Taco Salad

Ingredients:

Salad mix

1 pound ground beef

1 can kidney beans

Sliced olives

1 tomato - diced

Nacho Doritos - crunched up

Shredded cheddar cheese

Catalina dressing

Directions:

Brown ground beef til cooked through and then drain the grease.

Drain the kidney beans and olives.

Combine all ingredients and enjoy!

Verdict:

I was really nervous for this dinner! Scott wanted to have his mom's recipe and her sauce was something I'd never heard of! I had always had ranch and salsa mixed... I'm glad I tried her recipe though! The catalina dressing was really good!! This dinner is simple and quick and delicious.

Rating:

Ashley: 8.7 belches       Scott:       Payton: 10 wags

Chicken Penne

Ingredients:

1 package penne pasta

3 chicken breasts

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 package bacon

1/2 pint half and half

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese.

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Chook chicken and chop up into bite size pieces.

Cook bacon til crisp, then crumble and add to chicken (grease and all).

Add soup, noodles, half and half, and 1/2 cup cheese to the chicken and bacon mixture.

Place in a cake pan, top with remaining cheese and cover with foil.

Cook at 350 for 45 to 60 minutes

Verdict:

This was a descent dinner. Scott really liked it a lot, I wasn't as big of a fan as he was. Maybe he was just being a nice husband again. It was a little on the dry side for me.. so maybe I'd double the sauce next time? It really wasn't bad though. I'd make it again sometime. And it was pretty easy to make too, which is a plus!

Rating:

Ashley: 8 belches       Scott:       Payton: 10 wags

Sesame Chicken

Ingredients:

Breading: 1 pound chicken breasts - cubed 

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon pineapple juice

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 dash sesame oil

Sauce:  1 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon chili paste

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup water

1 quart vegetable oil - for frying

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

 Mix flour, 2 TBS cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.

Add soy sauce, pineapple juice, water, vegetable oil, and sesame oil.

Stir until smooth.

Add chicken and cover completely with mixture.

Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Bring chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili paste, and garlic to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat.

Dissolve 1/4 cup cornstarch into 1/2 cup water, then stir into boiling sauce.

Simmer until sauce thickens and turns clear (about 2 minutes)

Reduce heat to low and keep sauce warm.

Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan.

Drop in pieces of battered chicken a few at a time.

Fry chicken until they turn golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Serve with hot sauce and sesame seeds over the top with rice.

Verdict:

Very delicious!!! But a lot of work.. Worth it in my opinion though! It was hard to find the perfect temperature for the oil. First we had it too hot and the batter was fried, but the chicken wasn't cooked at all! So be sure to check that the chicken is cooked through.. Also I didnt read the recipe well and thought I coud just add the cornstarch and water to the sauce without mixing them first.. BIG no no. It got super clumpy and I had to start all over. The chili paste is in the aisle that has the Thai food. Also get the sesame oil from that aisle, it's in a smaller bottle and cheaper than the big bottle you'll find on the aisle with all the different oils. The recipe really calls for sherry not pineapple juice, but I doubt I'll ever cook with sherry again so I went the more convenient way and substituted for pineapple juice, it tasted great! And I accidentally added 2 tablespoons instead of just one, didnt' seem to ruin it though! 

Rating:

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



Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce

dash of sugar

1 cup heavy cream

grated parmesan (to taste)

1 1/2 pound fetteccine

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Heat butter and oil over medium heat in a saucepan.

Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute.

Pour in tomato sauce and sugar.

Stir and cook over low heat for 25 -30 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in cream.

Add cheese, salt, and pepper to taste.

Stir in pasta and serve immediately.

Verdict:

This was ok.. I recommend less onion next time, a lot less onion!! It was the only thing I could taste. I halfed the recipe since I'm only feeding 2 and it was a good idea because we still had 1 serving left over. I don't think I'll cook this one again though, and if I do it'll have a lot of tweeking done to it.

Rating:

Ashley: 6 belches       Scott: 5.3 grunts       Payton: 10 wags