1. This year Pi Day falls on 3/14/15. Only once in a lifetime, the full date is also the four numbers after the decimal  3.1415  (Though you can celebrate Pi at 9:26 twice.)

2. Pi Day is also Albert Einstein’s birthday.

3.  π  is the sixteenth letter in the Greek Alphabet and P is the sixteenth letter in the English alphabet.
Alright.
Now for the yummy part.

14 Pies!

Coconut Cream Pies in Jars
Crazy for Crust

A pie you can take with you to work!

Mini Lemon Hand Pies
Lemons for Lulu

No fork needed for these lemon pies… and they’re mini, which means you can have three, right?

No Bake Nutella Cheesecake
Dessert Now, Dinner Later

Is cheesecake technically a pie?

Samoas Cookie Pie
Averie Cooks

It’s like one giant Girl Scout cookie… only without anything missing in the middle.

Key Lime Pie
Gimme Some Oven

This sweet and tart key lime pie will make you dream of summer weather. Plus it’s easy as… well, pie.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Herriot Grace

First of all this pie looks amazing.
Secondly, this daughter’s blog is adorable and it may cause you to want to runaway to a cabin in Victoria, BC.

Easy Blueberry Pie
She Wears Many Hats

Salted Honey Pie
Kinfolk
The fact that this exists and I haven’t tasted it is a minor travesty.

S’mores Pie
Just a Taste
A campfire favorite in pie form.

Giant Oatmeal Cream Pie
Sally’s Baking Addiction

Move over Little Debbie, we’re going to need some room for this super-sized cream pie!

Don’t forget dinner! Savory pies can be pretty delicious too!

Beef and Guinness Pie
Leite’s Culinaria
A perfect blend of  Pi Day and St. Patty’s Day.
You don’t have to be a big beer drinker to enjoy this savory pie.

One Pot Taco Cornbread Pie
Nest of Posies

You can’t argue with dinner in 30… especially not a crowd pleaser like this one.

Macaroni Pie with Bacon Lattice
Buzzfeed
Step by step instructions for your next heart attack.

Spring Vegetable Pot Pie
Feasting at Home
These vegan pot pies are a nice alternative to bacon mac & cheese.

Tomato Pie
Tastes Better from Scratch
Save this recipe for when tomatoes are in peak season and serve it up for lunch!

Happy Pi Day!

Like these recipes? Check out these:

One Pot Dinners Kids Can Make

Warm Fast Breakfasts to Get the School Day Started

See more here.

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It’s not that I don’t like cooking; I do, actually. It’s just the frequency.  Dinner happens every. Single. Night.  And usually, I’m short on time. And ideas. There is an ideas issue too… and then of course the ingredients.

So basically, dinner takes more time, energy, and brain power than I have on a Thursday night when I get home from work at 6:30…my husband is already half way out the door and my 3rd grader is saying something about some paper I need to sign, and at least the kindergartner needs to be bathed and the 2 year old just wants me to hold him.

In short: I needed this moment I’m having right now.

It’s noon on a Friday morning and I have the next 3 busy weeknight meals ready to go. My kitchen is virtually untouched from when I cleaned it last night.

I have Lemon Chicken with Feta, Beach Street Shrimp Scampi with Pasta and Outlaw Chicken Marinara all waiting to be popped in the oven or heated on the stove top (by my husband before I even get home from work) right when I need it.  Over all, my meals are 400 calories and under, made with fresh ingredients, no preservatives or additives and came out to under $5.50 a serving (that’s cheaper than McDonalds) – plus, there’s no mess in the kitchen and no wasted ingredients.

The secret to my spectacular display of domesticity?

Dream Dinners.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked in, but everyone was really friendly while showing me the ropes.  It’s part cooking show, part assembly line, and it’s a surprising amount of fun.  

Garlic I didn’t have to peel myself

A station is set up for each meal – fresh ingredients are completely laid out at each station and the directions are super simple to follow (they even color coded it). I zipped up to the first station and was done with my first dinner in just about 10 minutes; no washing, no chopping, no prep work -and my favorite: no clean up! Each station is kept super clean by the staff (which is great for me because I’m a notoriously messy cook).  Moms, retirees, people going solo and groups of friends bustled around the store laughing and talking and assembling meals… but it didn’t seem over crowded at all; it was actually quite inviting, the employees seemed to know everyone by name (yep, kinda like Cheers).

Dream Dinners makes it easy to customize your meals, which allowed me to go easy on spices I knew my kids won’t eat, and add a little extra cheese or garlic.  The portion sizes were reasonable too; in fact we might get more than three servings out of the Outlaw Chicken Marinara.  On the top of the bag sits your heating instructions so you don’t have to remember anything (except what’s in your freezer, but don’t worry, you’ll get a sheet of paper and a fridge magnet for that too).

Beach Street Shrimp Scampi

Want fries with that?  Dream Dinners has stocked the freezer full of great sides to go with your recipes – purchase your recipes as is or add a side dish or two. Need a fast breakfast? It’s in the freezer. Dessert? Got that too.  You can even pick up a few meals from last month’s menu, freshly frozen and waiting for your dinner plate. If you’d like to sign up for next month, the menu is waiting for you and you can schedule your next visit and get an email reminder when it’s time to come – they even let your rate your meals online so if you loved something (or didn’t) it will tell you the next time it comes up on the menu.

So here I sit, already loving life, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to love it even more on Wednesday night when a fresh and healthy dinner is waiting for me when I get home.

Will I go back? You bet! I love that I can try different meals without being stuck with a ton of left over ingredients, and I get to avoid that deep depression I get when I find a bag of mush in the crisper that contained some sort of vegetable I bought… Besides, the February menu has Parmesan Pesto Salmon with Cheese Crisps on it… sign me up!

Live in the West End but don’t want to miss out on fresh dinners? Have meals made by Dream Dinners staff delivered to the Daily Grind, select a Thursday 3:00 pm session and use the password ‘short pump’ (case sensitive).

Dream Dinners just opened in their new location
12006 Southshore Pointe Rd.
Midlothian, VA 23112
804-739-6442

Visit Dream Dinners online to check out the menu and book your time.

Dream Dinners provided me with 3 meals so I could come out and give them a try. The opinions, and subsequent Dream Dinners addiction, are all my own.

I have to admit I get bored of salads quickly.  It’s not that I don’t like them, I just never think to make them and when I do they are always the same.
But I’m pregnant again (surprise) and now that I’m not sick, I’m trying to be a little better about eating well and getting more greens and avoid  empty calories, like refined flour,  in my diet (just like the rest of the world in January).

Last night we made chicken tacos and figured it was a great opportunity to toss a salad together.  It was way more delicious than I expected it to be as well as being really filling making it a perfect dinner salad.  As an added bonus, my family was happy with tacos and I got a healthy meal.

Ingredients (feeds about 4):

– 3 chicken breasts
– 1 bottle of chile lime marinade
– Romaine lettuce
– 2 avocados cut onto halves and sliced
– 1 lime
– Canned or fresh corn
– Salsa
– Sour cream
– Cilantro (to taste)
– Cheese
-Taco sized flour tortillas for those who want to go traditional.
(Would also be good with black beans and fresh tomatoes)

Directions:

In the morning, toss your chicken breasts and your bottle of marinade in the crock pot on low for about 6 hours thawed 8 frozen.
(I started mine at 2pm on high with thawed chicken and it was done by 5).  When you’re chicken is done, use two forks to shred the meat (I do this right in the crockpot) and let it sit and keep warm while you get your bowls or tacos ready.

For tacos, warm your tortilla on on ungreased pan for about 10-15 seconds on each side.  Fill with Chicken at the bottom, cheese and top with your favorite toppings.

For salad, chop up your lettuce and a handful of cilantro, mix them both together in the bottom of the bowl with a little bit of lime juice. Add the rest of the ingredients (half 1 avocado) on top adding warm chicken last.  Squirt with a little bit more lime juice and enjoy!!

The juices from the chicken, the lime and the salsa are enough that you don’t need any dressing at all and to be honest, I probably could have left the cheese out entirely, the warm marinated chicken added so much flavor to the salad.

I calculated my salad to be just under 400 calories with My Fitness Pal recipe calculator, but since it’s a loose recipe that can be adjusted to taste you can calculate the calories for your salad here.

Enjoy!

Like this recipe? Pin it and share it with your friends.

If you liked this one, you might like these recipes too:

Wait.

Don’t buy groceries.  You’re not eating at home this week.

RVA burger week is back this year with mouthwatering burger specials for only $5!

Burger lovers who visit 3 or more participating restaurants during the week and you can enter to win a $200 Visa gift card.

Go classic at Burgerworks or take a break from the beef and have a Chipotle BBQ Tuna Burger at Brookside grill & Bar.

Check the RVABurgerweek page to find each restaurant’s signature (read: $5) burger.

What’s your favorite place to grab a burger?  Tell us in the comments below!

The book may be purchased online or in the Richmond area at the Shops at 5807, Mayfair House, and Book People.  If you would like Marie to personalize a signed copy, please visit mariedempseycarter.com.

My daughter Dianne makes this awesome bruschetta throughout the year. It is at its best with top of the season tomatoes in the summer, but also delicious made with Roma or cherry tomatoes the rest of the year. Unlike her mother, Dio is very patient and carefully seeds the tomatoes, which helps remove excess liquid and gives the bruschetta just the right consistency.

8 servings

3    large ripe tomatoes (about 1 pound), seeded and chopped
½    medium red onion, finely diced
1    tablespoon basil pesto (recipe on May 26)
2    garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1    tablespoon red wine vinegar
¼    cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing bread
1    cup grated Parmesan cheese
1    French baguette, cut diagonally into ½-inch thick slices

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, pesto, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Add the vinegar and ¼ cup olive oil. Mix and let stand at room temperature for 1 to 3 hours. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Turn on the broiler. Brush both sides of the bread slices with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet. Broil the top side until lightly toasted. Turn the slices over and lightly toast the other side.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomato mixture to a serving bowl that will fit nicely on a platter with the toast. Provide a small serving spoon to put the tomato mixture on the toast.

Ask your bakery to slice the bread to ensure even slices.
Check out more recipes:

Rack of Lamb with Mustard Crust

Mini Cheese Quiches

The book may be purchased online or in the Richmond area at the Shops at 5807, Mayfair House, and Book People.  If you would like Marie to personalize a signed copy, please visit mariedempseycarter.com.

Mini Cheese Quiches

These quiches are so much better (and less expensive) than the pre-made cocktail quiches you find in the freezer section of grocery stores. You can make and freeze these these up to 3 months ahead of when you plan to serve them. Simply thaw and reheat at 300 degrees until heated through.

Makes 48 hors d’ouevres

Pastry
1    cup butter, softened
1    (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2    cups flour
½    teaspoon salt

Filling
2    tablespoons butter
1    shallot, finely chopped
½    cup grated Gruyère cheese
2    eggs
1½    cups half-and-half
½    teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
Dash of nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 miniature muffin pans (24-well) with baking spray.

Combine the butter, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl until well blended. Roll into small (1½-inch) diameter balls and press into the muffin pans. Bake for 5 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before filling.

To make the filling, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until transparent, about 5 minutes. Place a teaspoon of cheese in each quiche tart. Combine the eggs, half-and-half, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a 4-cup measuring cup and whisk until well blended. Stir in the shallot. Pour the mixture into the quiche tarts, filling each one ⅔ full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

As a variation, add crisp bacon crumbles or finely chopped Virginia ham to the batter.

Marie Dempsey Carter was born in Montreal, Québec, and returns to the Charlevoix region of Québec every summer. She developed her passion for cooking from her French Canadian mother and the wonderful cooks in Québec.

Marie grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and is a graduate of Smith College and the University of Texas School of Law. She recently retired to her kitchen after practicing law for more than 25 years. This is her first cookbook.

Marie and her husband live in Richmond, Virginia and are the parents of four adult children.