71. Make 80 new recipes.

My list in progress...

1. Mac and Cheddar Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli (My Post)
2. Chicken with Mushrooms (My Post)
3. Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil (My Post)
4. Stuffed Young Zucchini (My Post)
5. Banana Fritters (My Post)
6. White Bean and Chicken Enchiladas (My Post)
7. Tomato Bruschetta (My Post)
8. Basil Walnut Pesto (My Post)
9. Apple Cinnamon Dip (My Post)
10. Basil Vinaigrette (My Post)
11. Spinach Lasagna Rolls (My Post)
12. Zucchini Fritters (good, but too doughy)
13. Mushroom Lasagna (excellent! made another to freeze! :) )
14. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds: Two ways (the Worcester ones were way better!)

15. Rosemary Chicken Breasts, Brown Butter and Balsamic Ravioli, Warm Spinach Salad with Pancetta and Sweet Vinaigrette (a total keeper!)
16. BLT Chicken with Rosemary-Lemon Mayonnaise (I used lemon juice as a sub in for grated lemon peel - still good, but I think the grated peel might be essential to this dish)
17. Spaghetti Squash with Chicken
18. Baked Tofu
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71. Make 80 new recipes.

One summer night, J and I decided to try Gina's delicious Spinach Lasagna Rolls, and boy, am I glad we did.

Besides the fact that they contained lots of yummy cheese and spinach mixture, I loved they were so portable.  I hate when the portioned lasagna layers topple over as you try to move the plate away from the kitchen to table/couch/patio/place of enjoyment.

I added a bit more mozzarella cheese to mine (mmm melty cheesse!) but other than that - I kept the recipe exactly the same.

I prepped this the night before - that way I only needed to bake it once I got home from work.  I'll definitely  be making these again in the coming fall months!

71. Make 80 new recipes.

Last night - I wanted to try to spice up our homemade salads a bit.  Sometimes the ol' lettuce, cheese, veggies, and pre-packaged prepared dressing gets a bit boring.


After researching homemade salad dressing - I came across this recipe for Basil Vinaigrette - prefect to go along with homemade croutons.


I accidentally added a bit too much Dijon mustard, so I balanced it out with more basil.  The end result was oh-so-yummy!


I also paired it with a reciepe for homemade bread crumbs which was so, so easy!


2 peices of bread (cut into cubes)
1 tbs. melted butter
a dash of garlic salt


Place everything in a bag and shake. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or a little longer till they are more crunchy. Yum!

71. Make 80 new recipes.

For our monthly potluck meeting at work - I broke out one of my Mom's favorite go-to's for entertaining.

Apple Cinnamon Dip

¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
2 cups finely chopped apples (usually about 2-3 apples depending on size)
8 oz. room temp cream cheese
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream
Chopped walnuts, pecans (optional)
Crackers for eating with dip

Preheat oven to 375.
Combine sugar, cinnamon, apples, nuts in a bowl.
In a separate bowl mix cream cheese, cheddar, and sour cream.

The original recipe has you put the cream cheese mixture on the bottom of the pan and topping it with the apple mixture for a more “apple pie” feel. Instead I…

Mix the two mixtures together then spoon to a 9 in. pie plate and smooth out. Top with chopped nuts. Bake @375 for 20 minutes. Serve with crackers.

My co-workers LOVED this one.  It will definitely be making an appearance at many more potlucks in the future.

71. Make 80 new recipes.

With the leftover basil from my tomato bruschetta - I decided to make homemade pesto.

First - I should let you know two things. 

1. I have not gone food shopping for about 2 months and had to shop at the little grocery store around the corner from our apartment.

2. That place is mad expensive.

Because of this, I had to tweek the traditional pesto recipe slightly.  I bought and used walnuts instead of pine nuts.  (I was not about to spend $9 for 3 ounces of pine nuts.)

After that everything was pretty much the same.

Next time, I am going to toast the walnuts before adding them to the processor.  I like the smokey-ness it brings out.  I am also going to use a sharper Parmesan cheese.  The cheese I had was a bit milder than I would have liked. 

Sorry for the lack of pictures - I was too hungry!

I served it over whole wheat penne with extra Parmesan on the top - yum!

71. Make 80 new recipes.

With the official start of summer - I decided to take on the challenge of making one of J's favorite foods - Tomato Bruschetta.

I always crack up because J HATES tomatoes yet gobbles up bruschetta like they are the last food on earth.

But I digress...

I couldn't find a recipe which I liked and which included all the foods I already had at home- so I modified a few. I used:

3 large tomatoes
1 cup chopped basil
1/2 a large onion
3 cloves minced garlic
4 tbs Olive Oil
1 1/2 tbs Balsamic Vinegar
8-9 1 inch thick pieces of French Baguette (toasted)
Salt and Pepper

I combined all the ingredients (minus the bread!) and let them set in a bowl for about 30 minutes to let their flavors meld. I topped the toasted pieces of bread with this - and we were ready to ring in summer. J gave it two thumbs up!

The only thing I would change is the amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar - I used way too much of both.  I ended up having to staring the mixture out of the liquid at the end. no bueno.

71. Make 80 new recipes.

Last night for dinner - I decided to stretch my culinary boundaries and make some enchiladas!

I am a huge fan of Mexican food and when Gina posted this recipe on her blog - I knew it was right up my alley. 
The result...

awesome.  It was the right mixture of creamy, spicy, and all-around yummy.  The verde sauce really added a kick to this meal!  I subbed in cheddar cheese and it was still delish! I used Gina's method to make the pulled chicken and stock which made this meal super easy.

I'll be having the leftovers tonight with a simple taco salad.  I love easy summer meals!

71. Make 80 new recipes.

For dinner last night, I was totally in the mood for breakfast.  Pancakes, waffles - you name it, I was down.  That being said - I few weeks ago I stumbled on this recipe and knew it was just the ticket.

And boy, was I right.

Hello, deliciousness.

This meal was the perfect balance of sweetness while still being hearty enough for dinner.  Next time - I will make sure I mash up the bananas a bit more than I did.  Otherwise, I'm not changing a thing!

Oh, and I topped them with peanut butter fro-yo.  Does it get any better? 

Not on a Wednesday folks.

71. Make 80 new recipes.

A few weeks ago I tried a new recipe from my girl Ray Ray and boy, did I pick a good one - we made RR's 30 Minute Stuffed Young Zucchini.

Sauteing the mushrooms and onions!

One of my favorite parts of this recipe was the yummy bread stuffing.  We chose to use a piece of my Dad's fresh home baked bread.

Yum!

After toasting the bread, buttering it, and throwing it in the food processor with the basil leaves - it looked like this.  Oh, and it smelled heavenly.

The zucchini were hollowed out and sprinkled with olive oil, and salt & pepper to prepare them for the filling. 

After filling the zucchini with the veggies and bread mixture - they looked like this.  They were ready for the oven and I was ready to eat them.

The final product! I wouldn't change anything about this recipe.  The sweetness of the bread and butter balanced perfectly with the tanginess from the veggies.  An overall win! 

71. Make 80 New Recipes.

Today's yummy weekend meal came to me from the lovely Giada DeLaurentiis.  First off, let me just say that I totally covet her casual, beachside home, with its simple decoration and serene decorations.  But I watch her show for more than that reason friends - I love me some pasta and Giada always knows how to please.

I choose to make her Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil recipe..

One of the reasons I decided to make this dish was the use of Lemon Oil - basically lemon zest + olive oil + time to absorb.  It gave the oil such a fresh flavor and was something I never made before - flavored olive oil.

Overall - I would say this recipe was ok.  I felt it was a bit too lemon-y and didn't really care for the arugula. 

So it's safe to say, I won't be making this again - but without trying - I would have never learned of my love for flavored olive oil - which is a total success in my book.  :D

71. Make 80 new recipes.

Here's a question: What do you do when you have no idea what to make for dinner?  
Answer: Scour the internet for a fabulous recipe and hope for the best.

This is exactly the mentality I took on after I found and decided to make this Chicken with Mushrooms recipe.

And wow was it fantastic, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

This my stove all ready for the deliciousness.

Chopped mushrooms and the breading station for the chicken all ready.

I took the advice of other's before me and baked the chicken without the cheese until about 5 minutes are left on the cook time - then I added the cheese.

This my friends, was the final product.  Juicy, flavorful, and perfect for a Sunday night.  I served it with some rice and steamed veggies for a hearty February meal.  

Just another reason to thank Al Gore for the internet ;) just kidding.

71. Make 80 new recipes.

Tonight's new recipe comes to us from Rachel Ray's 30 Minutes Meals. Love her or hate her - that woman makes a fine meal. Sometimes when I feel I am at my max level of "yum-o"s for the day, I watch her on mute. Regardless, I decided to try making her Mac and Cheddar Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli.

Chickens and onions cooking.

(Side Note: I love the smell of sauting onions. Yankee Candles should make THAT smell in wax form. I would burn that in my kitchen 24/7. no lie.)

Cooked mac, broccoli, onions, and chickens amxiously awaiting the cheese sauce.

Cheesy. Yum.

Overall - this was a great recipe. J gave it with a thumbs up to include it in our recipe binder.


I did learn two things:


1. Skim milk does not take the place of whole milk. When I make this again - I think I will only add 2 cups milk and 1 cup stock. Or maybe 3 cups milk. 4 cups made the sauce a bit runny.


2. I need to add bacon to this. No other reason than I love bacon and melty cheese.