Simple Clam Chowder

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
2 bacon slices
2 cups chopped onion
1 1/4 cups chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 (6 1/2-ounce) cans chopped clams, undrained
5 cups diced peeled baking potato (about 1 pound)
4 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
1 bay leaf
3 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)

Directions:
Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add onion, celery, salt, thyme, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Drain clams, reserving liquid. Add clam liquid, potato, clam juice, and bay leaf to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Discard bay leaf.

Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 12 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add clams; cook 2 minutes. Sprinkle with bacon.

Comments:
This is a recipe Adam picked out a while ago. It didn't really turn out so well. It was way too thick. I did quarter the recipe so perhaps that affected things. In any case, not likely to try this again.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
20 to 24 large fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 pound bulk pork sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained
3 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 egg white

Directions:
Remove mushroom stems from caps. Set caps aside (discard stems or save for another use). In a small skillet, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender.

In a large bowl, combine the sausage, bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley and egg white. Stir in onion mixture. Fill the mushroom caps; place in a lightly greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan.

Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and tops are browned. Yield: about 2 dozen.

Comments:
Stuffed Mushrooms were on a sale a few weeks back at the grocery store so they were on the forefront of Adam's mind. And since we had some extra sausage when I made another batch of the family pleasing pizza I figured what the hey. These were pretty simple and since Adam has eaten every last one of them I guess they tasted ok too. I set my bar pretty low.

Pork Schnitzel

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
6 boneless pork cutlets (1/2 inch thick and 4 ounces each)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1-1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons paprika
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:
Flatten pork cutlets to 1/4-in. thickness. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, seasoned salt and pepper. In another bowl, beat eggs and milk. In another bowl, combine bread crumbs and paprika. Dip cutlets into flour mixture, then into egg mixture, then into crumb mixture.

In a large skillet, cook pork in oil, a few pieces at a time, for 3-4 minutes per side or until meat is no longer pink. Remove to a serving platter; keep warm. Yield: 6 servings.

Comments:
We actually used a flavored pork tenderloin to make this schnitzel. It turned out pretty well although I wasn't much of a fan. Then again, I'm not too keen on most pork. Bacon excluded. :) I just ate a lot of Stove Top. Yum.

Teriyaki Burgers

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1/2 pound lean ground beef
2 hamburger buns, split
4 slices deli ham (3/4 ounce each)
2 pineapple slices
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce

Directions:
Shape beef into two patties. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Serve on buns with ham, pineapple and teriyaki sauce. Yield: 2 servings.

Comments:
I was a little hesitant with the teriyaki sauce, never having cooked with it before. I probably could have gone a little heavier with it. You could hardly taste it at all. Other than my constant problem of making the burgers way too small for the buns, this was a successful dinner.

Adam Makes More Pies

For the Pumpkin:
Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
Whipped cream (optional)

Directions:
Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell. Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.


For the Pecan:
Ingredients:
1 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans
1 (9-inch) unbaked or frozen deep-dish pie crust

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla using a spoon. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into pie crust. Bake on center rack of oven for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool for 2 hours on wire rack before serving.

Comments:
He liked the pumpkin so much the first time he made a couple more. He also made pecan because, I don't know, he was struck by the desire to do so. Whatever works. He took one of each to a Thanksgiving potluck at his work. They were a hit. That other thing in the middle there is a loaf of sourdough bread. I'm not sure how that turned out. I didn't get to eat any of it.

Weekly Menu: November 22-28

Saturday 11/22 French Onion Soup Mac & Cheese *NEW* (got bumped from last week)
Sunday 11/23 Brats - probably on the grill
Monday 11/24 Leftovers
Tuesday 11/25 Hot Ham & Cheese Sandwiches
Wednesday 11/26 Pretzel Chicken Tenders
Thursday 11/27 Thanksgiving - the big meal is at the in-laws' house
Friday 11/28 Home Style Ribs (yay for crock pots!)

Adam Makes Pumpkin Pie

Adam threw away the can label that had the directions, so sorry, no recipe to post. Tsk tsk.

Comments:
I do not like pie. Especially pumpkin. Therefore I can only assume this was good because Adam ate it all.

Party Time Mini Cheeseburgers

From Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious



Ingredients:
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound ground beef
3 slices process American cheese
10 dinner rolls, split

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 10 patties. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink.

Meanwhile, using a 1-in. pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 10 pumpkin shapes from cheese slices. Immediately place on burgers; serve on rolls. Yield: 10 servings.

Comments:
These burgers turned out very wet and they pretty much fell apart in the pan. They tasted good, but the presentation was a bit tricky when I had very few actual burgers to work with. Oh well.

Broccoli Cheese Strata

From Taste of Home's Cooking for 2



Ingredients:
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh broccoli
2 green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon water
2 slices white bread, cubed
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon dill weed
Dash ground nutmeg
Dash pepper

Directions:
In a small microwave-safe dish, microwave broccoli and onions in water on high for 1 minute; drain and set aside. Place bread in a shallow 3-cup baking dish coated with cooking spray. Add broccoli mixture and cheese. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, mustard, dill, nutmeg and pepper; pour over cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Yield: 2 servings.

Comments:
Interesting dish. I made it in the morning and baked it for dinner. The texture wasn't really that great, but it tasted fine. I don't know that I'd make it again. We'll see.

Hearty Penne Beef

From Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious



Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 can (15 ounces) tomato puree
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook beef and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato puree, broth, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add spinach; cook for 1-2 minutes or until spinach is wilted.

Drain pasta; stir into beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and cook for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 4 servings.

Comments:
I left the spinach out of this dish. I just wasn't in the spinach mood. It turned out a little runny, but I don't know that the spinach would have sopped much of the juice up. I think it needs some thickening agent to go from soupy to saucy. I mean it has a can of beef broth and a can of tomatoes. That's a lot of juice with nowhere to go since the pasta is pre-cooked. I'll play around with it next time.

Grilled Chicken with Mango-Pineapple Salsa

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
Salsa:
2/3 cup diced peeled ripe mango (1 medium)
2/3 cup diced fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Chicken:
4 (6-ounce)skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup pineapple juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Dash of crushed red pepper
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. To prepare salsa, combine first 8 ingredients. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. To prepare chicken, place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Combine pineapple juice and next 5 ingredients (through red pepper) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

3. Prepare grill.

4. Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until done.

5. Place reserved marinade in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 5 minutes). Drizzle over chicken. Serve salsa with chicken.

Comments:
I altered this recipe a bit to our tastes, so the "salsa" ended up not being so much a salsa as some fruit on top of the chicken. I also didn't grill the chicken - I baked it. It all turned out pretty well. I'm sure it's a different dish completely if you prepare it the way the recipe tells you to. But this was good for my tastes.

Veggie Mac 'n' Cheese

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 cups fresh cauliflowerets
3 large carrots, halved and thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions:
Cook macaroni according to package directions, adding the broccoli, cauliflowerets, carrots and celery during the last 6 minutes. Drain; transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute onion in butter until tender. Sprinkle with flour; stir until blended. Gradually stir in milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the cheese, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over macaroni mixture; stir to coat. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 12 servings.

Comments:
After a disasterous mac and cheese incident a few months back (as in, it turned out horrible and made us both very sick) I decided I should try again. Using a recipe this time. Overall, pretty easy to make. Although the cats were swarming more than usual when I made this. I don't know why. Maybe they like cauliflower? In any case, simple to assemble, tastes good. I like how the veggies get almost sweet when they're baked.

Weekly Menu: Nov 15-21

Trying out something else new. In an effort to post on a more regular basis, I'm going to try posting our menu each week. I plan Saturday to Friday since we generally do our weekly grocery shopping on Friday night or Saturday morning. I also only plan dinners. Lunches we find something in leftovers or the food in the house.

I'll post a link to my entry if it's something we've tried before. If it's new, I'll link to the recipe (if possible.) Here goes!

Saturday 11/15 Pork Wontons
Sunday 11/16 Adam Makes Dinner (Don't know what he has planned. Probably something on the grill)
Monday 11/17 Always a leftover night - I have a weekly commitment at church
Tuesday 11/18 Adam's on his own - I'll be at my monthly professional association's meeting
Wednesday 11/19 Meaty Rigatoni
Thursday 11/20 Chicken Parmesan
Friday 11/21 French Onion Soup Mac & Cheese *NEW*

Family-Pleasing Pizza

From Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious



Ingredients:
1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
1 tube (13.8 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust
2 teaspoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 medium Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, press pizza dough into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Brush with butter; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Layer with 1 cup mozzarella, sausage and tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Italian seasoning.

Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings.

Comments:
Yum, pizza. I left off the tomatoes since Adam's not a fan. I also doubled the sausage (kind of by mistake.) Oops. It was very good. I like the idea of cooking it in a 13x9 pan rather than a pizza pan. This allows a thicker crust to form and I definitely am not of the thin crust party. I have a feeling I'll make this one again - perhaps with different toppings.

Dijon-Crusted Chicken Breasts

From Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking



Ingredients:
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon reduced-fat margarine

Directions:
Place the first six ingredients in a shallow bowl. Brush chicken with mustard; roll in crumb mixture.

In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil and margarine over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Yield: 4 servings.

Comments:
I never get tired of a good chicken recipe. This has a good flavor combination and is kind of similar to the honey-mustard chicken I made previously. I still don't know about this pan frying thing though. All the breading always seems to fall off. Maybe it's just me...

Drunken Chicken

From Paula Deen via Delish.com



Ingredients:
House Seasoning:
1/2 cup salt
1/8 cup pepper
1/8 cup garlic powder

Chicken:
1 chicken (about 3 lbs)
1 can beer (12 oz)
a spring rosemary

Directions:
In a bowl, toss together House Seasoning ingredients.

Preheat grill to high heat. You'll be cooking the chicken over indirect heat, so prep the grill accordingly. Wash and drain the chicken. Coat the chicken inside and out with seasoned salt and prepared House Seasoning.

Open the can of beer and pour off 1/4 cup (or, I don't know, drink it.) Insert a spring of rosemary into the can. Place the beer can into the rear end of the chicken. Place the chicken, standing up, on the grill. Cover and cook until chickens are done, turning occasionally.

Comments:
While pretty simple to make, the chicken took a lot longer to cook on our gas grill than the original recipe said. It has 45 minutes to an hour. Our chicken went almost 2. I figured the time seemed pretty short and planned accordingly though. Nice flavor from both the rub and the beer. And as you can tell, Adam was so eager to get eating I couldn't get a picture before he cut into the bird. :) We also managed to spill quite a bit of beer on the serving plate. Oops.

New Format

You might notice I've started posting complete recipes. I recently cleaned house and recycled most of my cooking magazines, keeping just the recipes I needed (those I couldn't find online.) I figured it might be easier to just post recipes on this site so I can find them easily the next time I want to make them. It's a little tedious if I can't find an online version and have to type it out myself, but I think it will be better overall. We'll see if I get lazy and stop at some point. :) I'm definitely not going to go back and re-do all my previous entries (there are 224!), but going forward, this is what you can expect.

Grilled Turkey Sandwiches

From Taste of Home's Cooking for 2



Ingredients:
4 slices white bread
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/3 pound thinly sliced deli turkey
4 slices tomato
2 slices provolone cheese (1 ounce each)
1 tablespoon butter, softened (I used Brummel & Brown. Yum!)

Directions:
Spread two slices of bread with mayonnaise. Layer with turkey, tomato and cheese; top with remaining bread. Spread outsides of sandwiches with butter. On a hot griddle, grill sandwiches for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Yield: 2 servings.

Comments:
A very simple meal for sure. I used our panini press rather than a griddle but it didn't brown up like I expected. I think I had the temperature setting too low. In any case, they tasted just fine. This will be made again at some point for sure.

Golden Chicken with Rice

From Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious (don't see it on the website)



Ingredients:
1 package (6 oz) long grain and wild rice mix
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of celery soup
1-1/2 cups water
4 chicken leg quarters (I used breasts)
1 envelope onion soup mix

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the rice, contents of seasoning packet, cream soups, and water. Spread into a greased 13x9x2 baking dish. Top with chicken; sprinkle with onion soup mix.

Cover and bake at 350º for 2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 180º and rice is tender. Yield: 4 servings.

Comments:
The combination of the rice's seasoning packet and the onion soup mix gives this an extra kick. Overall the flavor is good. I don't know that I'd try this again though as I prefer my way better and Adam wasn't overly excited about either one.

Multigrain & Veggie Side Dish

From Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking



Ingredients:
2-2/3 cups water
2/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
2/3 cup quick-cooking barley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped (omitted)
1 small turnip, chopped (omitted)
1/2 cup chopped celery or celery root
1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
2 tablespoons Crisco® Light Olive Oil
1 package (10 ounces) fresh spinach, torn
1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice, barley and salt. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-18 minutes or until grains are tender. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes.

In a Dutch oven, saute the onion, carrots, red pepper, turnip, celery and ginger in oil until crisp-tender. Stir in the spinach, beans, soy sauce and rice mixture; cook and stir until heated through and spinach is wilted. Yield: 8 servings.

Comments:
This was not good. I'm not sure if it was the ginger, maybe the spinach was a little old. In any case, I couldn't even eat more than about three spoonfuls. I didn't subject Adam to it at all. I might try it again sometime, altering the recipe a little bit more to my tastes and ensuring the freshness of the ingredients.

Andouille Egg Burritos

From Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious October 2008 (another subscriber only)



Ingredients:
onion
butter
andouille sausage
eggs
salt & pepper
cayenne
tortillas
jack cheese

Comments:
Yet another Adam recipe. I didn't eat this one either. I'm a big wimp when it comes to hot and spicy foods. I made this for dinner last week and I had some soup instead. He said it wasn't that hot, but that's in his opinion. I'm sure I would have died. In any case, he liked it and we still have half the sausage in the fridge. Yay.

Baked Parmesan Roughy

From Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious October 2008 (another subscriber only)



Ingredients:
crushed cornflakes (we don't eat cornflakes but I had some old corn chex in the cupboard so I just used those instead)
Parmesan cheese
salt
eggs
milk
orange roughy

Comments:
This is another recipe that Adam picked out. It was super easy, pretty quick, and although it seems like most of the breading evaporated or went missing, he still ate it all up.

Bacon Cheeseburger Salad

From Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious October 2008 (subscriber only)



Ingredients:
ground beef
onion (I used minced onion flakes. I was being lazy)
ketchup
mustard
pepper
lettuce (used romaine, because that's what I had)
tomato
cheese (recipe says processed cheese, but I used shredded cheddar)
bacon
pickle slices (left these out. too weird)
(I also forgot to make the crutons out of hamburger buns. My bad.)

Comments:
Neat how they make this look like either a really healthy burger substitute or a not-so-healthy salad. Eh. The concept is interesting and the execution is easy. I'm not saying it tastes like a bacon cheeseburger, but it's better than just plain lettuce. I think we'd add this to our rotation with chicken caesar salad.

Baked Chicken & Asparagus Casserole

From Clean Eating Summer 2008.



Ingredients:
cream of broccoli soup
wild rice
asparagus
chicken breasts
Monterey Jack cheese

Comments:
I just this second noticed that the rice was supposed to be pre-cooked. No wonder it didn't turn out so well. I'm not a fan of wild rice in the first place, but this was especially icky. Overall, the concept of this dish isn't very far off from one of my staples: this chicken rice bake. Switch out the kind of soup and rice and add some veggies and cheese and there you go. I don't know that I would make this version again. It didn't go over too well with either of us.

Beef Macaroni Skillet

From Taste of Home's Cooking for 2 Summer 2008. (Subscriber only recipe)



Ingredients:
ground beef
onion
green pepper (left out)
V8
macaroni
Worcestershire sauce
pepper
(I also added some cheddar cheese)

Comments:
When Adam asked me what was for dinner tonight I told him "some beef macaroni thing." He said, "Does it have cheese in it?" Well, no, it didn't, but that doesn't mean I couldn't just throw some in. So that's what I did. I also was short on the V8 (I was doubling the recipe and forgot that when I went shopping) so I partially cooked the pasta before putting everything together in the pan. That seemed to work nicely. Overall, it was a little bland for my tastes. I'm not sure if maybe some Italian seasoning or salt would have fixed that. Something to play with next time I guess.

Penne Chicken

From Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking September 2008. (Subscriber only recipe)



Ingredients:
water
wine or chicken broth (I used the broth)
chicken bouillon (I actually used part of a ramen noodle flavor packet)
chicken breasts
penne
mushrooms (left out)
sun-dried tomatoes (I used a seeded plum tomato)
shallot (I used onion)
cornstarch
milk
tomato paste
salt
Parmesan cheese
peas
basil

Comments:
Aside from all my substitutions or omissions I pretty much followed the recipe. Heh. It turned out really well and tasted great. I ate the leftovers already. All of them. I'd definitely make this again. Although perhaps I'd make sure the chicken wasn't frozen before I tried to poach it. Hmm. It might have gone faster that way...

Hot Ham 'n' Cheese Sandwiches

From Taste of Home's Cooking for 2 Summer 2008. (Subscriber only recipe)



Ingredients:
mayo
kaiser rolls
cheddar cheese
ham
mozzarella cheese

Comments:
These were so good! The original recipe calls for bacon along with the ham, but even I have limits on the number of pig parts I eat in one meal. So I skipped that. I ran out of foil after two so the third sandwich got packeted in parchement paper. It didn't seem to make a difference in the end product. This recipe will definitely remain in rotation. Yum!

Italian Spinach & Chicken Skillet

From Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking September 2008. (Subscriber only recipe)



Ingredients:
egg noodles
mushrooms (left out)
olive oil
garlic
diced tomatoes
cream of chicken soup
spaghetti sauce
chicken breast
spinach
Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
mozzarella cheese

Comments:
This was a great new dish to try. The flavor is varied and the texture is thick enough to eat with or without the noodle base. I, of course, like anything with chicken and noodles, but Adam's harder to convince. Even he liked this one. So score!

Mexican Manicotti

From Taste of Home's Cooking for 2 Summer 2008.



Ingredients:
manicotti
chicken breast
salsa
ricotta cheese
olives (left out)
parsley
pimentos (also left out)
green onion
garlic
hot sauce (yep, that's right, left out as well)
Monteray Jack cheese

Comments:
I was kind of skeptical of a manicotti dish made with salsa rather than spaghetti sauce. It was kind of neat how the salsa turned the ricotta cheese filling a cute pink color. Luckily the end product was mighty tasty and not too hot for my wimp of a tongue.

Quinoa & Vegetable Saute

From Clean Eating Summer 2008. Doesn't look like they post recipes online.



Ingredients:
quinoa
water (used chicken stock)
canola oil
red onion
bell pepper (left out)
green cabbage
herbes de Provence
salt
peas
tofu

Comments:
Adam mentioned quinoa a while back as some kind of miracle food that is a great nutritional staple and we should eat it every day. So I finally got around to finding a recipe to make with it. Adam determined they look like baby fish eyes. How appetizing. The taste is not extraordinary, but I suppose that's not really the point. This recipe as a whole was ok. I think I'd cut the tofu into smaller chunks next time as it seemed to kind of take over the whole dish. Also, the picture in the magazine? Doesn't look like they even cooked it. Kind of misleading.

White Chocolate Raspberry Bars

From Recipezaar



Ingredients:
butter
white chocolate chips
eggs
sugar
flour
salt
almond extract
strawberry jam
sliced almonds

Comments:
I saw this recipe on a blog that I read and immediately thought Adam would like these bars. I showed the recipe to him and he agreed. So I went out and got the almond extract and almonds and went to work. I was afraid they were going to bomb when the first layer seemed so thin, but they bake up well. They were a lot sweeter than I expected, but Adam loved them and declared them to be addictive. They're all gone.

Honey-Mustard Chicken with Potato Wedges

From Everyday with Rachael Ray September 2008



Ingredients:
honey
mustard
vegetable oil
lime juice
chicken
potatoes
EVOO
salt & pepper

Comments:
This is another recipe that's meant for the grill but I just did it in the oven instead. This worked out fine for the potatoes, but the honey in the marinade for the chicken ended up burning and stinking up the house. Whoops. Other than that they turned out fine. I also swapped out bone-in chicken thighs for some boneless breasts that I cut into strips. I did this to decrease cooking time.

Black Bean Pita Pockets

From Taste of Home's Cooking for 2 Summer 2008



Ingredients:
black beans
corn
bacon
red pepper (left out)
mayo
celery
sugar
onion
cider vinegar
olive oil
pita bread
romaine (left out)
tomato

Comments:
Adam chose this recipe out of one of the magazines I got him to look through. Then when I made it he said, "I don't like black beans." Uhm. Ok then. He ate it anyway. The filling was very tasty and while we ate it for dinner with warm pita and corn, it's just as good cold. I did forget to pick up romaine so I had to leave it out. I'm not sure how much of a difference it would have made. Perhaps it would have been less runny with some lettuce to soak up some of the juices.

Home-Style Ribs

From Taste of Home.com



Ingredients:
pork ribs
onion
ketchup
water
brown sugar
vinegar (I used apple cider)
Worcestershire sauce
ground mustard
salt
paprika

Comments:
Once again, this has the food network to blame. We were watching "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" and saw all kinds of barbecue joints. This got Adam craving ribs. And when we went grocery shopping they just happened to be on sale so he picked up a package. I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website that didn't sound too gross. Threw everything in the crockpot this morning and had a wonderful dinner tonight. There are leftovers for his lunch tomorrow so he's pumped about that.

Grilled Summer Fruit Kabobs

From Cooking for 2 Summer 2008.

Pre grill

Post grill

On the plate


Ingredients:
peach
nectarine
plum
peach preserves
butter

Comments:
Since the grill was on for the brats anyway I figured this would be a good side dish/dessert. I only stabbed myself about a million times with the skewers while threading the fruit on. Those things are sharp! Anyway, the fruit gets really sweet as it cooks so I'd recommend using the optional pound cake and whipped topping to cut some of that. I didn't. I wish I would have.

Grilled Seasoned Bratwurst

From Cooking for 2 Summer 2008. (link is to the original recipe, not the scaled-down for 2 version, which is a subscriber only link.)



Ingredients:
brats
beer
onion
fennel seed (left out - I don't even have this)
buns

Comments:
This recipe is very similar to a crockpot version that we like in that the brats are poached in beer and onions. This version then crisps up the outside on the grill whereas the slow cooker one just cooks them all day. Both are yummy. And easy.

Fried Ice Cream

From Cooking for 2 Summer 2008. (subscriber only recipe)



Ingredients:
vanilla ice cream
heavy whipping cream
vanilla
frosted flakes
cinnamon

Comments:
Interesting idea, frying ice cream. Kind of like a baked Alaska concept. It takes a while since the ice cream has to freeze for at least an hour between coating layers. Mine didn't turn out so well since the coating fell off in the deep fryer. It still tasted good... I've got the second half of the ice cream left so I might try this again. I may throw the cereal in the food processer to get them smaller. I might also try and sculpt the ice cream into smoother balls so the crumbs stick better. We'll see.

Zucchini Frittata

From Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2004.



Ingredients:
butter
onion
garlic
zucchini
eggs
ground mustard
bacon
salt & pepper
cheese
green onions

Comments:
This looked really good and not too horrible for our health. I did cook the bacon up and then use the fat to cook the onions instead of butter. But I figure you have to live a little, right? Pretty simple, mighty tasty. I swapped out the Swiss cheese for some cheddar but followed the recipe other than that.

Pizza Sticks

From Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2000.



Ingredients:
refridgerated breadsticks
pepperoni
parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
garlic powder
marinara sauce

Comments:
These are so easy to make. They're in the snack category in the book but we had them as our dinner. I made half with pepperoni and half without since I didn't have a full package left. Worked fine for us. The topping is tasty. Kind of like Pizza Hut or Dominos. But cheaper.

Bacon Cheeseburger Calzones

From Everyday with Rachael Ray September 2008




Ingredients:
pizza dough
EVOO
ground beef
bacon
onion
cheese
salt
tomatoes (which I had but totally forgot to add)

Comments:
This is similar to the calzones and the cheeseburger buns I've made previously. These ones use pizza dough rather than bread dough so it's a slightly different texture. The recipe is a grill version but I just baked them in the oven instead. Worked fine, and they were very good. Might try them with bread dough instead next time since the pizza dough seemed drier.

Cheddar Bacon Beer Bread

From Rabbit Creek Products



Ingredients:
Cheddar bacon beer bread mix
beer
butter

Comments:
I had also mentioned this interesting sounding beer bread mix we picked up in Door County. I made it this past Tuesday when I was home for the day on vacation. It smelled heavenly as it baked and tastes just as good.

Gorgonzola Port Sauce (Melting Pot)

(EDIT 12/18/09: This is by far the most common keyword used to find my site so I figured I'd add the whole recipe so you don't have to click through.)

From WAFB.com



Ingredients:
1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cups sour cream
2 oz Gorgonzola Cheese
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic, chopped
1/4 oz port wine
1/2 oz milk

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except the Gorgonzola in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly using a whisk. Add the Gorgonzola and blend well. Cover and refrigerate.

Comments:
I had mentioned the wonderful discovery of the gorgonzola port dipping sauce at The Melting Pot and my quest for a rip-off recipe. It took me a little while, but I did find one. I was pumped. And when I found out that port was a lot cheaper than I expected I was even more pumped. I mixed up a batch of this sauce, boiled some red potatoes we bought from the same local farmer's market as the huge cucumbers, and went to town. Yum. Adam tried in on some steak he grilled up and he liked it as well.

Cucumber Boats

From Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2001.



Ingredients:
Cucumbers
canned chicken
hard boiled eggs (left out - yuck)
cheese
celery
mayo
pickle relish (left out)
lemon juice
chopped onion (left out)
salt

Comments:
Altered this recipe a little since neither of us like tuna and that's what the original recipe called for. Also left out some stuff I find gross in chicken salad. The cucumber made the whole thing kind of juicy and runny. It was easier to eat in small sections than in one big piece. Tastes good and is pretty good for you to. Yay! I got some ginormous cucumbers at a farmer's market in Door County. Delicious!

Cheeseburger Loaf

From Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2000.



Ingredients:
ground beef
onion
tomato soup
garlic salt
pepper
French bread
butter
cheese

Comments:
The recipe calls for both garlic salt and regular salt, which I found repetative, so left out the regular salt. Maybe it was a typo? Anyway, pretty easy recipe although I found the filling bent the bread over making it pretty messy to eat. Oh well.

Cajun Chicken Fingers

From Everyday with Rachael Ray September 2008.



Ingredients:
cornmeal
chili powder
oregano
salt & pepper
eggs
chicken tenders
vegetable oil

Comments:
I'm not quite sure what makes these "Cajun" since there's really not much going on in the breading. The cornmeal-based coating is hard to burn, which is good, but it's also really dry. I don't know that I'd try these again, but if I did I'd use a more traditional flour-based breading and hope it turned out more moist. Also might kick up the flavor with a few more spices. I made some easy oven fries to go with them. The potatoes had more spice than the chicken. These were bland even for a wimp like me.

Slider Caesar Salad

From Everyday with Rachael Ray September 2008. I don't see a link but I'll check back later.



Ingredients:
kaiser rolls
EVOO
salt & pepper
mayo
lemon juice
parmesan cheese
mustard
ground beef
romaine

Comments:
Or not. Didn't really follow this recipe either. I ran out of ground beef so I subbed the remaining grilled chicken from last week's party. I did make my own croutons, but I used bottled Caesar dressing. It was still tasty. We like us some chicken Caesar salad from time to time. Mmm. Romaine.

Gnocchi with Thyme Butter

From Taste of Home August/September 2008. It's a subscriber only recipe so I can't link.



Ingredients:
gnocchi
bacon
parmesan cheese

Comments:
Or in this household, gnocchi with bacon. Uhm, didn't follow this recipe. Obviously. I intended to - minus the whole making the gnocchi myself thing - but I got distracted by the bacon in the fridge. So I cooked some up and added that rather than butter. And it was good.

Mint Brownie Pie

From Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2000



Ingredients:
butter
baking chocolate
sugar
eggs
vanilla
flour
cream cheese
peppermint extract
whipped topping
chocolate chips

Comments:
So, yeah, this is Adam's artistic interpretation of "drizzling chocolate over the top." *sigh* Regardless of its appearance (click on the link above for the professional version), it tasted great. Like a big Andes mint, according to the man. It's really simple to make although next time I might go and find chocolate that comes in a tube rather than let Adam show me how it's done with melted chocolate chips. :)