Cooking 101 #42/52 Chicken Marsala w/ rice and brocolli

Chicken Marsala with Rice and Brocolli

This was a birthday dinner for Michelle.  I gave her a few meals I was thinking of and let her pick, this was her choice.  We both love Chicken Marsala.  We've had it many times.  This was the first for this recipe and it was delicious.  The prosciutto adds a nice flavor to the meal.  Also, although not pictured, I also surprised Michelle with Gluten-free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Maple Frosting.  She enjoyed them, I wasn't quite so enthusiastic.  The gluten-free flour makes the drier and less flavorful than normal.

Cooking 101 #41/52 Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

This is another favorite in our household.  A nice Mexican black bean soup from a special publication by Better Homes and Gardens with recipes by Rick Bayless.

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (seeded)
1 cup green sweet pepper
2 cups chopped onion
4 cloves garlic (minced)
4 15-ounce cans black beans, drained
28 ounces beef broth
1 15-ounce can petite diced tomato
4 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano

This recipe is for a double batch, fills a normal crock pot to the top.  You may want to cut it in half until you are sure you like it as much as we do.

Ideally you will saute the green pepper, onion and garlic for a few minutes until they start to soften. Then just add all ingredients to the crock pot and cook on high for AT LEAST 5 hours.

This is a very earth, nicely spicy meal.  You could easily add some chicken if you want to have some meat and it should still be fine.  I like it as is.  Perfect cool weather meal.  Also nicely repackages to be taken to work for a lunch.

Cooking 101 #40/52 Caramel Apple Pie

Caramel Apple Pie

I saw a show on the Food Network where they were talking about a caramel apple pie and it put me in the mood.  I immediately went out looking for a recipe and found this one.  Let me tell you, there is no need to look further.  This was THE FIRST pie I ever baked and it is absolutely delicious.  It didn't even last a week.  I am sorely tempted to make another.

One thing to note.  The recipe tells you to refrigerate all ingredients for the crust.  Michelle told me she never did this and never has a problem so I skipped the step.  Don't.  My crust came out so soft it would have been impossible to roll so we simply pressed it into place in the pie dish.  It still came out great, flaky, tender, buttery, but if I do make this again I will make sure I follow that recommended step.

This entire pie was incredible,  The crust was flaky, tender, buttery, as I said above.  The filling had just the right combination of spices and formed a great caramel to coat and mix with the apples.  the streusel  was delicious.  I used plain toffee bits and it added another interesting flavor to the mix that blended perfectly with the rest of the pie.

Seriously.  Just make this.  Make two and send me one as thanks for the recommendation, ok?

Cooking 101 #39/52 Baked French Toast Casserole

Baked French Toast Casserole

Every once in a while I like to switch things up a bit and bake something or make something other than a dinner.  This time I decided to try something new for breakfast.  I actually stumbled across this recipe completely by accident while looking for an apple pie recipe, but it looked so good itself i decided to go for it.

Word of warning, it's a Paula Deen recipe.  For those of you unfamiliar with her, that means it has so much fat in it, it's likely to take months of of your life just thinking about eating it.  But the more fat there is the better it must taste, right?  Well, it was very delicious, but I'm not sure I'm all that wild about the consistency.  It is a VERY MOIST french toast.  As Michelle said it is more along the lines of a bread pudding.  But the taste is great, especially with the topping, absolutely do not skip that.

Another warning, I cut this in half and Michelle, Shannon, and I still only managed to eat about a third of it.  Portion control a must on this one.

Cooking 101 #38/52 Sweet, Sticky, and Spicy Chicken

Sweet, Sticky, and Spicy Chicken

This is a meal that Michelle has made many times and is simply one of our favorites.  We know it simply as sticky chicken and it is one of our go to meals.  Michelle has modified the original recipe a bit to tame it slightly.  She cuts back the soy sauce to two tablespoons, the ginger to one teaspoon, and the garlic to one teaspoon.

Paired with rice which we also add a bit of the sauce to and some broccoli this makes a great meal that can be tossed together quickly, even by someone with little cooking experience.  So long as you like spicy food, this should be right at the top of your list.

Cooking 101 #37/52 Peach Chardonnay Steak Salad

Peach Chardonnay Steak Salad

This was just something I tossed together.  Some strip steak marinated in a Peach Chardonnay Zest with just a dash of chipotle pepper tossed in to spice it up.  Tossed that on the grill on high heat just long enough to reach about medium doneness.  Meanwhile I had boiled some cobs of corn and then removed all the kernels, tossing them in a skillet with some oil and onions that I had carmelized.  Allowed the corn to just start to brown to add some crispness.  Slice the steak and added all of this to a mixed green salad along with some chick peas.  Added a few splashes of the same zest I had marinated the steak in for a dressing.  Michelle was doubting the flavor of the Peach Chardonnay Zest with Steak, she thought it would have paired better with chicken, but honestly it was excellent.  I think the chili powder is what really made it work.  That definitely fit with the steak and the sweetness of the zest was a great compliment.

Served with a glass of Bosc Pear Wine from Sunnybrook Farms Estate Winery of Niagara on the Lake, Canada.  If you are a fan of fruit wines, I highly recommend this winery if you are ever in the area.  Their fruit wines are much drier than those we generally see here in eastern PA, but they are still excellent wines.  The drier flavor was a perfect companion with the sweet/spicy salad.

Cooking 101 #36/52 Beef Meat Pie Pockets

Beef Meat Pie Pockets

I decided to try and create a homemade version of a hot pocket and had been planning on eventually making a beef pot pie, so decided to have that be the filling.  I found this recipe for the filling and used Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts to make the pocket.  The filling had great flavor and it went well with the crusts.  No complaints from Michelle or Shannon on this one, it was a hot all around the table.  Took some time to get it all together, but I think it was definitely worth it.

Cooking 101 #35/52

Lemon Broccoli Pasta with Chicken

I was looking for a new, quick recipe for dinner.  I knew we had plenty of chicken and broccoli so I started there.  Figured I generally like lemon chicken and plenty of garlic, so this recipe caught my eye.  This was a simple recipe to toss together, but...  just wasn't that good.  Neither Michelle nor I were wild about this one, there was just something missing, a flavor to balance out the lemon, I guess.  Not worthy of a second chance.

Cooking 101 #34/52 Cajun Rubbed Pork Chops w/ Tex-Mex Corn Fritters

Cajun Rubbed Pork Chops with Tex-Mex Corn Fritters

Pork chops.  Growing up this mean thin sliced chops cooked to the point of challenging my shoe leather for toughness (sorry, Mom).  Not sure why they were always made that way, but that is what I thought pork had to be.  They'd be fried up with some onions, then topped with salt and pepper.  That was all I knew of pork chops until my wife made them for me years ago.  Get out, they could be tender and juicy too?  Who knew?

Well, it was time for me to try them on my own.  Picked out some nice center loin cuts.  Coated them generously in Rick's Ragin' Cajun rub and topped that with a bit of oil to prevent outright burning on the grill.  Left that to sock in some flavor while I prepped the corn fritters.  Started the grill heating and asked Michelle to watch the chops while I fried up the fritters.  Never had corn fritters before in my life, but they seemed like something I'd go for.

The meal was great!  The Rick's Rub gave the pork chops great flavor and they were cooked just long enough, still tender and juicy (although credit for that is really Michelle's).  The corn fritters were a perfect combination of sweet and spicy.  I think I made them a bit large, but they came out pretty well for a first attempt.  We'll be doing these again in the future, although I may try a different recipe just to see how else they can be made.

Cooking 101 #33/52 Faux Deep Dish Pizza

Faux deep dish pizza

Ok, this was an experiment based on a dish I saw on an episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on The Food Network.  One of the meals was a deep dish pizza that was made in a bowl.  They started by lining the bowl with cheese, added sauce and fillings, then topped the bowl with a crust.  Bake it until the crust is a golden brown and tip it over on a plate to serve.

So, I started by making a batch of the sauce from the lasagna recipe I made a while back.  Took a few baking dishes, lined them with a variety of cheeses (provologne in one, Sargento italian cheese mix in another, both in a third).  Topped each with the sauce from the lasagna recipe (with some diced black olives added).  Topped the bowls with some Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust (see my last post about cheating, get over it).  Tossed it in the oven per the crust recipe and tipped them out onto plates.

The flavor was great.  the crust could definitely be improved upon, but it was more than passable.  The cheese was nice and gooey.  It would be nice to have some bowls that would be better shaped, some had handles, they weren't round, and there wasn't enough crust to make it further than the edge of any bowl.  Sort of prevented it from being actual deep dish.  But this is definitely worth doing again.  The sauce simply made this dish delicious!

Cooking 101 #32/52 French Onion Pot Roast

French Onion Pot Roast

Ahhh, summer.  Temps over 90 for days on end and humidity to match.  I'm looking for meals that won't heat the house much at all.  No steaming pots on the stove, no over at 400 degrees.  Pretty much leaves slow cookers or grilling.  In my search for interesting meals I stumbled across this recipe.  I had planned on making a roast, so why not?

I guess using canned French Onion soup was a bit of a cheat, but I'm not a chef, just a dad trying to pick up some of the basics of cooking.  Cheating is quite alright with me.

This was a good solid meal and it was easy to prepare.  I'd honestly like to kick the flavor up a bit if I make this one again, but no one was complaining about the results as they were.

Cooking 101 #31/52 Garlic and Chili Rubbed Steaks w/ grilled veggies in balsamic garlic vinagrette

Garlic and Chili Rubbed Steaks with grilled veggies in balsamic garlic vinagrette

Summer.   Grilling weather.  Found this recipe as a way to dress up some steaks and it was absolutely delicious. Not extremely spicy, but the rub gives it great flavor and color.  Simple to make as well.  All around winner here.

The veggies (red potatoes and carrots) were marinated in Good Seasons garlic dressing mix (using 3/4 balsamic vinegar and 1/4 apple cider vinegar).  Tossed in the microwave for a few minutes to partially cook and soften them, then tossed them on the grill for browning and flavor.  Michelle and I both liked the results.

Cooking 101 #30/52 Banana, Chocolate, Peanut Butter Crepes w/ whipped cream

Banana, Chocolate, Peanut Butter crepes with whipped cream

I was in the mood for something different for breakfast.  Decided to make some crepes.  Rather than just rolling up each crepe I basically built a layer cake out of them.  Two layers each of peanut butter and Nutella, one of caramelized bananas.  Elvis would be proud.

Cooking 101 #29/52 Chicken Fajitas w/ Spanish Rice

Chicken Fajitas with Spanish Rice

Chicken fajitas, one of my favorites.  We often use D.L. Jardines marinade or a recipe that Michelle has come up with that emulates the commercial marinade.  I wanted this to be something different so I went with something heavy on the lime.  I loved it.  It had a much fresher and crisp flavor than our usual.  Michelle was not as crazy about it, she thought it was too heavy on the lime.  So, if you like lime, give it a go.  If strong lime flavors aren't your thing... skip this one.

The Spanish rice I made by simply adding some salsa to a normal rice recipe.  I loved it, much better than the recipes we've tried before.  Get out your favorite salsa, toss some into the rice as it's cooking, see what you think!

Cooking 101 #28/52 Brownie Cupcakes w/ peanut butter icing

Brownie cupcakes with peanut butter icing.  That says it all.

Cooking 101 #27/52 Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

Summer is here.  Grilling season.  So of course I had to find something else to make.  Stumbled across this recipe on the Food Network site and it sounded like a good fit for a summer meal.  And was it ever.  This made some of the best tacos I've had in quite some time.  I modified the recipe a bit, only using the chipotle peppers.  It was still nicely spiced.  I've had quite a few compliments on this one and a request for the recipe.  Added some lettuce, shredded cheese, and black beans over corn tortillas.  Give this one a shot if you are in the mood for Mexican!

Cooking 101 #26/52 Crock Pot Orange Chicken

Crock Pot Orange Chicken

We had orange juice in the fridge that needed to be used up so I thought I'd make some orange chicken.  Only catch?  I wanted to avoid the oven since it was a hot day.   Solution?  Search the web for orange crock pot chicken.  The recipe above is the result.

This was another hit.  I personally liked it better than the recipe we've always used for orange chicken, the same one that my mother always used.  Paired with some rice and a salad, served with a nice glass of wine, this made for a great summer evening out on the deck.

Cooking 101 #25/52 French Onion Chicken Pot Pies

French Onion Chicken Pot Pies

Ok, this was a recipe idea I had because I was in the mood for French Onion Soup but wanted something that would be a full meal.  I searched for a beef pot pie version but only found recipes that looked appealing for a chicken version.  Seems odd to me, but I figured I'd give it a shot.  Boy am I glad I did.  This was a great but simple recipe!

Cooking 101 #24/52 Lemon Bar Cookies

Lemon Bar Cookies


We had another party to go to this week so I decided to try my hand at some lemon bar cookies to take along.  I would bake more often but I'm trying to keep this a bit healthy as well.  So any part is an excuse to try my hand at a new dessert.

These came out alright.  Not exceptional, to my tastes.  A bit heavy on the butter flavor.  The crust was softer than I was hoping for.  I'd gladly make them again but i need to find a better crust recipe.

Still, sweet, sour, buttery, all in one.  They went well at the party and I heard no complaints!

Cooking 101 #23/52 Lemon, Garlic, Honey, Balsamic Steak

Lemon, Garlic, Honey and Balsamic Steak


The recipe link above is for chicken.  I had mad that recipe the night before for myself and Shannon.  I liked the sauce so much that I decided to reuse it for my family dinner.  I figured I'd give it a shot with some New York Strip steaks on the grill.  It came out great!  Paired with some baked potatoes also made on the grill and some cauliflower and broccoli it made for an excellent traditional meat and potatoes meal.

Of course, no meal can go perfectly.  When purchasing the steaks I picked two packs that looked good at a glance.  Didn't notice until I got home that one of them was thin cut with two steaks stacked on top of each other.  The one pictured was the normal strip steak.  That one Michelle got to eat.  Mine were still good, just a bit well done.  Since I like them that way anyway, it was no loss.

Cooking 101 #22/52 Guy Fieri's Jerk Chicken and Mambo Rice

Guy Fieri's Jerk Chicken kabobs and Mambo Rice

Summer is here so it was time to move the cooking outside!  This was a good way to kick off the grilling season.  It was a bit involved but not overly complicated to prepare.  We were afraid that the kabobs would be too hot so we cut most of the seeds out of the habanero we used but otherwise stuck to the recipe.  And it was good!  "Winner, winner, chicken dinner" as Guy would say.  I prepared the marinade the night before.  The next day I thawed the chicken and then cut it into pieces to marinate for a few hours.  While marinating I prepared the mango salsa and the herbs for the rice.  I also prepped some dressing for the salad, just an Italian vinaigrette that I kicked up with some Chipotle pepper.  Started the frill warming and put the chicken on the kabobs.  Started the rice, gave it a few minutes and added the seasoning then placed the kabobs on the grill.  Prepped the salads and everything was ready to be plated together.  Great flavor, good heat, perhaps a bit too onion-y for my taste.  Definitely on the to-be-remade list.

Cooking 101 #21/52 Ginger-Apricot Chicken

Ginger-Apricot Chicken

Ok, I can't recommend this one.  It sounded interesting but neither Michelle or I were wild about it. 

Cooking 101 #20/52 Seared Lemon Chicken w/ Garlic, Honey, And Balsamic Vinegar

Seared Lemon Chicken with Garlic, Honey, and Balsamic Vinegar

This was one of my favorites.  Nothing too complicated, but the marinade (made per the recipe linked above) was delicious.  Sweet, tangy, kept on just long enough for some carmelization to form.  To round out the meal I made some purple cauliflower (it actually tastes the same as regular cauliflower but has more nutrients) and rice (Michelle's recipe, uses some vegetable and beef stock along with water when cooking, I added a splash of balsamic vinegar as well).  I'm actually getting comfortable with having a few things cooking at once and they all finished together for this meal... progress!

Cooking 101 #19/52 Argentine Empanadas

Argentine Empanadas

It was the week of Cinco de Mayo, I wanted to do something Mexican to celebrate.  I decided to look for an empanada recipe and found this one.  It seems that most Mexican empanadas are dessert empanadas (at least my quick search seemed to indicate that, don't take my word for it though), so a South American influenced recipe ended up being my final choice.  I cheated to make this quicker, I used Pillsbury buttermilk biscuit dough for the shells.  I came across that suggestion while searching for a recipe and like it so I ran with it.

The filling was modified slightly.  I just sliced the eggs and put one slice in each empanada rather than dicing it and mixing it with the filling.  I dropped the peppers from the recipe as well.  I didn't want jalepenos since Shannon would be eating these (and she did) and I dropped the bell peppers since I'm not a fan.  I considered dropping the raisins as I wasn't sure I'd like their flavor in the mix but I ended up loving it.  As a matter of fact, if I would drop anything from the recipe it would be the olives.  Michelle, Shannon and I each loved them, I had made enough for several meals and they disappeared quickly.  Definitely another recipe to make again!

Cooking 101 #18/52 Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls with Apple!  It was Easter weekend, Michelle had control of dinner, I handled one of the desserts.  Cinnamon rolls with apple made from scratch.  Chewy, moist, sticky, YUM!  They were delicious.

Cooking 101 #17/52 (Not just a) Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Not Just a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

April is grilled cheese month (seriously, google it!) so I decided to celebrate.  Yes grilled cheese may be a steep above boiling water but I decided to make  it something a bit out of the ordinary.  Both Michelle and I love white pizza, so I set out to reproduce the flavors in a sandwich.  I figured I would need some ricotta and mozzarella cheeses to do this as well as some garlic butter.  I also decided to add provolone cheese and smoked turkey breast and to make the sandwich on pumpernickel bread for some added flavor.  The result was delicious and highly recommended.  The only change I would make for the next batch would be to tone down the salt in the garlic butter recipe I used, that was a bit overpowering.

Recipe:
Two slices of pumpernickel bread, apply garlic butter to the outside of each.
Add ricotta cheese to the other side of one slice.
Place one slice of mozzarella, one slice of provolone, and one slice of turkey between the slices of bread.
Cook on medium-low heat until cheese melts and/or bread starts to brown.

Feel free to add bacon, tomato, avocado, or other items as your taste desires!

Cooking 101 #16/52 Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Stovetop fried potato slices
Steamed broccoli

This was a new meal for both of us.  We've made something similar before but the version we had was a much more moist coating, this was more of a breading.  It was relatively simple to prepare and had good flavor but I think I would try another recipe or modify this one a bit if I made it again... just a bit to salty for my taste.  Of course I compounded this by over-salting the fries.

Cooking 101 #15/52 Halupki Casserole

Last week was for Michelle, today was fro me.  Halupkis (I refuse to call it stuffed cabbage!).  I grew up with my mom making these many times a year.  It wasn't until I was a teenager that I started to appreciate the cabbage, before that I would just eat the filling.  Michelle had made them for me a few times, but she wasn't a huge fan.  At a family gathering we had a simplified halupki casserole made with sauerkraut.  It was actually very good and Michelle made that version a few times.  That all came to a stop about five years ago.  She made them one night when she had a stomach bug and ever since the simple thought of the meal turned her stomach.  A few days ago I asked her if she'd be willing to give it a go again.  She was up for an attempt.

Well, I looked for a recipe that appealed to me and actually ended up taking some ideas from a few and combining it into this meal:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 head of cabbage
1 small to medium onion
1 clove garlic
2/3 cup of uncooked rice
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
16 oz tomato sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the ground beef, onion, and garlic until the beef is browned.  Cook the rice.  Boil the cabbage until it begins to soften.  Combine all of these items in a casserole dish.  Mix the tomato sauce, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce and then spread over the top of the casserole.  Bake at 350 for one hour.

There you go!  Much easier to make than actual halupkis but all the flavor and texture is there.  I loved it and plan on making another batch to use up the rest of the cabbage this weekend.  Give it a shot, let me know what you think.

Cooking 101 #14/52 Fish Tacos

This week was another experiment for the benefit of Michelle, fish tacos.  I am not a seafood person myself.  I've been eating more of it in the pas 10 years or so but still limit myself to actual seafood, not freshwater fish.  I tend to like tuna, swordfish and tilapia steaks.  I figured I would give tilapia fish tacos a shot since Michelle absolutely loves fish tacos.  I found this recipe on a discussion board of one of my favorites sites, the absolute best site on the internet, [redacted, first rule violation detected].  It was a simple marinade of olive oil, fresh lime juice, garlic, pepper, tequila, and brown sugar.  Cooked until the fish was just to the point where it would fall apart with a tug of a fork.  Served on corn tortillas with fresh onion, cilantro, black bean and corn salsa, and a chipotle sour cream.  Michelle loved it, plans on making it again.  I could barely manage to get one down, my head simply was convincing my stomach that these content had no business being there.  Not sure why, I usually like tilapia, this just didn't sit well.

Cooking 101 #13/52 Chili

Decided to try my hand at some chili!  Not quite my favorite bowl of chili, a bit to spicy.  Easy enough to eat a bowl, but hot enough that I decided not to take a second bowl.  I'm also not a tomato fan so the stewed tomatoes probably weren't the best idea.  Even so, I've made some notes to modify the recipe and I think I will try another batch sometime soon.

Cooking 101 #12/52 Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas!  Well, it was worth a shot.  Wasn't wild with the results this time.  Just not a recipe that worked for me, taste wise.  I will give these a try some other time with a completely different recipe.

Cooking 101 #11/52 Hamburger BBQ

Sunday was my day for cooking this week.  And I mean the whole day.  I started off with a nice breakfast.  Skillet fried potatoes, onions, and garlic along with scrambled eggs, cheese, and salsa in a tortilla wrap.  No pics of that one as it wasn't my official project meal, it was a breakfast I've tossed together a few times before.

For dinner it was sloppy joes (or hamburger barbecue, as I prefer calling it) and a tossed salad.  Nothing fancy, but it was a new recipe.  Normally hamburger BBQ starts with ketchup and mustard and you go from there to make it your own.  This one called for soy sauce, no mustard.  I was worried but Michelle and I both thought it was one of the best versions we have had.  Simple recipe, minimal mess, minimal time to make.  Give it a try!

Here is the recipe, if you're interested!

Cooking 101 #10/52 Cowboy Grilled Chicken

Today's recipe was.... borrowed... from an old dinner at Ruby Tuesday's.  Years ago they had a meal call "Cowboy Grills Chicken" that was blackened chicken over garlic potatoes with steamed carrots, broccoli  and cauliflower and breaded onion straws.  It was my favorite meal there and I've rarely been back since it was dropped from the menu.   Michelle recreated this at home for me when we found they had removed it.

Our version is nearly identical except we use Durkee Fried Onions in place of the onion straws.  Not much of a recipe here to offer other than to say that I use Rick's Ragin Cajun rub to make the chicken.  Came out great!  Getting better at timing various items so they all finish together.

Cooking 101 #9/52 Stir Fry

Week #9 and I decided to go into a new area.  Oriental this time.  Stir fry.  But again I had to make sure this was mostly homemade.  Fresh veggies? Check. Homemade sauce?  Check.   There ya go!  So, fresh broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.  Frozen sugar snap peas for Michelle.  All steamed until tender.  Chicken fried until just browning.  Mixed the chicken and veggies, added the sauce (recipe below), then presented for serving along with rice (fried until lightly browned, steamed with chicken broth).  It was good, but as seems to be the trend, it could have used a bit more spice.

Stir Fry Sauce

Cooking 101 #8/52 Chicken Cordon Bleu

Week number eight's meal was Chicken Cordon Bleu.  This was a simple recipe, ingredient-wise.  This was, however, my least successful recipe to date.  That was due to a lack of a perfect thinning of the chicken... one of the breasts split a bit and was nearly impossible to keep rolled during cooking.  The one in the picture came out pretty well though.  This also was a rather bland recipe.  If I try this meal again I would choose a different recipe to use.  Even so, it was good.  Both Michelle and I found the results acceptable, although just not interesting enough to repeat without modification.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe

Cooking 101 #7 Valentine's Day (Crab Cakes)

Valentine's Day weekend is here.  With how busy Michelle and I have been I wanted to make sure I did something special for her this weekend.  But also with how busy we've been and due to the fact that we are trying to save money for our addition, I knew I couldn't go big on spending. So I started looking for a special dinner I could cook this weekend.  Well, Michelle loves seafood but I am not a huge fan.  I only eat saltwater seafood and rarely find shellfish to my liking.  But for this weekend I decided to go for it.  Crab cakes!

The whole menu consisted of an Asian influenced salad with field greens, chick peas, green onions, strawberries, garlic-ginger wonton strips, and a sesame-ginger dressing.  Next were the crab cakes along with Parmesan fries. Finally followed up with a white cake with butter cream frosting.  Michelle was pleasantly surprised by the menu and the results.  And yes, I managed to eat the crab cakes as well.  Definitely not my favorite meal so far, but that was a consequence of the ingredients, not the preparation.

Of course, the cake prep was and adventure in itself, trying to get it made in advance while Michelle was at work.  Quite a challenge to bake and frost a cake in just a few hours while watching a two year old when you are not familiar with most of the processes!

Here are the recipes:
Crab Cakes
Parmesan Fries
White Cake

Cooking 101 #6/52 Pizza

Pizza sauce and dough made form scratch.  The dough was assembled last night, allowed to rise overnight in the fridge, then stretched into shape tonight.  The resulting crust was good, but not spectacular.  Might have been better if it was made on a stone instead of a pan.  The sauce wasn't my favorite, a bit too sweet for me but Michelle loved it.  I'd definitely give this recipe another chance, possibly with a few modifications.

Here's the recipe.

Cooking 101 #5/52 Meat Loaf

Tonight was meat loaf night.  Homemade meat loaf (2 lbs ground beef, 1 cup diced onions, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/8 cup mustard, 2 cups bread crumbs, 1 clove roasted garlic, 1 egg, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp pepper, 2 tsp parsley) along with garlic/Parmesan mashed potatoes and corn.  Another success, I can tell because my father was here and actually had seconds.  My father eats little, even less if he doesn't like the food.  

Dicing onions was yet again part of the prep, I'm pretty sure I have that mastered at this point.  Peeling potatoes is another item I'm getting a bit of practice with.  That still needs work, too much potato getting wasted with the peels.  Still, I definitely took less this time than last and I'm sure it will get better next time.  Still trying to master the basics.... proper knife handling.  Getting there.  

Cooking 101 #4/52 Lasagne

LASAGNA!  I love allrecipes.com.  So far each meal I've tried has been a hit.  This week's recipe was lasagna. Nothing fancy, but it was delicious!  I'm getting to be a pro at dicing onions.  One of the basics of cooking down.  Fresh grated Parmesan definitely worth that tiny bit of extra effort.  I might cut back on the hamburger a bit next time and increase the liquid component slightly, maybe a small can of tomato sauce.  Tons of food left over, lunches for work over the next week are set!

Cooking 101 #3/52 Pizza Rolls

Meal #3 wasn't really a meal.  This week was a bit busy.  There were no nights that were good for a family dinner.  So the meal for the family turned into snacks for a neighborhood party.  I'd seen a recipe for crescent rolls stuffed with peppers and cheeses.  The end result looked like pizza rolls.  I figured I could modify that to make pizza rolls, so I did.

The picture is actually taken after the party....  dummy forgot to take one when they came out of the oven.  Sorry!  They did look a bit more presentable when they were fresh!

For each pack of crescent rolls, I mixed up 4 oz of pizza sauce, 1/4 cup of mozzarella, and enough cubed pepperoni to suit your tastes.  Mix these ingredients in a bowl.  Unroll the crescent rolls, separate into four rectangles and pinch closed the angled perforations.  Put a thin layer of the sauce mixture on about one half of each dough rectangle (along a long edge).  Roll the dough up, sealing the sauce inside, and slice into three sections.  Bake on a cookie sheet (spray with cooking spray) for about 15 minutes (the dough should be golden-brown).  Let cool for a few minutes and serve!

Cooking 101 #2/52 Chicken Pot Pie

    The second meal of my Cooking 101 project was a Chicken Pot Pie.  Crusts were again store bought refrigerated crusts from Pillsbury, but they are honestly excellent crusts.  Maybe I'll eventually get ambitious enough to try to make some from scratch, but not quite yet.  I made the recipe as listed except I used a frozen pack of mixed veggies rather than the individual frozen veggies and fresh carrots.  This meal definitely topped the first one for flavor.  Definitely recommended.

Cooking 101 #1/52 Broccol/Ham/Swiss Quiche

I don't cook.  I heat.  I reheat.  I may occasionally grill.  The most adventurous I normally get in the kitchen is scrambled eggs.  This project is meant to change that.  One meal a week, no repeats, not already prepared meals.  Maybe not entirely from scratch, but at least some assembly required.  By the end of the year I hope to be much more confident in the kitchen.  Who knows, could happen, right?

Broccoli/Ham/Swiss Quiche

The first item I decided to make was a broccoli/ham/swiss quiche.  I admit to cheating on the crust, that was prepackaged, but other than that this was assembled by me.  Fresh broccoli, steamed a bit in advance so it wouldn't be completely crisp, a couple of slices off of a baked ham, cut into cubes, and some shredded swiss cheese layered into the shell.  Beat some eggs, milk, salt, pepper, mustard powder together and pour it over the layers.  Forty five minutes in the oven and above was the result.  Golden brown with just a slight crispiness to the top.  Fluffy and moist inside.  A nice balance of flavors although I would definitely cut back slightly on the ham and/or increase the amount of broccoli.  Overall a very successful first night for my Cooking 101 project.

Interested in trying this? Here's the recipe.