Chocolate-Mint Bars

From Cooking Light, March 2008



Ingredients:
flour
salt
sugar
eggs
butter
water
vanilla
chocolate syrup
powdered sugar
milk
peppermint extract
green food coloring
chocolate chips

Comments:
This recipe was on the cover and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to make it. It looks just like the bars this one lady at church used to make that I totally loved. It's pretty simple to make and tastes like a giant Andes Candies mint. Yum.

Meatball Calzones

From Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2008 (Kind of. See below.) (Oh, and there's no link since it isn't on their site.)



Ingredients:
eggs
bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese (I ran out so I used Romano)
Italian seasoning
ground beef
frozen bread dough
mozzarella cheese
pasta sauce

Comments:
I kind of combined two recipes into one. The newest annual recipe collection had a meatball calzone that looked interesting. It also looked fussy and overly complicated. So I took the excellent Chicken Broccoli Calzone recipe from last year and just modified the filling. It turned out quite well. I should have made the meatballs a little smaller but I always have problems with that.

Easter

Keeping it simple.

There was ham:


Crusty French rolls (thanks, Pillsbury!):


and Adam's sister made this awesome cake:


We also had stuffing (yes, boxes of Stove Top leftover from Thanksgiving thankyouverymuch) and Adam's other sister brought a potato/cheese/bacon dish. All in all, very yummy.

Baked Macaroni and Cheddar

From Everyday with Rachael Ray, April 2008



Ingredients:
broccoli
elbow pasta
butter
shallots (mine had gone south so I just used an onion)
flour
milk
cornstarch
cheddar cheese
parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
garlic
breadcrumbs

Comments:
Even though I have definite lactose-intolerant tendencies I'm still a total sucker for a good macaroni and cheese. The stuff on the cruise last summer? Awesome. Anyway, this is even better than your average, everyday mac and cheese. There's a layer of broccoli underneath it all. What's better than cheese and broccoli? Yikes. Anyway, it's a pretty simple recipe although I'm not sure why she chose to have you use the same pot for the broccoli, noodles, and the sauce. It takes longer, the pot gets super hot by the time you add the butter, and it just doesn't seem logical to me. Except for the cleaning up the dishes part I guess...

Breaded Shrimp

From allrecipes.com



Ingredients:
Vegetable oil
shrimp
egg
bread crumbs

Comments:
For this last Friday in Lent I went with shrimp rather than fish. Of course, this was not for me. They were all for Adam. So simple to make, quick, and apparently tasty since he ate the whole plate full of them!

Turkey-Stuffed Zucchini Boats

From Robin Miller via Foodnetwork.com



Ingredients:
zucchini
ground turkey
poultry seasoning
egg white
salt & pepper
tomato sauce
chicken broth
chili sauce
cider vinegar
brown sugar
thyme
sour cream
artichoke hearts
Parmesan cheese
oregano
bread crumbs

Comments:
I made this once before when our parents came over for something. I liked it and so I decided to try it again. The meatballs used to fill the zucchini cook in the slow cooker all day and get smooshed up for the stuffing. It's a pretty easy recipe and tastes great and they're actually pretty healthy too.

Adam Makes Donuts

From Alton Brown via Foodnetwork.com



Ingredients:
milk
shortening
instant yeast
water
eggs
sugar
salt
nutmeg
flour
vegetable oil

Comments:
Adam's been wanting to make donuts for awhile now but whenever he's in that mood he is somewhere inconvenient and can't find a recipe. Finally he searched for one online, we picked up the yeast he needed, and he went to work. He got a little creative with the second round of dough, creating some donut holes and some twisty looking ones.



Overall, they turned out great. They also reheat well in a few seconds in the microwave.

Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders & Smashed Potatoes

From "The Rachael Ray Show", January 25th, 2008



Ingredients:
potatoes
honey
mustard
boneless, skinless chicken
salt & pepper
breadcrumbs
canola oil
milk
sour cream
parsley

Comments:
Did a little editing on this recipe (as I seem to do a lot) since I didn't want to buy buttermilk or all the fresh herby things the recipe puts into the potatoes. I had the oil a little too hot and the first batch of chicken got a little "well done." It's ok though. They still tasted good. Kind of. Anyway, an interesting concept since I always go for the honey-mustard dipping sauce.

Asian Pork Roast

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
onions
garlic
salt & pepper
pork roast
canola oil
bay leaves
water
honey
soy sauce
rice vinegar
ginger
cloves
cornstarch
sesame seeds

Comments:
Did a little alteration on this recipe since I didn't have the rice vinegar or sesame seeds. Or the cloves for that matter. And I didn't see any good boneless roasts so I got one with a bone. Meh. Anyway, it smelled just wonderful when I got home from work. It tasted just as good. I took some the next day for lunch and it reheated fairly well. The sauce gets a little jello-like after sitting in the fridge overnight, but it loosens up when it's warmed.

Quick Chicken with Smashed Brocco-tatoes

From Everyday with Rachael Ray, March 2008



Ingredients:
potatoes
salt & pepper
broccoli
boneless, skinless chicken breasts
thyme
EVOO
milk

I skipped the gouda gravy part of this recipe (which you'll see if you click the link) but it turned out just fine. It's really simple, pretty quick, and the brocco-tatoes taste awesome. Adam was a but wary of the concept at first, but I think he liked them as well.