”
Maou: “Of course I will. Just to make you smile.”
I guess the yokes on the chef
Not at all! You mix the ingredients together, then pour the mixture into a ziploc bag, squeegee it towards one corner, then cut a little notch.
A makeshift piping bag!
Early healthier lunch . Avocado on French Peasant toast with a hard boiled egg , a date based sweet chili sauce and a little shake of Tabasco .
I love all the variations on “Beans & Cornbread”, unfortunately Kevin - my oldest son - can not stand the smell of beans being cooked. Will literally throw-up.
Even though he too likes the beans once they are cooked, so it’s canned or frozen for us.
Mark Gosdin
Interesting. The aroma causes him nauseousness, but no effect from consumption.
