New Year - New Goals

It seems to me that I am hearing of fewer and fewer people making New Years' Resolutions and that makes me happy.  It frustrates me to no end when I hear of people swearing off sweets, poor eating habits, laziness, etc full on knowing that by March 1st (if they're really lucky to even last this long) they'll be back to their old lame habits.  It's for this reason alone that I do not set New Years' Resolutions.  Instead, I set New Years' Goals.

My 2010 Goal was simple, to cook one new main course recipe each week.  It was a huge success.  I made 54 new recipes over the course of the year, not counting recipes that I just made up, were for dessert (we made a really good Egg Nog Flan that I wish I could have counted), etc.  The best part of it all is that I now have at least 40 recipes that I have permanently added to my collection because they were such a hit for both Brad and me.

How did I find my recipes?  I am a firm believer that if over 100 people have reviewed a recipe and it still has at least 4.5/5 stars, it must be at least somewhat decent.  I visited websites like Allrecipes.com (an amazing website if you have never used it), FoodNetwork.com, and Cookinglight.com to find my basic recipes and then in almost all cases, took the liberty of reducing fat to create my final dish.

What were our top 10 favorite recipes?
1)  Asian Turkey Cups (Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps is what we are calling them):  http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1932640
2)  Crepes with Bacon, Mushrooms, and Spinach:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Crepes-with-Spinach-Bacon-and-Mushroom-Filling/Detail.aspx
3)  Pasta with Vodka Creme Sauce (we added chicken, bacon, and mushrooms): http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001654684
4)  Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas:  http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1215924
5)  Spicy Barbecue Shrimp Kebabs:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/spicy-barbecued-shrimp-skewers-recipe/index.html
6)  Cilantro Shrimp:  http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000002001864
7)  Baked Potato Soup:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Potato-Soup/Detail.aspx
8)  Shrimp Pad Thai:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/shrimp-pad-thai-recipe/index.html
9)  Peanutbutter Noodles:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peanut-Butter-Noodles/Detail.aspx
10)  Maple Salmon:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Maple-Salmon/Detail.aspx

So...after a successful 2010, I've decided to up the ante this year and not only continue with my one new recipe a week goal, but I'm adding another goal and that goal is to read Quinn a book every night.  I do not particularly care for reading but I know how important it is to read to your children so Quinn has been and will continue to get a book read to him every afternoon or evening during 2011.  My goal is to have an 80% completion rate on this goal meaning that I will read to him at least 5-6 times per week.  So far, we are off to a good start though reading books typically is not as much fun as eating books, at least in Quinn's world!

So there you have it...be on the lookout for new recipe reviews during 2011.  So far I've made Chili Garlic BBQ Salmon, Greek Orzo Salad, and Curried Honey Mustard Chicken.  We are expecting a snow day tomorrow, so my 2nd new recipe for this week is going to be Pretzel Rolls.  How fun will that be?!?  I'll let you know if they are a success or not...assuming we do have a snow day!

So Many Recipes To Tell You About

School might be back in session and life may be crazier than ever, but we're still eating well in The Pope House.  I have 6 recipes to review and only 1 that I don't plan on making again (Sweet and Spicy Citrus Tilapia). 

Let's start there with the Sweet and Spicy Citrus Tilapia (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=2001927).  It's not that the dish wasn't good, but rather that when you look at all the other wonderful recipes I've managed to find and cook this year, this one did not stand out.  My exact notes are "Nothing to write home about."  Okay...is that enough?

Now, onto the winners.  Food and Wine Magazine had a recipe for Chipotle-Rubbed Salmon Tacos (http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chipotle-rubbed-salmon-tacos) and both Brad and I were really impressed.  As the title says, the salmon is rubbed with chipotle chili powder, orange zest, and a bit of sugar.  I had no idea how smoky chipotle chili powder was.  The recipe called for 2 Tablespoons.  Next time, I'll reduce the amount to 1 1/2 Tablespoons, but aside from that, the recipe was perfect.  The dish was topped with an Apple-Cucumber Salsa that really cut the smokiness well and was very fresh and crispy and was finished off with a mayo-lime sauce that really pulled the dish together nicely.  A super quick meal to prepare, we'll be eating this one again here soon!

Next, I made The Food Network's Shrimp Pad Thai (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/shrimp-pad-thai-recipe/index.html).  I will be honest and say that I've never eaten Pad Thai before so I don't know how authentic it tasted; however, Brad enjoys Thai food and thought it was delicious and pretty spot on and I really enjoyed the dish as well.  I had bought rice noodles when I was in Chicago and figured I'd better find a use for them.  If you've never used rice noodles before, they're pretty interesting.  Instead of cooking them, you let them just sit in a bowl of warm water until they soften.  They're pretty neat and easy!  I LIKE easy.  I followed the recipe to a tee, but per reviewers suggestions, I did add an egg when I added the noodles to the pan to make the dish creamier.  Overall, the dish was spicy, but was very very good!  I'd definitely recommend trying this one and you could very easily substitute in chicken, tofu, or other proteins.

 

Peanut Butter Noodles comes next.  I know, peanut butter and noodles, what a crazy combination, but I'm telling you, it works!  When 727 people have reviewed a recipe on Allrecipes.com and it has earned 4.5 out of 5 stars, you know it can't be bad, right?!?!  I followed that recipe (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peanut-Butter-Noodles/Detail.aspx)  and was very pleased.  I didn't have Udon noodles (whatever they are and whereve you find them in Northwest Arkanas), but substituted whole wheat pasta and it worked out great.  We really enjoyed the dish when it was warm, but Brad said it didn't re-heat as well.  As a last minute, throw together dish, this one is definitely one to keep!

Jalapeno Steak...sounds spicy doesn't it?  Surprisingly, it really wasn't!  Another Allrecipes.com recipe (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Jalapeno-Steak/Detail.aspx), this steak marinated for 36 hours (because I didn't have time to make it when I was supposed to).  I pulled 2 pieces of sirloin steak out of the freezer, made the marinade (with 3 jalapenos), and threw it all together in the same bag to allow the steaks to thaw.  36 hours later, we had the most tender and surprisingly, not too spicy hot steak.  I served it up atop rice and broccoli.  Healthy, quick, and easy!  You could always leave the seeds and ribs of the jalapenos in to make it spicier or reduce the amount of jalapenos to make it less spicy.  Either way, you won't be disappointed.

Last, was the quickest recipe of them all, Cooking Light's Herbed Chicken Parmesan recipe (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=549982).  Super fast to make, this dish really suited our tastes well.  Although it had no garlic (shocking to me and a much welcomed surprise for Brad), the dish did not fall short on flavor at all.  I used Barilla Tomato Basil pasta sauce and added the balsamic vinegar as directed.  Wow does that really add a fresh/homemade flavor to jarred sauce...If I take nothing else away from this recipe, I'll take that trick for sure!  But overall, this dish was very moist, very flavorful, and took less than 20 minutes to prepare!  I served it with broccoli and a salad, but you could easily serve it atop a bed of pasta too!

Wow...we've been eating really well around here! Fresh food, healthy dishes, and great flavors.  These next two weeks, we'll be following Tosca Reno's Clean Eating meal plan.  I'm excited for a lot of new recipes and whole days worth of meals planned out for us.  I'll let you know how it goes soon!  Let me know what you're cooking too...I'd love some new ideas as well!

More New Recipes

I am doing so well with sticking to my New Years' Goal of making a new recipe each week. We have 2 more winners to tell you about folks...Grilled Honey Lime Chicken Sandwiches courtesy of Rachel Ray and Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps. I don't know how I keep picking these simple winners, but WOW...are they ever amazing.

First off, Grilled Honey Lime Chicken Sandwiches (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/grilled-honey-lime-chicken-sandwiches-recipe/index.html). Now grilled chicken sandwiches are always good, but the combination of cilantro, honey, and lime really added a nice subtle flavor making a good staple really good. Even better, and oh so simple, the recipe called for the sandwich to be topped with avocado. Now why I never thought about adding fresh avocado to a sandwich, I don't know, but let me tell you that if you like avocado, I would HIGHLY recommend trying to add it to any sandwich to get a creamy extra flavor.



Our second winning recipe (and which is currently ranked in the top 5 of all the new recipes I've tried so far this year) is Cooking Light's Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1932640). The recipe calls for the use of Napa (Chinese) cabbage. I was not in the mood to search for that or for the fresh mint that the recipe called for but nonetheless, it was PHENOMENAL. The dish was full of fresh flavors, was not spicy even with an entire jalapeno in it, and was super quick to make. It will definitely win a place in our summer recipe repertoire. It's perfect for a hot day and is so filling yet very low in calories and high in protein. Give it a try (you'll find the fish sauce in the Asian aisle of Walmart...though I found that not all stores carry it). This is one recipe you will regret missing out on if you don't try it!

Still Cooking

I've decided that when I can, I'm going to try to double up recipes so that come May, when I don't feel like, or don't have much time to cook, I will still be on track with my 52 new recipes for 2010. This week proved to be another GREAT cooking week with 3 new recipes. I made Oven-Fried Chicken Chimichangas, Curried Coconut Chicken (never even tasted curry before this week), and Louisiana Red Beans and Rice, again, something I had never tried. Let's start at the beginning.

Oven-Fried Chicken Chimichangas...the verdict is in, a great start on a recipe, but one that needs some work to make it spicier. (http://www.recipezaar.com/Oven-Fried-Chicken-Chimichangas-28148) The best part about them was how crispy they became. I melted 1 Tablespoon of butter and brushed it over each one and WOW did that make them good! 2 things we're going to try to do to adapt this recipes are 1) add some more spice...maybe stew the chicken in spices and 2) use the concept of baking tortillas to make easy baked pizza rolls!



Curried Coconut Chicken...I had never eaten curry before and I'd have to say that this sweeter tasting curry was a really good place to start. (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Curried-Coconut-Chicken/Detail.aspx) The sauce was perfectly sweet, the curry taste not overbearing, and the chicken was very tender. Now for my complaints, they are 2-fold. 1) My house smelled like curry for 5 days despite cooking with the exhaust fan on, opening windows and freezing us out, lighting candles, and disinfecting everything with the best smelling cleansers I had and 2) I swear I smelled like the League of Nations' Asian Apartment Complex as I sweated curry out of my pores the next morning while teaching spin...how embarassing! All that said, I will make curry again (on an outdoor stove) and I will take my runs outside for 2-3 days after eating it.



The 3rd and final recipe I made just came off the stove and it is Red Beans and Rice. (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Red-Beans-and-Rice/Detail.aspx) All our friends down here in Arkansas were shocked to hear I had never eaten red beans and rice, but after I reminded them how far New Orleans was from Chicago, it all made sense to them. Anyway...while this is probably not a very authentic recipe, it is close and super simple. I added a 1/2 teaspoon each of thyme and cayenne pepper to spice it up and it is very good. I will definitely be making this again and if we have vegetarians over, it is hearty enough without the kielbasa.



Next in the lineup -- Giada's Spinach and Mushroom Ravioli (yes, homemade ravioli, not bagged ravioli with spinach and mushrooms tossed in with it).

New Recipes

I am totally on a roll with these new recipes and am so happy I made this my New Year's Goal. So far, every new recipe I've tried has been delicious but this weekend might have taken the cake!

I had 2 weeks of recipes to make this weekend so Saturday night I made Artichoke and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts from Cooking Light's website and Sunday I made savory Bacon, Spinach, and Mushroom Stuffed Crepes. We ate like kings this weekend for sure.

Okay, the Stuffed Chicken was very very good. The recipe calls for the chicken to be boiled in plastic wrap which seemed pretty sketchy to me so I adjusted and baked the recipe for 40 minutes at 350degrees. I added a little garlic powder to the recipe because when I tasted the cheese mixture, it seemed like it was missing something and I added about a half cup of fresh chopped spinach because I needed to use it up. I didn't have any roasted red peppers so those were omitted, but I must say, despite the changes, it turned out really really well. Here's the link in case you're interested: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1197231 and although I can't take credit for this picture, here's what the finished product looked like. Can you say DELISH?!?!



So when we thought we had hit a homeroom for the weekend, Sunday called for my first ever attempt at making crepes. It was, hands down, the easiest delicacy I've ever made. I don't know why people are so impressed by crepes because honestly, they're easier to make than pancakes. You don't have to flip them, you know when they're cooked all the way through, and they are simply amazing. Even better, they freeze really well! What a GREAT dessert to have on hand in case guests stop by!

Sunday morning I followed the recipe on Recipezaar.com for simple crepes: http://www.recipezaar.com/Crepes-55172 The recipe ended up making 10 crepes of which we were hard pressed to save some for our dinner. They were sweet and so tasty. In fact, I'm sure you could very easily cut the sugar in half and still have an amazing base. By dinner, I was so excited to finish my recipe, making the filling of bacon, spinach, mushroom, and parmesan cheese that I forgot about chopping the parsley, but the recipe was still amazing. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Crepes-with-Spinach-Bacon-and-Mushroom-Filling/Detail.aspx

I highly recommend trying this recipe. Just look at this picture...who wouldn't find this simply wonderful to eat?!?!