Menu for the week: 28 February - 6 March.

Sunday:

Out to eat or Fend for yourself.

Monday:

Pasta with Bacon and Mushrooms

Salad

Tuesday:

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Homemade Rolls

Wednesday:

Chicken and Noodles

Salad

Thursday:

Fettucine Alfredo

Garlic Bread

Salad

Friday:

Breakfast for Dinner! 

Pancakes

Eggs

Sausage Links

Saturday:

Steak

Mashed Potatoes

Corn and/or Salad

Cookbook Challenge: Day Sixteen.

It's over!

We had a Mexican-Asian night here, as I made Lean-Bean and Cheese Enchiladas from Hungry Girl's 200 under 200 and paired them with leftovers from last night.

These were super simple and not bad at all! I think they are more like burritos than enchiladas though. They are just beans mixed with onion, taco sauce, and a pinch of taco seasoning with a sliver of cheddar inside a tortilla. There was also a thin layer of enchilada sauce inside. Then I brushed the tops with more enchilada sauce, baked them to heat through, added shredded cheese on top and put them back into the oven so that could melt.

I doubt they were really 200 calories or under, but I also didn't have fat-free cheese or corn tortillas. Such is life.

This challenge was fun and got me to make some things I otherwise wouldn't have tried. I'm not really sad to see it go because I've missed my staples (and being able to cook from PW's website!). Maybe I'll do it again later this year.

Cookbook Challenge: Day Fifteen.

One more day!

Part of me wishes this challenge would have ended today. I would have loved to go out on a high note! Tonight I made Szechwan Chicken Noodle Toss from the Taste of Home cookbook.

It was so good! I even "healthied" it up a bit by using wheat pasta. I'm telling you, if you don't like wheat pasta, but you don't like the not-so-healthiness of white pasta make this recipe! You can't even tell it is wheat.

I didn't have any stir-fry sauce so I had to improvise. I used soy sauce, cooking wine, chicken broth, red pepper flakes, sugar, and a little bit of flour to thicken things up. It turned out great!

Tomorrow is the last night of my Cookbook Challenge, and I will be making Lean-Bean and Cheese Enchiladas.

Cookbook Challenge: Day Fourteen.

Chili and Fritos.

Simple Chili from The Pioneer Woman Cooks to be more specific.

How can you screw that up?

I can. You want to know how? I misread and thought I needed to buy regular kidney beans as opposed to canned beans. The difference? Dry beans take about two hours to cook, and they need liquid to absorb which effectively cooked the flavor right out of the chili.

So, while it was alright, it definitely wasn't as great as it could have been.

Two days left in the challenge, and I have to say I'm excited to get back to cooking whatever I want. I told my Mom today that I was going to make PB&J everyday for a week.

Don't worry, I probably won't go that far.

Cookbook Challenge: Day Thirteen.

Lucky number thirteen, right?

Ehh.

Tonight I made a BLT Quesadilla from Hungry Girl's 200 Under 200 cookbook. Again, it wasn't anything special. I mean it was fine, and it was my first tango with turkey bacon which I do now know I like, but it was just okay. Maybe I just don't think of quesadillas as a complete dinner by themselves. I was too lazy to cook anything else.

Also, cheese has no place in a BLT anything.

(I have no idea why my pictures lose half of their color when I upload them to the blog.)

Tomorrow is chili, I think. I am infinitely more excited about that than I have been about the last two days.

Cookbook Challenge: Day Twelve.

Swedish Meatballs on Top of Noodles from Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals.

Not much to say about this one. It was alright. I just don't think I care for any meatballs other than mine, and I've never liked any Swedish Meatballs I've tried in the past.

Luckily, there are still some leftovers from last night for Chris to take to work tomorrow because I tossed the rest of this one.

BLT Quesadillas tomorrow! 

Cookbook Challenge: Day Eleven...Finally!

To start out the last week of the Cookbook Challenge, I made Pork Stir-Fry with Mushrooms and Asparagus from How to Cook Without a Book. I actually realized when I went to cook dinner that this was supposed to be a chicken recipe. Oops. Nothing wrong with a little improvising though! Plus, I hadn't had pork in a while.

It turned out to be pretty good and was fairly easy to throw together! This was kind of a no-brainer though. Almost all of the ingredients are favorites in this house. The flavor of the sauce was delicious too. All that went into it was chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, soy sauce and sugar. It gave the pork and especially the mushrooms the best flavor. Unfortunately, the leftovers are reserved for Chris. Now that he is on swing shift, he takes the previous night's leftovers to work for dinner. I think he'll really like this one.

A Tale of Two Apple Desserts.

Brie Apple Bites.

Apple Dumplings.

The first is a recipe pulled from OHO's kitchen forum.

The second is from Pioneer Woman.

First: Brie Apple Bites.

I made these back in December, and I think that they have the potential to be very, very good. However, as we all know, I don't have the best oven. So, by the time the puff pastry was done the rest of the ingredients had been cooked down to pretty much nothing. For those of you with a decent oven, give them a try! Brie, cream cheese, apples...what's not to love?

Cut a sheet of puff pastry into (mostly) equal squares.

Spread a layer of cream cheese onto each piece.

Next, slice up the apples and brie.

Place a slice of each onto half of your puff pastry squares and sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, or whatever spice you prefer with apple desserts. Top off with the remaining puff pastry squares, creating little sandwiches.

Bake according to puff pastry directions and enjoy!

Now, on to a recipe even my oven can't mess up...

Apple Dumplings.

First of all, any recipe that starts off like this... 

...can't go wrong.

It only gets better from there.

And better...

And sugary, and better...

Oh yes, this is definitely a good development...

This next part seems strange, but you just have to go with it. It's what I've been saying this whole time...no matter what, it just gets better.

 (Note: I only poured in about 8oz. You probably don't want to use an entire 20oz bottle.)

How could this get better!?

Baking it would probably help...

*Sigh* Chris will be lucky if any of these are left when he gets home from work.

Please, please, please don't forget the Vanilla Ice Cream. They are perfectly amazing without it, but there is something about hot apple desserts with vanilla ice cream that is just...right.

Sadly, I did forget the ice cream while shopping yesterday. If you think that is going to stop me from wanting to eat the entire pan, well, you'd be wrong.

Thankfully, I also bought The Biggest Loser game for Wii yesterday.

Cookbook Challenge is Back!

Apologies all around. As I mentioned briefly in my new kitchen toys post below, I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday. At said appointment I was prescribed an antibiotic, the side effects of which were worse than what they were treating. Basically, I was nauseas as all get out for the three days I was on it. The strange thing was, it made me hungry too. Nauseas and hungry...that's a bad combination.

Anyway, Saturday was my last day on them, but I woke up Sunday still feeling them a little. I decided to put off the Cookbook Challenge for one more night. Hopefully, later today I will feel up to cooking and eating again! In case you're interested my dinners these past few sickly nights have been: 

Nothing.

Chips and homemade salsa.

Shrimp Yakisoba. 

(In retrospect, that one was a bad idea, but we were out and I hadn't eaten anything real in two days.)

Sunday (last night, as it's now 2am on Monday) was the most basic spaghetti I could make.

I am optimistic that tonight will kick off the last week of the Cookbook Challenge. So, without further ado:

Monday:

Pork Stir Fry with Mushrooms and Asparagus from How to Cook Without a Book.

Tuesday:

Swedish Meatballs and Egg Noodles from Rachael Ray's Get Real Meals.

Wednesday:

BLT Quesadillas from Hungry Girl's 200 Under 200.

***Those three were brought over from last week since they never got made.***

Thursday:

Simple Chili from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Friday:

Szechwan Chicken from Taste of Home Cookbook.

Saturday:

Lean Bean and Cheese Enchiladas from Hungry Girl's 200 Under 200. 

I just realized that I have two recipes from the same book this week. Sickness happens, things get out of control...it's an imperfect world.

In other words...oh well!

Fingers crossed that I'm feeling 100% by dinner...I can't wait to get back in the kitchen!

Working My Way Towards Kitchen Stadium.

New toys arrived on Thursday, and they were the perfect pick-me-up after my doctor's appointment. 

First, we have the appliance that is going to allow me to get rid of my griddle and my George Foreman grill. The Cuisinart Griddler!

It can be used as a George Foreman type grill or a panini press...

...or it can be used as a full grill or griddle as it did come with interchangeable griddle and grill plates.

Fun! I have yet to use it, but I'm sure once I get cooking again it will come in handy.

Next, and most needed, the new knife set.

Hooray! While I love the knives, and they are definitely sharp...

(As Lorelai Gilmore once said, "This could definitely do a foot.")

...I am not crazy about the block. It's heavy but very wobbly, and for some reason one of the knives doesn't fit completely in the only slot it could possibly go into. You'll notice the knives are stored blade up so they don't become dull from dragging against the wood...but for this guy it doesn't really matter:

On to happier topics, the least needed but most anticipated arrival was the new coffee maker. 

It is the best coffee maker a girl could have. I've only had it for four days, but I said the same thing about my iPhone, and that is still true five months later. This thing is wonderful. I can program it. It stays hot. I can make anywhere from 1-12 cups at a time, but I can dispense it at my leisure. It is seriously everything I wanted (and some things I didn't know I wanted) in a coffee maker. I love it. I love it.

I really love it.

Cookbook Challenge on Hold.

I'm not feeling the greatest tonight. Therefore it is soup or something of the kind for me tonight.

The cooking will resume when I feel better, and you'll be the first to know.

Cookbook Challenge: Day Ten.

First thing's first: I know I said I would charge my camera battery today, and I will. I just didn't do it before I decided to make dinner.

Tonight was a little strange. Dinner was scheduled to be Reuben Sandwiches from Rachael Ray's Cooking 'Round the Clock. The only thing is that the recipe in the book is for Rachel Sandwiches, not Reubens. A Rachel basically being a Reuben made with pastrami. Well, to be frank, I like Reubens. I love corned beef. So, while "I might use the recipe as a guide," I thought, "I'm making Reubens." That was my plan...until we went grocery shopping. The commissary didn't have rye bread, only white or wheat. I'll let that sink in for all of you who have a Hy-Vee or a Fred Meyer down the street (lucky!). Also, I forgot to buy swiss cheese. I am starting to think I have something against swiss, since I forgot it last week too.

So, I decided to make my Reuben using white bread in a Texas Toast cut and with provolone instead of Swiss. It came out great, and it was so easy to throw together. I'm having a hard time wanting to eat the other half though. I knew I should have waited longer to eat. It's not even 8pm, and I usually eat dinner around 930pm.

On another note, I've very excited for my Cuisinart Griddler to get here. I was pressing my Reuben against the skillet by putting a pot on top of it and using the can of sauerkraut to weigh it down.

Cookbook Challenge: Day Nine.

Ah, I know, I'm technically into Wednesday now. Apologies all around.

Anyway, let's talk food! That is why we are all here after all. Tonight, despite my waning motivation to make dinner for one, I made Double Musky Scampi from The Double Musky Inn Cookbook. This recipe included The Double Musky's Cajun Rice, so I actually prepared two recipes from the book. There were no huge modifications. I forgot to buy a green pepper at the store, so I used hollowed out jalapenos, and I have no idea what Mongolian Fire Oil is (or where to get it) so I used red pepper flakes. I also omitted the roasted pecans because, well, I was too lazy to bother roasting any.

It was delicious. I'm a huge fan of shrimp anyway, so it was kind of a shoe-in for me, but it really was very good.  

This is yet another cell phone shot. I swear, tomorrow I will charge my camera's battery.

Cookbook Challenge: Day Eight.

There were no modifications for tonight's fried chicken or cornbread from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Unfortunately, after starting dinner, I realized that I had made the chicken before. However, the cornbread was new, so I think that still counts!

It was definitely tasty; another comfort food meal!

Enjoy the cell phone quality picture below.

Cookbook Challenge: Week Two Menu.

Once again, "I made it! I'm late, but I made it!" You might be asking how I "made it" since it is technically Monday in my neck of the woods, but that means yesterday was Valentine's Day, and holidays don't count towards this game. 

If you're curious, we had McDonald's for dinner.

Monday:

Fried Chicken and Cornbread from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Tuesday:

Double Musky Scampi from The Double Musky Inn Cookbook

Wednesday:

Reuben Sandwiches from Rachael Ray's Cooking 'Round the Clock

Thursday:

Pork Stir Fry with Asparagus and Mushrooms from How to Cook Without a Book

Friday:

Swedish Meatballs on top of Noodles from Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals

Saturday:

BLT Quesadillas from Hungry Girl's 200 Under 200

Cookbook Challenge: Day Seven.

Week one of my Cookbook Challenge is in the books, no pun intended.

Tonight to round out the week we had Italian-American Sausage Patty Melts from Rachael Ray's Cooking 'Round the Clock. I won't lie, I modified this recipe quiet a bit. For starters, the sandwich was just sausage and a slice of provolone. The recipe called for onions and red pepper flakes, etc. The bread was more than just grilled slices of Italian bread, it was garlic bread. (Note: Making garlic bread, using regular cut Wonder bread, one slice at a time on the stove in a skillet, is not the most fun thing to do on a Saturday night.) I still served it with spaghetti sauce for dipping. It was good! Comfort food; gotta love it.

The reason for the modification of the recipe was that I was trying to replicate the sandwich Chris orders from Ethnic Sandwich back home. I don't think it is a real thing on their menu. Chris says it's made up, but it is, well, what I said above. Italian sausage between two slices of garlic bread, a slice of swiss (again, I used provolone) melted over the sausage, and then he dips it in marinara. I highly doubt my sandwich came close to that one for him, but he said it would hold him over until we got back home. I can't blame him. To all of my Omahans, have you ever eaten there? If not, go get a meatball sandwich and a side of whatever pasta you prefer. Seriously, right now.

Oh, and in case I haven't mentioned it, I really, really can't wait for my new knives. Not only would my knife not cut through the sandwiches (I completely shredded one of Chris's), but it wouldn't even cut through the raw, defrosted sausage. Come on now.

The menu for next week will be up tomorrow!

Cookbook Challenge: Day Six.

Part of me thinks tonight's recipe, Turkey Cutlet Gyro Wraps from Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals, was good. Part of me is on the fence.

Modifications: There were no turkey cutlets at the commissary, so I bought turkey strips (really thin strips, not like chicken strips). This really turned out not to be an issue because the recipe said to cut the cutlets into strips after they were done cooking. I guess I just saved myself a step. Also, as you will see, I put the filling on a pita. It is supposed to be in a lettuce wrap. Come to find out, Get Real Meals is a low-carb cookbook. Uh. Low-carb doesn't exist in this house. Plus, I was in a bad mood around dinner time, and I wanted a pita, okay? Okay. I did, however, put a big leaf of lettuce down on the pita before piling on the toppings.

A few things about the recipe...one, too much cumin. I'm not a cumin fan at all and could have done with a pinch less. Two, the sauce was not tzatziki sauce. It never claimed to be tzatziki, but you would think that tzatziki is what you would have with gyros. Also, I had to use sour cream instead of plain yogurt (go ahead and throw that up with the modifications), so that might have affected it.  Three, I have no idea what the chick-peas' purpose in this recipe was. I couldn't taste them, and I'm almost certain it had nothing to do with texture.

Even with all of that said, it wasn't bad. In fact, it was pretty good and would be great if I fixed everything I listed above. Chris didn't get a vote tonight because he decided to sleep through dinner.

I know, it's gigantic. I didn't even come close to eating it all.

In other kitchen related news, I ordered a new coffee maker and the Cuisinart Griddler yesterday. Hurry up, mail! I'm excited.

I'm So Excited...

...and I just can't hide it.

Backstory: I am currently using a near three year old knife set. That wouldn't mean much, except these knives are part of some $20 Walmart set that Chris and I bought when I moved up to Alaska in 2007. In my opinion, these knives were not meant to do anything more than get us off the ground (kitchen stocking-wise). Over these last few years I have upgraded multiple utensils, my cookware set, and more pans than is necessary for a two person household to own. (Kitchen Stadium, remember? Dream big!) I have neglected my knives, and folks, it has been hell the last year or so. Even the biggest of these knives has issues cutting through mushrooms. Mushrooms! As for potatoes and the like? Forget yoga those days because chopping things for dinner becomes a workout in itself. Chris, while (still) unable to see why we need new knives, at least saw my frustrations and decided we should buy a new set.

In about ten days they will be mine! 

I hope I love them, and I hope they last longer than my current knives. These aren't the best out there, but I've heard only great things. Plus, they match most of my cookware and baking pans. I have been more than pleased with all of my Rachael Ray products so far. (Minus the "Hamburger Helper" recipe from her cookbook that preceded this post.) I told Chris, who, as recently as tonight, has voiced his support for our old knives, that he would understand once he cut something with the new ones. Bottom line: I'm stoked.

I should also be upgrading/replacing some other kitchen appliances soon. Stay tuned and enjoy the rest of this week's Cookbook Challenges!

Cookbook Challenge: Day Five.

Blech.

Alright, so that's not really fair. It was fine. It tasted exactly like I expected it to, and it tasted just fine for what it was.

It tasted exactly like Hamburger Helper.

In retrospect I should have seen this coming. After all this recipe from Rachael Ray's Just In Time! cookbook is called "Mac 'n Cheese 'n Burgers." That's certainly not a far cry from HH's 'Cheeseburger Macaroni'.

I guess tonight fell somewhere between a hit and a miss. Chris liked it, and like I said, it tasted just fine, but I really don't like Hamburger Helper, and that's all I could think about while eating. Which just meant more Caesar Salad for me.

Cookbook Challenge: Day Four.

I think this one is my favorite so far.

Again, I ran into a snag with the wording of the recipe title. Well, actually, I created the snag. This recipe, Apple Stuffed Chicken from Taste of Home Cookbook, called for a whole chicken that was to be stuffed with the...well, with the stuffing. While at the store last Sunday, I decided Chris and I could get more mileage out of a bag of chicken breasts because while this challenge is fun, it's not so great for the wallet. So, with that said, let's talk modifications. As you can see above, I stuffed nothing. I made the stuffing (boxed chicken stuffing with apples, raisins, celery, walnuts and grated lemon peel added in), put it in the bottom of a baking dish and just cooked the chicken breasts on top of it. That was the only thing I changed. The glaze stayed the same. It was just apple jelly with cinnamon and a little lemon juice. This was also my first time cooking fresh green beans, and they turned out just fine.

I said it already, but I'll say it again. This was really, really great, and I don't even particularly like chicken! To me, this recipe has a holiday flair about it, but it's quick and easy enough to make year round. Chris liked the chicken a lot, but wasn't a fan of the stuffing or green beans (go figure). He said that stuffing should "taste like stuffing, not apples", and while the green beans were good, he wasn't a fan of the squeaking they did against his teeth. I found this particularly interesting because the man can scrape his teeth on a fork all the live long day and not even bat an eye. Whereas that sound, to me, is comparable to nails on a chalkboard. 

*Shudders*

The next three days are filled with Rachael Ray recipes. This should be fun!

Cookbook Challenge: Day Three.

Another tasty dinner! I'm really starting to see what I've been missing by neglecting these cookbooks all these months (and, um, years in some cases).

There was a little confusion tonight though, as well as a pretty big modification, well, omission really. First, the confusion; as you may have read on the menu, tonight was French Pepper Steak Kabobs from The Double Musky Inn Cookbook. And it was, except nowhere in the recipe did skewers come into play. So, the word "kabobs" was somewhat misleading. Oh well, I'm not picky about how I eat my food. 

The glaring omission from Chris's plate (pictured above) was the Double Musky's Brown (Burgundy) sauce. I went to make dinner around 9pm, not realizing the sauce had to simmer for thirty minutes at least, if not up to an hour. Chris leaves for work at 10:30pm, so waiting that long for the sauce wasn't really an option. Plus, I was hungry! The sauce is just supposed to go over the top of the steaks, so while I'm sure it would have been great, I don't feel like we missed too much. 

Tomorrow is Apple Stuffed Chicken. Sounds good!

Cookbook Challenge: Day Two.

To quote Jim Carrey in 'Liar, Liar', "I made it! I'm late, but I made it!"

It's 11:10pm and we just finished dinner. Tonight, as scheduled, was Gumbo Style Shrimp Soup from How to Cook Without a Book.

Another hit! Chris even went back for seconds. I liked it, but I thought it was missing something. I couldn't tell you what that something is though. I had already added red pepper flakes and more salt and pepper. Maybe the kielbasa was just too bland. I ended up using the turkey variety, so maybe that had something to do with it. Overall though, we liked it!

I also made some delicious salsa while the soup was cooking. I kept sneaking scoops before dinner.

Until tomorrow!

Cookbook Challenge: Day One.

Tonight, as promised, we had "Cowboy Calzones" from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Technically, I made two recipes from her book. The pizza crust, and the calzones themselves. I did modify them a little, which took them from "Cowboy Calzones" to normal calzones. It's okay though. They were for Chris, and Chris is not a cowboy.

(Modifications: The recipe called for sausage, ground beef, onion, mozzarella, monterey jack, ricotta, Rotel, and an egg. I skipped the egg, monterey jack, and ricotta, and added pepperoni and bacon pieces.)

I also made The Best Spinach Salad. Ever. from PW's blog since I didn't get around to making it last week. I knew Chris would never touch this salad, and I'm not a fan of calzones, so it worked out well.

Both recipes were...hits! Chris really liked the calzone, and that salad really is, "the best spinach salad ever."

Bring on Day Two!

Cookbook Challenge Week One Menu: 7 February - 13 February

Sunday: The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Cowboy Calzones (for Chris)

The Best Spinach Salad. Ever. (for me) 

(I know the salad is off of the website, but I still have all of the ingredients since I didn't make it last week.)

Monday: How to Cook Without a Book

Gumbo Style Shrimp (and Sausage) Soup

Tuesday: The Double Musky Inn Cookbook

French Pepper Steak Kabobs

Steamed Rice

Wednesday: Taste of Home Cookbook

Apple Stuffed Chicken

Green Beans

Thursday: Rachael Ray's Just in Time!

Mac 'n' Cheese 'n' Burgers

Caesar Salad

Friday: Rachael Ray's Get Real Meals

Turkey Cutlet Gyro Wraps

Sauteed Potatoes

Saturday: Rachael Ray's Cooking 'Round the Clock

Italian American Sausage Patty Melts

Salad

Cookbook Challenge.

I own eight cookbooks, plus my binder of recipes pulled offline/from Mom/of my own etc, so I own nine cookbooks. However, for the sake of this post I'm not going to count my binder. 

I don't even think it would take all of my fingers to count the number of recipes I have used out of these cookbooks. I know I have made two from the Double Musky book, one from the green Rachael Ray book, and a few from PW's. I think that's about it.

So, it looks like I have some work to do.

For the rest of this month, while making my weekly menus, I will be choosing recipes from these books and from these books only.

Rules:

- I cannot use the same book (for a main course) twice in one week.

- I cannot use a PW recipe that is on her website until I have made each recipe in the book that is NOT featured on the site. I may only use a recipe that is both in the book and on the site if I have not made it before.

- I cannot use any recipe from the books that I have already made before.

- I can use a tried and true recipe for dinner if, and only if, I have used and documented a recipe from one of these books for lunch, breakfast, or a substantial side dish or snack.

Easy enough, right?

I certainly hope so.

This coming week's menu will most likely come (my) tomorrow morning.

Off to hit the books!

Disclaimer: As always this game and myself are at the mercy of the commissary. Menus may be changed to T&T recipes based on ingredient availability.

Shrimp Risotto.

This was so good.

I won't go step-by-step, Pioneer Woman does a good job of that here. 

Now, you have the link to the recipe (or general instructions since there is no listed recipe), let's talk modifications. I really didn't change a whole lot. In fact, with the exception of using Minute Rice (Arborio is not available here) and the shrimp cooking technique, I didn't change anything. I only added one or two things.

The shrimp was easy enough, and man, was it flavorful! Instead of grilling it I sauteed it until just brown in a skillet with a tiny bit of oil. The butter/Worcestershire mixture provided more than enough cooking juices, and I actually could have gone without the oil. As you can see, I kept Ryan's suggestion and chopped up a handful of shrimp to actually go in the Risotto. 

I also followed the directions for the rice itself to a tee, until I got to the end. After adding the chopped up shrimp, to me, it just looked like rice and shrimp, not like what I had imagined risotto to look like at all. I realize it may have something to do with the lack of Arborio rice, but I have made a Mushroom Risotto in the past that was creamy and delicious without it. That is what I wanted for this risotto too. So, I added in some half and half and a tiny bit more chicken broth. I also grated up a good amount of Asiago cheese and threw that in there. I stirred it around until the cheese was melted and added some salt and pepper.

I loved it. Chris liked it too. He really liked the shrimp, but I figured he would. He's a big lemon pepper fan.

Make this sometime!

Hits and Misses.

This week was full of them!

Sunday: I was not a fan of the Teriyaki Salmon. To be fair, I am not a huge salmon fan to begin with. I didn't make the steamed broccoli, instead I put the zucchini and shallots on the side instead of over the top of the salmon. I did like those, and they had also been teriyaki-fied, so I really am thinking I just didn't like the salmon. In my other salmon recipe (a butter/lemon/garlic blend) the fishy flavor is better hidden.

Monday: Monday was not Chicken Pot Pie, as intended. Monday was frozen pizza night because I realized that I didn't have enough time to make the Pot Pie before Chris had to go to sleep (he had been waking up at 3am for the exercise each day). Chris had a four cheese Freschetta pizza, which is what we usually share. I had a DiGiorno Tomato and Cheese 200 Calorie Portion instead. It was actually pretty good! However, I am a thick crust kind of girl, so I may or may not have later gone and cut the crust off of a piece leftover from Chris's pizza to have as a snack.

Tuesday: I did end up making KombatKween's Chicken Pot Pie this night. It was a hit as always. I love this meal. I detailed a variation of it in this post on my other blog last year. Any way you spin it, this recipe produces delicious results.

Wednesday: Wednesday I went ahead and tried Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich from the Pioneer Woman. This was a hit for Chris and a miss for me. I decided on this last weekend because I found some neglected cube steak in my freezer, and I usually love PW's recipes, but this...this just didn't do it for me. With the Lawry's and the Worcestershire, the saltiness was out of this world, and I don't even think I used that much. Chris loved it though, and it is supposed to be more of a man pleasin' recipe than anything, so it did it's job!

Thursday: Leftovers night. More Pot Pie? Yes, please!

Friday: Yesterday ended up being our Polish Sausage night. I wrote below what happened with that. Chris fell asleep before dinner, I fell asleep while he was asleep and woke up starving. I didn't want to take the time to cut up and saute potatoes, but I didn't have sour cream for baked potatoes. So, instead of a side of steamed broccoli, it went into the potatoes, and I whipped up a quick cheese sauce to go over it. The potatoes were great, and we hadn't had Polish Sausage in a long time. It was a hit for both of us, and so quick and easy!

Saturday: Tonight is Ryan's Shrimp Risotto from PW. I don't know if I'll be making the spinach salad because I forgot to hard boil some eggs, and I don't know that I want to wait for them to cook and cool. I'm so impatient these days! I'll be back with a review and a menu plan for the upcoming week after dinner.

Quick and Easy.

Tasty too!

Obviously, I diverted from my menu slightly. This week has been busy for us, and tonight I fell asleep and woke up ravenous. I certainly couldn't be bothered with taking the time to slice and saute potatoes. However, I had no sour cream for baked potatoes. So this is what happened. Tastes good and it's a great way to get Chris to eat his vegetables.

Just so we are clear, yes, Chris is a 22 year old man.