So that's a question I got recently. Well, the answer is nowhere. We did, however, have a baby boy. Zach put a pause in my creation of this site but that’s OK because he is much more important. He is doing well but after a 10 month break I want to try to get back to creating here. So to catch up, here is a list of all the recipes I have cooked since the last blog post. There will be no reviews but if something looks interesting to you and you would like to know how it turned out, just add a comment and be sure to mention the recipe you are interested in. I will reply with the best of my recollection of how good it was and if I had any notes or comments on the recipe. So here is the list of every recipe I cooked off the internet for the last 10 months! (And stay tuned for regular updates in the future!)
15-Minute Beef with Thai Peanut Sauce
Baked Cornflake Crusted Chicken Strips
Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Chicken and Kale Casserole from Rachel Cook’s
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Cheesecake Factory's Chicken Salad Sandwich
Chicken Tamale Casserole
Creamy Chicken Piccata
Creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Crockpot Chili
Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing
Easy Greek Panzanella
Easy Italian Orzo and White Bean Soup
Easy Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken
Everyone loves a burrito bowl
Fried Rice Restaurant Style
Garlic-Lover's Vegetable Stir Fry with Eggplant, Zucchini, and Yellow Squash
Greek Lemon Pasta Salad Plus 5 Great Sides
Greek Salad
Healthy chicken burrito bowls
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Jalapeno Popper Pasta
Mama’s Kicked Up Goulash
Mexican Couscous Salad
Mexican Three Bean and Three Pepper Salad
Pancit Bihon Guisado
Passover Matzo Lasagna
Potluck Tortellini Pasta Salad
Roasted Poblano Mac & Cheese
Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Asparagus
Spicy Banh Mi Sandwich
Sticky Asian Pork
Stir-Fried Broccoli with Brown Rice
Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese from Scratch
Sun-dried Tomato Pasta Salad
Szechwan Eggplant Stir-Fry
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken
The Biggest Loser Crock Pot Turkey Chili Recipe
Tofu Stir fry with Minced Pork
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Monday, December 16, 2013
Pressure Cooker Pork and Hominy Stew
Source: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/1021747/pressure-cooker-pork-and-hominy-stew-recipe
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 10 points each
Drew Rating: 5/5
Sara Rating: 5/5
Modifications: Substituted pork tenderloin instead of the pork shoulder that is called for.
Notes: I can count on one hand the number of times I have cooked at home with a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker that I have was my grandparent's and is probably almost as old as I am. Let me just say I am a little nervous around them. I tend to stand on the otherside of the kitchen just in case it blows up. And the pork cooks in this thing for 13 minutes once the pressure indicator pops up! But all that worrying was for nothing because it came out great. We substituted tenderloin for the shoulder since we had some leftover from the Moroccan dish we made earlier; in fact we still have about a pound leftover even after we made this dish. It tasted fine and just like that recipe I don't think the cut of pork makes that much of a difference. The tenderloin is one of the leanest cuts of pork so just know you might need to add a little oil if you are going to try to brown it. But since this was in a pressure cooker I didn't need to alter the recipe at all. For those who don't know what hominy is, just think giant kernels of corn. The texture is a little starchier and it's a little blander but really works great in this stew. The picture on the link above shows the hominy and looks exactly like what mine looked like too. Super tasty recipe, took about an hour to make, and a great way to introduce a new ingredient to your friends or family. One final note - I beleive while not traditional this recipe could be considered a pozole. As far as I can tell, any stew containing meat and hominy could be a pozole but I might be wrong. Let me know!
Sara’s Comments: A lot of 5s this week! This was another fantastic soup, which I can’t get enough of in the cold weather. The pork was tender and delicious, and the hominy added a great texture. All the spices were balanced nicely.
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 10 points each
Drew Rating: 5/5
Sara Rating: 5/5
Modifications: Substituted pork tenderloin instead of the pork shoulder that is called for.
Notes: I can count on one hand the number of times I have cooked at home with a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker that I have was my grandparent's and is probably almost as old as I am. Let me just say I am a little nervous around them. I tend to stand on the otherside of the kitchen just in case it blows up. And the pork cooks in this thing for 13 minutes once the pressure indicator pops up! But all that worrying was for nothing because it came out great. We substituted tenderloin for the shoulder since we had some leftover from the Moroccan dish we made earlier; in fact we still have about a pound leftover even after we made this dish. It tasted fine and just like that recipe I don't think the cut of pork makes that much of a difference. The tenderloin is one of the leanest cuts of pork so just know you might need to add a little oil if you are going to try to brown it. But since this was in a pressure cooker I didn't need to alter the recipe at all. For those who don't know what hominy is, just think giant kernels of corn. The texture is a little starchier and it's a little blander but really works great in this stew. The picture on the link above shows the hominy and looks exactly like what mine looked like too. Super tasty recipe, took about an hour to make, and a great way to introduce a new ingredient to your friends or family. One final note - I beleive while not traditional this recipe could be considered a pozole. As far as I can tell, any stew containing meat and hominy could be a pozole but I might be wrong. Let me know!
Sara’s Comments: A lot of 5s this week! This was another fantastic soup, which I can’t get enough of in the cold weather. The pork was tender and delicious, and the hominy added a great texture. All the spices were balanced nicely.
Chicken & Caramelized Onion Quesadilla
Source: http://www.onionringsandthings.com/2013/01/chicken-and-caramelized-onion-quesadilla/
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 14 points each
Drew Rating: 4/5
Sara Rating: 3.5/5
Modifications: None
Notes: Nothing in the kitchen smells better than onions carmelizing. They taste pretty darned good too. I thought this would be a simple but flavorful weeknight meal. It ended up taking a decent amount of time, too much really for a weeknight. The onions took quite a bit of time to carmelize down and in order to save getting everything in the kitchen dirty, I used the same pan to cook the chicken which also added to the time required. Besides the time to make they tasted really good. They were pretty thick but I had no problems with cheese not melting or the filling falling out. Perhaps in the future I would use less chicken since when it is shredded it has quite a bit more volume than when it is whole. Sara mentions that the taste, while good, is pretty one dimensional and I agree. I think in the future I would add cilantro or green onions, some fresh jalapenos, and some salsa at the table. I would definitely make this again but probably on a weekend when I have a little more time.
Sara’s Comments: This was a good solid meal, but it really shouldn’t have been called a quesadilla. They were very large, really more like burritos. While I really liked the carmelized onions, it did get a bit boring after a few bites. Would have liked less filling, and maybe more variety or something green and fresh to lighten it up.
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 14 points each
Drew Rating: 4/5
Sara Rating: 3.5/5
Modifications: None
Notes: Nothing in the kitchen smells better than onions carmelizing. They taste pretty darned good too. I thought this would be a simple but flavorful weeknight meal. It ended up taking a decent amount of time, too much really for a weeknight. The onions took quite a bit of time to carmelize down and in order to save getting everything in the kitchen dirty, I used the same pan to cook the chicken which also added to the time required. Besides the time to make they tasted really good. They were pretty thick but I had no problems with cheese not melting or the filling falling out. Perhaps in the future I would use less chicken since when it is shredded it has quite a bit more volume than when it is whole. Sara mentions that the taste, while good, is pretty one dimensional and I agree. I think in the future I would add cilantro or green onions, some fresh jalapenos, and some salsa at the table. I would definitely make this again but probably on a weekend when I have a little more time.
Sara’s Comments: This was a good solid meal, but it really shouldn’t have been called a quesadilla. They were very large, really more like burritos. While I really liked the carmelized onions, it did get a bit boring after a few bites. Would have liked less filling, and maybe more variety or something green and fresh to lighten it up.
Mexican Lime Soup w/ Chicken
Source: http://www.scatteredthoughtsofacraftymom.com/2013/11/mexican-lime-soup-w-chicken-recipe.html
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 12 points each
Drew Rating: 5/5
Sara Rating: 5/5
Modifications: Substituted 8oz fresh jalapeno for canned chilies
Notes: Let me just say that I'm not a huge fan of soups. Don't get me wrong - I certainly enjoy them but as a meal by themselves I often times find them a bit lacking. This recipe though is certainly an exception to my rule. It tasted great and was very satisfying without being heavy. Now this is not a quick recipe since you have to boil the chicken, but it was great for a wet-weathered, late fall weekend evening. This is great dinner for pulling up in front of the TV when the weather gets nasty outside. Besides the avocado, which was a tasty garnish but could be omitted, all of these items are usually in stock in our kitchen making it a great "rescue" meal in case we get snowed in someday!
Sara’s Comments: This was a great soup for a cold rainy day. It was warm and spicy, and a little monterey jack cheese on top made it fun too. Loved the jalapenos and fresh squeezed lime juice with some avocado for garnish.
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 12 points each
Drew Rating: 5/5
Sara Rating: 5/5
Modifications: Substituted 8oz fresh jalapeno for canned chilies
Notes: Let me just say that I'm not a huge fan of soups. Don't get me wrong - I certainly enjoy them but as a meal by themselves I often times find them a bit lacking. This recipe though is certainly an exception to my rule. It tasted great and was very satisfying without being heavy. Now this is not a quick recipe since you have to boil the chicken, but it was great for a wet-weathered, late fall weekend evening. This is great dinner for pulling up in front of the TV when the weather gets nasty outside. Besides the avocado, which was a tasty garnish but could be omitted, all of these items are usually in stock in our kitchen making it a great "rescue" meal in case we get snowed in someday!
Sara’s Comments: This was a great soup for a cold rainy day. It was warm and spicy, and a little monterey jack cheese on top made it fun too. Loved the jalapenos and fresh squeezed lime juice with some avocado for garnish.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Pork with morrocan style sauce***
Source: http://bitethesegoodies.blogspot.com/2013/10/pork-with-marrocan-style-sauce_24.html
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 16 points each (including couscous and yogurt)
Drew Rating: 5/5
Sara Rating: 5/5
Modifications: Substituted pork tenderloin instead of the pork collar that is called for. We also doubled the amount of pork from 250 grams to 1 pound. Used a whole 5.7 ounce box of couscous instead of the 200 grams that was called for.
Notes: First, I'm going to say I loved this recipe. It was awesome! There were so many layers to the flavor. I used a whole giant jalapeno with all the seeds and ribs included, and it packed a perfect amount of heat. It tasted fantastic over the couscous with just a bit of plain yogurt drizzled over top to cool things down a bit. I doubled the amount of pork because we had it in the fridge and ~1/2 pounds seemed a little light for 4 servings. Bringing it up to a whole pound was perfect I think. I don't really know what pork collar is or where to find it but a pork tenderloin was very nice altough I did have to cook it in some oil since it is a pretty lean cut of meat. I would definitely make this again and make it for company. Just writing this makes me want to make it soon!! ***Yes - the blogger where I found this recipe spelled Moroccan "morrocan" and since this is their recipe, that's how I am spelling it too :P
Sara’s Comments: Yowza, this was delicious. It had so many different flavors and they all worked so well together. It also looked beautiful on the plate, with some yogurt drizzled on top. It also tasted great the next day for lunch. Definite 2 thumbs up!
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 16 points each (including couscous and yogurt)
Drew Rating: 5/5
Sara Rating: 5/5
Modifications: Substituted pork tenderloin instead of the pork collar that is called for. We also doubled the amount of pork from 250 grams to 1 pound. Used a whole 5.7 ounce box of couscous instead of the 200 grams that was called for.
Notes: First, I'm going to say I loved this recipe. It was awesome! There were so many layers to the flavor. I used a whole giant jalapeno with all the seeds and ribs included, and it packed a perfect amount of heat. It tasted fantastic over the couscous with just a bit of plain yogurt drizzled over top to cool things down a bit. I doubled the amount of pork because we had it in the fridge and ~1/2 pounds seemed a little light for 4 servings. Bringing it up to a whole pound was perfect I think. I don't really know what pork collar is or where to find it but a pork tenderloin was very nice altough I did have to cook it in some oil since it is a pretty lean cut of meat. I would definitely make this again and make it for company. Just writing this makes me want to make it soon!! ***Yes - the blogger where I found this recipe spelled Moroccan "morrocan" and since this is their recipe, that's how I am spelling it too :P
Sara’s Comments: Yowza, this was delicious. It had so many different flavors and they all worked so well together. It also looked beautiful on the plate, with some yogurt drizzled on top. It also tasted great the next day for lunch. Definite 2 thumbs up!
Cheez-It Mac with Braised Chicken Thighs
Source: http://funnyloveblog.com/2013/11/12/cheez-it-mac-with-braised-chicken-thighs/
PointsPlus: 6 servings @ 31 points each
Drew Rating: 2/5
Sara Rating: 2.5/5
Modifications: None
Notes: Do you like Cheez-It's? Do you love Cheez-It's? Could you eat almost an entire box and not get tired of the flavor? If you do, this is the dish for you! This is not a difficult recipe to make but it does take a good amount of time. The majority of it (45 minutes) is spent braising the chicken thighs and I'm not really sure if it is worth it. The chicken tastes fine but not really any better than any other way of cooking it. I'd say use whatever is the fastest way to cook the chicken because you can't really appreciate the extra time taken to braise it. I was a little disappointed with this dish. I was expecting it to be more like a mac & cheese with some chicken & a topping. It reminded me more though of a casserole, like the tuna noodle casserole I've made 100 times before. It was cheese-y but just enough to get it to stick together. When I think of a mac & cheese I picture something creamier. I'm not sure if I was expecting too much but for the time it take to cook this (1.5 hours) I was hoping for more. That being said it reheated well for having a Cheez-It topping and tasted OK. I don't think I will make this again.
Sara’s Comments: It was ok, the flavors didn’t really seem to meld to me. And I love Cheez-its… if you don’t love them you would really not like this dish.
PointsPlus: 6 servings @ 31 points each
Drew Rating: 2/5
Sara Rating: 2.5/5
Modifications: None
Notes: Do you like Cheez-It's? Do you love Cheez-It's? Could you eat almost an entire box and not get tired of the flavor? If you do, this is the dish for you! This is not a difficult recipe to make but it does take a good amount of time. The majority of it (45 minutes) is spent braising the chicken thighs and I'm not really sure if it is worth it. The chicken tastes fine but not really any better than any other way of cooking it. I'd say use whatever is the fastest way to cook the chicken because you can't really appreciate the extra time taken to braise it. I was a little disappointed with this dish. I was expecting it to be more like a mac & cheese with some chicken & a topping. It reminded me more though of a casserole, like the tuna noodle casserole I've made 100 times before. It was cheese-y but just enough to get it to stick together. When I think of a mac & cheese I picture something creamier. I'm not sure if I was expecting too much but for the time it take to cook this (1.5 hours) I was hoping for more. That being said it reheated well for having a Cheez-It topping and tasted OK. I don't think I will make this again.
Sara’s Comments: It was ok, the flavors didn’t really seem to meld to me. And I love Cheez-its… if you don’t love them you would really not like this dish.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Khao Soi / Chiang Mai Curry Noodles
Source: http://www.mybarecupboard.com/2013/11/khao-soi-chiang-mai-curry-noodles.html
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 14 points each
Drew Rating: 5/5
Sara Rating: 4/5
Modifications: I used 1/2lb. angel hair pasta instead of Chinese-style egg noodles. I also followed the author's suggestions in their blog post on how to marinate the chicken and their additions (extra shallots, lime juice & fish sauce). Also, instead of adding the chili oil at the end I squeezed a generous amount (2-3Tbsp) of Sriracha in during the final 10 minute simmer.
Notes: This was really good and I'm glad Sara liked it. She does not like coconut and this recipe used 2 cups of coconut milk so I knew it was a risk when I planned it. The good news is that with the curry paste and all the other spices, in the end there is really only a hint of coconut and it balances very nicely. The mix of seasoning really works and I was really surprised at how well this tasted. The Sriracha I added definitely gave it a nice kick without me breaking into a sweat. This dish is on par with all but the best Thai restaurants I have been to. Highly recommend and will make again!
Sara’s Comments: Really liked this. It has a ton of flavors and I was excited to go back for seconds. Only thing keeping it from a 5 was that it’s a little hard to eat. It’s soupy, but with full strands of spaghetti. A fork leaves all the delicious broth behind, and a spoon can’t hold the noodles. I ended up just holding the bowl to my mouth and kind of shoveling in the pasta with my spoon. Classy.
PointsPlus: 4 servings @ 14 points each
Drew Rating: 5/5
Sara Rating: 4/5
Modifications: I used 1/2lb. angel hair pasta instead of Chinese-style egg noodles. I also followed the author's suggestions in their blog post on how to marinate the chicken and their additions (extra shallots, lime juice & fish sauce). Also, instead of adding the chili oil at the end I squeezed a generous amount (2-3Tbsp) of Sriracha in during the final 10 minute simmer.
Notes: This was really good and I'm glad Sara liked it. She does not like coconut and this recipe used 2 cups of coconut milk so I knew it was a risk when I planned it. The good news is that with the curry paste and all the other spices, in the end there is really only a hint of coconut and it balances very nicely. The mix of seasoning really works and I was really surprised at how well this tasted. The Sriracha I added definitely gave it a nice kick without me breaking into a sweat. This dish is on par with all but the best Thai restaurants I have been to. Highly recommend and will make again!
Sara’s Comments: Really liked this. It has a ton of flavors and I was excited to go back for seconds. Only thing keeping it from a 5 was that it’s a little hard to eat. It’s soupy, but with full strands of spaghetti. A fork leaves all the delicious broth behind, and a spoon can’t hold the noodles. I ended up just holding the bowl to my mouth and kind of shoveling in the pasta with my spoon. Classy.
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