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

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