Veggie Steak Kabobs

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1.5 pounds beef top sirloin steak, cubed

1/2 pound whole fresh mushrooms

1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 zuchinni, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 can pineapple chunks

Directions:

In a large resealable plastic bag, comgine the oil, vinegar, ketchup, garlic, worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Pour half of this mixture into another large resealable plastic bag.

Add beef cubes to one bag, and turn to coat evenly.

Add mushrooms, peppers, and zuchinni to the other bag and mix that up.

Refridgerate for up to 4 hours to marinate.

Put kabob sticks in some water to soak (so they wont catch on fire..)

Alternate between meat and veggies onto kabobs.(don't forget the pineapples that didn't get put in the marinade though!)

Cook over the george forman, rotating so they can cook through evenly.

Serve with rice.

Verdict:

These were pretty good! It's another one of those recipes that takes a bit longer to prepare, plus you have to let it sit for 4 hours before you can cook it. I got a spice rack for my wedding and haven't used any of the spices on it, and since this recipe used quite a few of them I was excited! The recipe I got this from said to drain the marinade from the steak, but save the marinade from the veggies for basting.. I didnt end up having any liquid just chilling, it all soaked into the veggies. The recipe also said to cook over a grill or to broil 4 inches from the heat for 10 to 14 minutes.. we decided the george sounded like an easier route. Grill would have been ideal, but we don't have one! Although this dinner was a little more work than most, it was a good one! Not one I'd cook all the time because there's nothing super special about it, but it's one I'd cook every once in a while.

Ratings:

Ashley: 7.5 belches       Scott: 8.7 grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Shrimp, Peppers, and Pasta

Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper (cut into thin strips)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup white grape juice

16 ounce jar chunky mild salsa

1/2 cup pitted ripe olives (cut in half)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

angel hair pasta

raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)

teriyaki marinade

butter

Directions:

In a large skillet on medium heat, saute pepper strips in hot oil til tender.

Add white grape juice and cook for 1 minute.

Add in salsa, olives, salt, and pepper and bring mixture to a boil.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a small skillet, cook shrimp in some butter.

Add some teriyaki marinade and let it simmer to add flavor.

Remove shrimp from liquid and add to salsa mixture.

Verdict:

We are venturing pretty far out here with the shrimp. I personally hate it, and think it's a waste of the 10 dollars you pay for the bag of nasty little things!! Scott enjoyed the shrimp though. Once again I'm not a fan of the big chunks of green peppers. Cooking the shrimp was also something new! Little did I know you are supposed to let them thaw over night.. oops! The recipe also called for white wine, but seeing as how that would be a big waste of money I just went with white grape juice (I read somewhere that it's a good substitute). I don't think I liked this meal enough to ever want to cook it again. It's one of those that if someone served it to you, you wouldn't have to gag it down, but you wouldn't be asking for the recipe either.

Rating:

Ashley: 6.8 belches       Scott: 6.7 grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and Gravy

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts

Season all

Salt

Pepper

Garlic powder

4 potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

dash of milk

Garlic salt

Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Lightly sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, season all, and garlic powder.

Cook chicken on the george forman til cooked through.

Boil diced potatoes in water until they are soft.

Drain, and then mash with a fork.

Add butter, milk, garlic salt and cheddar cheese as desired.

Verdict:

This is an easy classic meal. We had a lot of mashed potatoes left over, so next time I don't think I'll use as many. Not much to say about this meal really, it is what it is.

Rating:

Ashley: 7 belches       Scott: 8 grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Chicken Florentine

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts 

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons oil

3 cups spinach

4 slices swiss cheese

juice of 1 lemon

Directions:

Season chicken to taste and dredge lightly in flour

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken in the oil til cooked through.

Bring water to a boil and cook spinach til it turns bright green. do not overcook!!

Drain well. 

Line a baking pan with foil, and place chicken in it. 

Top with spinach and a slice of cheese.

Squeeze lemon juice of the chicken

Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees, or until cheese bubbles.

Verdict:

I think this dinner is a work in progress. It was really good, but I was expecting more from it and I think with a little tweaking it could be amazing! As for now it had a little less flavor than I thought it would, but still a really good meal as is. I was super hesitant with the lemon juice (about 2 or 3 drops per chicken) because of the last disasterous lemon meal, so maybe next time I could add a bit more. Also the directions about the spinach turning bright green.. bright green to me is bright green.. and my spinach never turned close to that color! So I'm not sure if I ended up overcooking it or not.. I couldn't taste it at all so maybe that's a yes? I don't want this to sound discouraging though, it really wasn't bad tasting.. I just wasn't sure exactly how to make it and think next time I could do a better job.

Rating:

Ashley: 8 belches       Scott: 8       Payton: 10 wags

Crunchy Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:

2-4 Chicken breasts

1 cup corn flakes (crushed)

1 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)

1 packet ranch salad dressing mix

Spray butter

Directions:

Combine crushed corn flakes, parmesan cheese, and ranch dressing mix in a bowl.

Spray chicken with butter, and dip in the corn flake mixture. 

Place on a cookie sheet and sprinkle remaining mixture on top.

Cook for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, or until chicken is cooked through.

Verdict:

Another meal to add to the list to cook again. I was a little confused if I was supposed to have 1 cup of crushed corn flakes, or start with 1 cup of regular and then crush them. I started with 1 cup and then crushed and it worked out just fine. I've decided I love meals that you can put together really quick and still taste great! Scott and I felt it was a little dry and needed just a little ranch to dip it in. And it literally it super crunchy, I wasn't quite expecting that! Overall really delicious though!

Rating:

Ashley: 8.5 belches       Scott: 8.6 grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Honey Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

2-4 chicken breasts

1/4 cup margarine

1/2 cup honey

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon curry powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Put margarine in a 9 inch square pan and melt for about 5 minutes.

Stir in honey, mustard, salt, and curry powder.

Place chicken in pan and coat both sides with mixture.

Back for 30 minutes, turn and cook for 30 minutes more.

 Serve with rice or noodles

Verdict:

I wasn't a fan of this meal at all. I always ask Scott what he thinks about dinner before he gets the chance to ask me. Being the sweet husband he is, he never says he doesn't like it, or that it tastes discusting.. He claims it's ok, and then once I give my opinion that it's awful he politely agrees. What a good man. But back to the food, don't make this one. I'm not sure exactly what it was that I didn't like about it, it just wasn't good.

Ratings:
Ashley: 4 belches       Scott: 5.5 grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Crockpot

Ingredients:

1 pound hamburger

1/2 package taco seasoning

1 can of each of the following:

red kidney beans

green beans

corn

chili

vegetable beef soup

tomato soup

Directions:

Brown hamburger meat in a frying pan. Pour out grease.

Pour all the canned contents into a large pot.

Add the taco seasoning and browned hamburger meat.

Heat until warm, and enjoy!

Verdict:

Such an easy meal from such good friends! I'm still not sure why they call it crockpot, because they never cook it in a crockpot.. I had to work the night I made this so I did put mine in the crockpot to keep it warm for Scott. If you want to make this the exact way the Margetts do than: use Stagg chili (it's much more than cheap chili haha), use cambelles vegetable beef soup, and the fat short green beans (I'm not sure what kinda cut they call it..). This meal tastes great! And it takes like 2 seconds to make it (other than browning the hamburger). Scott thinks it's a lot like taco soup and enjoys eating it with tortilla chips.. whatever suits your fancy I guess.. We'll be making this one a lot once this challenge is done!

Ratings:

Ashley: 7.8 belches       Scott: 8 grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Ingredients:

(meatballs)

1/2 cup milk

1.5 pounds hamburger

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 cup onion

1 tablespoon salt

dash of pepper

3/4 cup oatmeal

2 eggs

(sauce)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

2 teaspoons dry mustard

2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Add all sauce ingredients together in a saucepan and warm over medium heat.

Chop up the onion and beat the eggs.

Add all the meat ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.

Roll meat mixture into meatballs and place in a glass pan.

Pour sauce over and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.

Serve with rice.

Verdict:

I always forget how long these take to cook. That hour and a half in the oven means you need to get this going kinda early if you want it ready in time for dinner. Also with the sauce.. we like extra sauce! I suggest doubling the sauce recipe so you'll have enough sauce for the rice and to cover the meatballs. Overall this is a great meal! It doesn't take too much prep time, its just that cook time in the oven that kills me!

Rating:

Ashley: 8 belches       Scott: 9 grunts       Payton: 10 wags



Crescent Tacos

Ingredients:

Hamburger meat

Taco seasoning

Pillsbury crescent rolls

Lettuce

Tomato

Olives

Cheese

Directions:

Brown hamburger meat in a skillet. Add taco seasoning and cook as directed.

Lay out crescent rolls in a sun shape on a pan.

Spoon the hamburger into each fat end of the crescents.

Fold over the tops of the crescents and cook as directed on package.

Cut up lettuce and tomato. 

Serve with any other toppings you desire.

Verdict:

I think regular taco's are a much easier route. Not that these were bad or anything, but having to bake the crescents took more time then just your regular hard shell taco. We weren't really sure how to go about eating them. With all the toppings just on top of the crescent, it was super messy when we attempted to eat with out hands, so we ended up using forks. I guess if you are wanting to switch things up a bit it's an okay meal to try.

Rating:

Ashley: 7 belches       Scott: 6 grunts       Payton: 10 wags

Chicken Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce

Chicken breasts

Caesar salad dressing

Croutons

Parmesan cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

 Cook chicken in a frying pan til cooked through. 

Dice chicken into bite size pieces.

Add chicken, croutons, cheeses, and salad dressing to romaine lettuce. 

Toss and serve. 

Verdict:

 Good, easy salad to make. Always a classic! I buy the bagged romaine lettuce, since I'm too lazy to tear up the actual romaine lettuce.. I've also never had a caesar salad with mozzarella cheese on it, but I put Scott in charge of making dinner and bringing it to me at work, and since we had mozzarella cheese in the fridge he put some on the salad and it tasted great!!

Rating:

Ashley: 8 belches       Scott: 8.2 grunts       Payton: 10 wags