Saturday, December 02, 2006

Eggplant Parmesan Rigatoni

From Everyday with Rachael Ray November 2006



Ingredients:
vegetable oil
eggplant
flour
salt
rigatoni
EVOO
garlic
canned tomatoes
mozzarella
basil
parmesan

Comments:
This was another pretty simple recipe. You make eggplant chips (kind of) and throw them on top of the pasta and quick sauce made from the tomatoes. It was pretty good. I had a heck of a time with the cheese though. It was like pizza - all stringy.

Friday, December 01, 2006

Fish Stick Po' Boys

From Everyday with Rachael Ray October 2006



Ingredients:
fish sticks
mayo
lemon juice
hot sauce
sub rolls
tomato
shredded lettuce

Comments:
I realized I hadn't really been cooking much lately and since this is a pretty brainless recipe, I went for it tonight. You basically cook the fish and then put it in the bun with the other stuff. I left out the hot sauce though because I'm a wuss.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Cookies! Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Double Chocolate Chip

From Diana Rattray via about.com:
PB Chocolate Chip and Double Chocolate Chip



Ingredients (Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip):
butter
peanut butter
sugar (white and brown)
egg
flour
baking soda
baking powder
salt
chocolate chips


Ingredients (Double Chocolate Chip):
butter
sugar (white and brown)
egg
flour
baking powder
salt
chocolate chips
milk
vanilla

Comments:
It's cookie-baking season! I made these back-to-back since they baked at the same temperature for the same amount of time. They are very different cookies but they're both yummy.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

From Rachael Ray via FoodNetwork



Ingredients:
scallops
lime juice
sesame oil
grill seasoning
bacon

Comments:
Adam made this. Apparently it was good. I wouldn't know. I just took a picture and am posting it on this site. :)

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Stuffed Pork Chops

From Robin Miller via FoodNetwork

I spaced on this picture too. I've been bad at that lately.

Ingredients:
EVOO
leeks
apple
oregano
rosemary
salt & pepper
bread cubes
chicken broth
thick-cut pork chops

Comments:
I made this to use up some pork chops I had thawed for another purpose. It is super simple and basically involves chopping stuff up, shoving it inside the chops, and watching it cook. I don't eat pork so Adam was the taster. He told me it was a keeper so I guess that means it was good.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

From Alton Brown via FoodNetwork

I totally forgot to take a picture of this. I'm sure I'll make it again though.

Ingredients:
chopped spinach
artichoke hearts, chopped
cream cheese
sour cream
mayo
Parmesan cheese
red pepper flakes
salt
garlic powder

Comments:
If you read my personal blog, you'll know we became obsessed with this dip after a trip to Applebee's. This recipe is super simple and super tasty. I've made it twice already. Note to the faint of tongue: go easy on the red pepper flakes. Even with 1/2 of the amount recommended it's HOT!

Double Chicken Dumpling Stoup

From Rachael Ray Show 11/13/06



Ingredients:
EVOO
celery
onions
carrots
bay
salt & pepper
chicken stock
ground chicken
nutmeg
egg
garlic
bread crumbs
parmigiano cheese
peas
gnocchi
parsley

Comments:
I caught this on Rachael Ray's TV show (that I record everyday, by the way.) I tried it out this evening since Adam doesn't like chicken broth based foods and he's at work. I had to make a few adjustments to the recipe since I hate bay and couldn't find gnocchi or Parnigiano Reggiano cheese to save my life. I used some pre-made potato dumplings instead and it turned out ok. It was mighty tasty although I had a hard time deciding whether to eat it with a fork or a spoon. Where are those plastic sporks when you need them?

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Adam makes Apple Pie



Whole Wheat Rigatoni with Bacon

From Everyday with Rachael Ray October 2006



Ingredients:
Whole wheat rigatoni
EVOO
bacon
bay leaves
onion
salt & pepper
chicken broth or white wine
crushed tomatoes
parsley
grated cheese

Comments:
This time I used whole wheat pasta. I'm not really a fan. Other than that, this dish turned out well and was pretty tasty. Adam disliked the flavor the wine gave it so maybe next time I'll use stock instead.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Adam Makes Applesauce

Ingredients:
apples
cinnamon
sugar
water






Penne with Cauliflower Sauce

From Everyday with Rachael Ray October 2006



Ingredients:
whole wheat penne
EVOO
garlic
onion
cauliflower
chicken broth
rosemary
Pecorino Romano cheese
pepper

Comments:
I didn't use whole wheat pasta, I used parmesan cheese, and I left the arugula garnish off. Other than that I pretty much stuck to the recipe. :) The cauliflower definately is something different to top pasta with. It was surprisingly good.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

From Everyday with Rachael Ray October 2006



Ingredients:
grated parmesan cheese
paprika
parsley
tilapia
lemon

Comments:
More fish. I don't eat it. Don't know what it tasted like. Chances are it wasn't too bad because Adam ate some of it for lunch yesterday and he hasn't died yet.

Moroccan Beef Patties with Couscous

From Everyday with Rachael Ray October 2006 (can't find a link to the recipe online)



Ingredients:
salt
couscous
pepper
ground beef
garlic
onion
paprika
cinnamon
cumin
allspice
EVOO
parsley

Comments:
I have the distinct feeling I've made this recipe before, but perhaps it was worth repeating. It's very simple to make and although I managed to get the couscous to fly all over the stovetop, it still tasted good in the end. The little burgers have quite a kick though, so be careful!

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Stuffed Bell Peppers

From Debbie's Kitchen.com



Ingredients:
green bell peppers
ground beef
cooked white rice
onion
worcestershire sauce
ketchup
egg
seasoned salt
garlic powder
pepper
tomato sauce

Comments:
For some reason I had been having this craving for stuffed peppers. So I went online, got a recipe, and made them. They turned out great. They're delicious and kidn of good for you too! Great combination.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Chicken & Rice Bake

From my mother and my own memory



Ingredients:
cream soup (I used cream of chicken)
rice
water
chicken breasts
paprika
pepper

Comments:
Sometimes I even skip the chicken and just make the rice because it's so good. The flavor of the soup soaks all through the rice as it fluffs up. The seasonings give it some pep too. Once again, feelin' lazy tonight so I didn't make it all pretty. :)

Coconut-Poached Salmon

From Everyday with Rachael Ray August/September 2006



Ingredients:
chicken broth
limes
coconut milk
basil
salmon
watercress
salt & pepper
cornstarch

Comments:
Another fish dish made especially for Adam so I have no idea what it tastes like. I skipped the watercress since he's not a fan. The recipe itself is very simple: you make a poaching liquid out of the broth and coconut milk and then cook the fish in it. That's it. Yeah, and it's not all nicely plated or anything because it went directly from the stove to the fridge. :)

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Chicken and Honey Buttered Waffles

From Everyday with Rachael Ray August/September 2006



Ingredients:
butter
honey
waffle mix
eggs
milk
vegetable oil
breadcrumbs
chicken breasts
salt & pepper
applesauce

Comments:
This dish is supposed to be made with waffles and a honey-butter sauce. I skipped that part and just made the semi-breaded chicken. The wafffle mix gives the outside a different flavor than a normal breaded chicken breast - kind of sweet even. The addition of the applesauce was a great idea. It goes well with the chicken.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Reals Meatballs and Spaghetti

From Barefoot Contessa on Food Network



Ingredients:
ground beef
bread crumbs
parsley
parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
nutmeg
egg
vegetable oil
olive oil
onion
garlic
red wine
crushed tomatoes
spaghetti

Comments:
I accidentally deleted the original entry for this recipe and I don't remember what I had said. Mostly something about how it took longer than most of the recipes I've been making these days but it still tasted good. :)

Mom's Turkey Meatloaf

From Healthy Appetite with Ellie Kreiger on Food Network



Ingredients:
quick-cooking oats
milk
onion
ground turkey
red bell pepper
eggs
Worcestershire sauce
ketchup
salt & pepper
tomato sauce

Comments:
This is another recipe we saw one morning while watching Food Network. It was pretty simple to make. Just throw together ingredients and bake for a while. I omitted the red pepper since Adam doesn't like them and I left off the tomato sauce since it looked nasty on the show. The meatloaf has a great texture, different from those made with beef.

I took two pictures because the picture of just the one serving looked kind of pathetic.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Bacon Fried Rice

From Everyday with Rachael Ray August/September 2006



Ingredients:
long-grain rice
bacon
vegetable oil
onion
scallions
garlic
peas
eggs
sesame oil
salt & pepper

Comments:
I made this dish at the same time I was making Adam's shrimp. They used a lot of the same ingredients and I figured they'd go well together. (Plus, this would give us both something to eat.) This was a bit more complicated than the shrimp, but still totally managable. Of course I got all the spices and such prepped and chopped and then noticed I didn't have bacon. Oops. Must have used it sometime and forgot about it. So I sent Adam out for some bacon (so he was bringing home the bacon... tee hee) while I finished the shrimp dish. After I got everything together it went well. Tasted great, and it wasn't as greasy as Chinese take-out.

Ginger, Scallion, and Garlic Shrimp

From Everyday with Rachael Ray August/September 2006



Ingredients:
egg white
cornstarch
sugar
salt & pepper
shrimp
garlic
ginger
red pepper flakes
vegetable oil
scallions

Comments:
I made this dish for Adam. It was pretty simple. The first few ingredients make a marinade for the shrimp which then gets tossed into a hot pan and cooked. The rest of the stuff goes in afterwards to heat up for a minute or so. I don't know how it tasted, Adam will have to pipe up on that one. It smelled good though. :)

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Penne with Two-Tomato Sauce

From Everyday with Rachael Ray August/September 2006



Ingredients:
penne
EVOO
garlic
onion
sun-dried tomatoes
red wine
crushed tomatoes
heavy cream
salt & pepper

Comments:
Another simple pasta dish. The two textures of the tomatoes make an interesting combination. The sauce itself was kind of blah - perhaps I'd add some more spices to it next time...

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Peanut Butter Cheese Fudge

From Paula's Home Cooking on Food Network



Ingredients:
Velveeta cheese
butter
peanut butter
vanilla
chopped nuts (I used pecans)
confectioner's sugar

Comments:
This was an easy dessert to make. Adam saw it on the show in the morning and I went out and bought the few ingredients we didn't have and I made it while he was at work. It's definately rich, so cut the pieces small!

Super Herbed Sauteed Salmon with Creamy Leeks and Bacon

From Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals



Ingredients:
EVOO
bacon
leeks
garlic
thyme
red pepper flakes
salt & pepper
white wine
chicken stock
half & half
salmon
parsley
dill
lemon

Comments:
Another fish dish. I actually ate a bite of this one, declared it too fishy, and put the rest of the fillet on Adam's plate. He seemed to enjoy it though. The leeks were good too. I love leeks. They have such an interesting flavor.

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Pasta with Bacon, Tomatoes, and Cheese

From Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals



Ingredients:
salt & pepper
pasta
bacon
onion
garlic
red pepper flakes
white wine
chicken stock
grape tomatoes
mozzarella cheese
chives
basil
parmesan cheese

Comments:
I was able to make this without even going to the grocery store. It kind of used up all kinds of random ingredients I had sitting in the fridge. Woo! It also tasted great. The mozzarella is cubed and added at the end so there are chunks of cheese throughout the pasta that get melty as you eat it. Delish!

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Fabulous Baked Fish and Asparagus Spears

From Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals



Ingredients:
EVOO
garlic
shallot
haddock
salt & pepper
diced tomatoes
balsamic vinegar
basil
clam juice
crusty bread
asparagus
lemon

Comments:
I don't eat fishy fish and haddock is a fishy fish. Adam seemed to like it though so perhaps he'll come comment on it. The asparagus was good. The lemon really lightens the flavor.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Chicken with Scallion-Lime sauce and Sweet Carrot Rice

From Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals



Ingredients:
EVOO
carrots
salt & pepper
rice
chicken stock
thyme
limes
boneless, skinless, chx breasts
garlic
red pepper flakes
coriander
scallions
parsley
butter

Comments:
This dish has great flavor. The lime really balances out the hotness of the red pepper flakes and garlic. The rice was good and soaked up a lot of the lime sauce as well.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Spaghetti Carbonara

From my mother and my own memory



Ingredients:
spaghetti
bacon
green pepper
egg
salt & pepper
some other spices (I used margerum, thyme)
parmesan cheese

Comments:
Every once in a while I have a craving for greasy bacon and spaghetti so I whip up a batch of this stuff. I never wrote down the recipe my mom used so I just kind of made it up. It's pretty close and tastes good even if it's wrong. :)

Spaghetti alla Ceci

From Rachael Ray's Express Lane Meals



Ingredients:
spaghetti
EVOO
red pepper flakes
garlic
chickpeas
thyme
salt & pepper
white wine
crushed tomatoes
parsley
parmesan cheese

Comments:
This is the first recipe I've tried out of the newest Rachael Ray book I bought. I wasn't sure if I'd like chickpeas since I didn't have any idea what they were. It's actually pretty good. Kind of spicy hot even though I only put in half of the red pepper in the recipe. It had good flavor and the chickpeas gave the sauce texture.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Crunchy Chicken Parmesan

From a Sanderson Farms ad in the Everyday with Rachael Ray June/July 2006 issue.



Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
ritz crackers
parmesan cheese
parsley
margarine
Salt & pepper

Comments:
Another easy recipe: Just throw the stuff together and bake it. I went a little wild with the broiling part and actually managed to set a potholder on fire in the process. Oops. It was good anyway. (The chicken, not the potholder.)

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Caribbean Taco Salad

From a Jennie-O ad in the Everyday with Rachael Ray June/July 2006 issue.



Ingredients:
Flour tortillas
ground turkey
taco seasoning
mangos
red pepper
green onion
cilantro
brown sugar
lime peel
spinach leaves

Comments:
This was pretty simple to make. The most difficult part was peeling and chopping the mangoes. I've decided I don't like to do that. I'm amazed I escaped with all my fingers attached. We bought tortillas that came with these little cardboard shaper things so forming the bowls was simple. Everything else is basically a cook and mix process. You might notice that I omitted the red peppers since Adam doesn't like them. I might leave out the cilantro if I make this again. I'm not too fond of its flavor.

Monday, May 22, 2006

Not-Your-Mama's Tuna (or Chicken) Salad

From Everyday with Rachael Ray June/July 2006



Ingredients:
pesto
lemon juice
canned tuna (but I used chicken)
scallions
roasted red pepper
grape tomatoes
shell pasta
salt & pepper

Comments:
Both Adam and I dislike tuna so it seemed logical to replace it with something we did like - chicken. And since both meats come in basically the same form it was pretty simple. I also didn't have any shell pasta so I just threw in some campanelle instead. It's a pretty shape too so I figured it would perform the same functions. You can't cook if you can't make substitutions with confidence. :)

The flavor on this "salad" is amazing. The pesto adds so much zing and the tomatoes and scallions and peppers all blend together nicely. I bet it will taste even better as leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Greek Chicken and Mashed Potatoes with Carrots

From Redbook via MSN (I think)



Ingredients:
For Chicken:
Lemon juice
olive oil
parsley
oregano
garlic clove
boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For Potatoes:
potatoes
chicken broth
a carrot
butter
salt
scallions

Comments:
Adam found this recipe online and suggested it might be good. So we tried it. It was good. It's a very simple marinade and there's very little prep work for either of the dishes. My kind of meal. :)

Friday, April 21, 2006

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Breasts

From Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats - #267



Ingredients:
boneless, skinless chx breasts
Pretzels
thyme
pepper
eggs
vegetable oil

Comments:
I've made this a couple times before but I've never taken a picture so I could post it. Obviously we like this one. The original recipe has a cheddar mustard sauce that goes with it. It was good, but didn't store well so we don't make it anymore. The chicken is great without it anyway.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Chicken, Biscuits 'n' Gravy Casserole

From Everyday with Rachael Ray April/May 2006



Ingredients:
one chicken (cooked)
butter
mushrooms (I omitted since I don't like them)
onion
celery
flour
chicken broth
milk
lemon juice
garlic
biscuit mix
cheddar cheese

Comments: This recipe is pretty simple. You make a gravy-ish sauce to pour over the chicken and bake the biscuits on top of it. It tasted good. The cheese in the biscuit mix definately added something different. But in a good way.

Spaghetti with Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs

From Everyday with Rachael Ray April/May 2006



Ingredients:
bread crumbs
milk
EVOO
garlic
crushed tomatoes
ground sirloin
parsley
parmigiano-reggiano
an egg
mozzarella cheese
spaghetti

Comments: This was kind of fun to make. The meatballs involved smooshing a cube of cheese into a ball of the hamburger. Messy, but fun (in my opinion anyway, but I might be weird.) I managed to get only one spot of sauce on my khaki colored pants. Not bad. The meatballs and light sauce went well with the pasta. It re-heated pretty well for lunch today as well. :)

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Turkey Mini-Burgers with Warm Potato Salad

From Everyday with Rachael Ray April/May 2006



Ingredients:
red potatoes
salt
ground turkey
bread crumbs
an egg
sage
EVOO
white wine vinegar
chives
dinner rolls

Comments: This is the first recipe I've tried out of the new magazine that Ms. Ray came out with. It was definately a success. The potato salad had a great zing from the vinegar and the burgers were smooth and juicy (and good for you too since they were turkey.) As Adam said, "Definitely a keeper."

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Pineapple-Rum Chicken

From Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats - #95



Ingredients:
jasmine rice
pineapple
onion
garlic
red pepper flakes
salt & pepper
rum
chicken stock
boneless, skinless chx breasts
parsley

Comments:
This was not quite as easy as the previous couple, but it still wasn't bad. I had some pineapple juice issues (as in I dropped the pineapple back into the container and doused myself with the juice) but in general it went smoothly. It was spicier than I like (it's those red pepper flakes I tell ya) but it tasted great.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Pan-Roasted Garlic & Herb Chicken Breasts

From Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats - #165



Ingredients:
garlic
parsley
EVOO
salt & pepper
boneless, skinless chx breasts

Comments:
Another easy one! The first four ingredients form a quick marinade of sorts for the chicken which is then browned quickly on the stovetop and then thrown in the oven to finish cooking. In the book it is supposed to be served with some icky sounding salad. I skipped that and just made some mashed potatoes instead. I've done that quite a bit it seems - made the main course and skipped the less-than-appetizing side dish. It works and it also eliminates some of the ingredients needed. :)

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Angel Food Cake



There's no way I can take credit for this. It came straight from a box. All I did was bake it. But it sure tastes good and I felt like taking a picture and this is my blog and I can do whatever I want so there.

:)

Columbus' Pork Chops

From Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats - #265



Ingredients:
thick boneless pork chops
salt & pepper
strawberries
basil
balsamic vinegar
EVOO

Comments:
Once again pork is something I won't eat so I made this for Adam so he'll have to comment on the taste. From what I can tell from his reaction, it tasted pretty good though :) It was easy to make. Few ingredients and most of the time was spent macerating or coming to room temperature. It smelled pretty good too.

Monday, March 20, 2006

Mom's Meatballs

Don't remember where this came from. I thought it was Food Network, but I can't find it on their site.



Ingredients:
onion
ketchup
lemon juice
worcestershire
saltines
ground beef

Comments:
This is one of my stand-bys for using up hamburger. I had some leftover from making the Aussie pies so I threw together a batch of these. They taste great and only take about 15 minutes to make.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Aussie Meat Pies

From Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats - #201



Ingredients:
Puff Pastry
salt & pepper
EVOO
butter
ground beef
onion
flour
worcestershire
tomato paste
brown sugar
beef stock
seasoning & ketchup

Comments:
This was kind of a spur-of-the-moment recipe choice. I was just looking through the book to see how many recipes I had made when this one caught my eye. It was once again totally simple. I love this cookbook! The flavor the worcestershire adds to anything is amazing. It was kind of interesting, the texture the puff pastry adds. Rachael calls it a "ritzy version of a sloppy joe." She's right. It tasted great.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Salmon Fillet en Papillote with Julienne Vegetables

From Alton Brown's Food Network show, Good Eats



Ingredients:
Salmon
Fennel
Leeks
Carrots
snow peas
salt & pepper
coriander
an orange
vermouth

Comments:
I don't like fish so I won't eat this, but I made it for Adam. It's pretty simple to make. Prep consists mostly of chopping the vegetables. Of course I managed to chop my hand twice in the process. Cooking's not cooking if Martha doesn't shed some blood... Anyway, it was easy to make and hopefully it will taste good too. Adam should comment tomorrow - he's taking it to work for lunch.

Just a note here: We couldn't find any regular oranges sold singly so we had to get a blood orange. That's why it's red and it looks like the fish is bleeding. Uck.