Night 38

Recipe 202

Fall Minestrone

Matt rating ****

Ingredients used:

EVOO

Pancetta (I used bacon)

Red pepper flakes

Garlic cloves

Portobello mushroom caps

Onions

Carrots

Celery ribs

Salt and pepper

Fresh rosemary

Fresh sage (I didn't have any)

Zucchini

Kale

Cannellini beans

Diced tomatoes

Chicken stock

Vegetable stock

Parmigiano cheese

Ditalini pasta

Crusty bread

Matt isn't a really big fan of soup, and I sort of had to talk his rating up. I personally thought this soup was really good. I've never cooked with kale before, but I've had it in soup at the Olive Garden before and I knew I would like it. I'm glad to have plenty left over for lunch tomorrow!

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Mandy

Night 37

Recipe 201

Aussie Meat Pies, Made Quick

Matt rating ****

Ingredients used:

Refrigerated pie crust

Salt and Pepper

EVOO

Unsalted butter

Ground beef

Onion

Flour

Worcestershire sauce

Tomato paste

Brown sugar

Beef stock

Grill seasoning

Ketchup

Fresh chives

These are a ritzy version of a sloppy Joe, and a sped-up version of a down-under favorite - and very tasty!

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Mandy

Night 36

Recipe 137

Artichoke and Walnut Pesto Pasta

Matt rating *****

Ingredients used:

Course salt

Penne rigate

Walnut pieces

Artichoke hearts

Garlic clove

Zest of lemon

Flat-leaf parsley

Parmigiano-Reggiano

Course black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

EVOO

Arugula

(I also added chicken)

I made this dish for company, and it's always a cook's best compliment when they ask for the recipe! I added chicken to make the dish a bit more filling and satisfying, and it was delicious!

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Mandy

Night 35

Recipe 256

Chicken Divan and Egg Noodle Bake

Matt rating ****1/2

Ingredients used:

EVOO

Unsalted butter

Button mushrooms

Flour

Chicken stock

Cream

Freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and pepper

Shallot

Chicken breasts

Broccoli florets

Fresh thyme leaves

Dry white wine

Extra-wide egg noodles

Unsalted butter

Gruyere cheese (I used cheddar)

Chives

I guess I was in a comfort-food kind of mood last week when I was making these dishes - lots of pasta dishes in the same week! I love my carbs though, so no biggie! This was a great twist on a classic, and dumbing it down so any average cook like myself could pull it off. Good stuff!

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Mandy

Night 34

Recipe 67

Sirloin Burgers with Gorgonzola Cheese and Mediterranean Slaw

Matt rating *****

Ingredients used:

Garlic clove

Feta cheese crumbles

EVOO

Juice of a lemon

Sugar

Radicchio

Red onion

Fresh dill

Coarse salt

Poppy seeds

Sesame seeds

Ground sirloin

Yellow onion

Coarse black pepper

Fresh sage

Balsamic vinegar

Gorgonzola cheese

Rolls or hamburger buns

Arugula

WOW!!! These have got to be the very best burgers I have ever made, and maybe have even ever tasted! They were very flavorful and the Gorgonzola cheese melted on top was heaven on a bun. The Mediterranean Slaw was interesting and had a great bite to it. I will definitely be making these burgers again in the future.

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Mandy

Night 33

Recipe 9

Turkey Noodle Casserole

Matt rating ****1/2

Ingredients used:

Course salt

Extra-wide egg noodles

EVOO

Bacon

Ground turkey

White mushrooms

Onion

Freshly ground black pepper

Ground thyme

Dry white wine

Chicken stock

Heavy cream

Freshly grated nutmeg

Unsalted butter

Gruyere cheese (I used cheddar)

Plain bread crumbs

Flat-leaf parsley

Once again I was a little surprised that Matt gave this one such a high rating, considering the ingredients used! I'm so far behind on my blog that I can't quite remember how long it took to make this, but I remember how good it tasted! On to the next blog entry!

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Mandy

Night 32

Recipe 13

Saucy BBQ Chicken Sammies with Pepper and Scallion Potato Salad

Matt rating ****

Ingredients used:

Small potatoes

Pepperoncini peppers

Red bell pepper

Scallions

Wine vinegar

EVOO

S&P

Chicken stock

Mexican beer

Chicken breast halves

Garlic cloves

Onion

Worcestershire sauce

Hot sauce

Grill seasoning

Dark brown sugar

Tomato paste

Pickle slices

Hamburger buns

I would call these Spicy Chicken Sloppy Joe's. They had a great kick and lots of flavor. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon and plenty leftover for snacking tonight!

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Mandy

Night 31

Recipe 101

Cheddar-Studded Tex-Mex Meatloaf Patties, Scallion Smashed Potatoes, and Spicy Pan Gravy

Matt rating **1/2

Ingredients used:

Ground sirloin

Plain bread crumbs

Milk

Egg

S&P

Worcestershire sauce

Nutmeg

Tomato paste

Bell pepper

Garlic clove

Scallions

Vegetable oil

Chicken stock

Potatoes

Ground coriander

Ground cumin

Sharp cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Cilantro

Lime

As you can tell from Matt's rating, this turned out to be a near-disaster! This was a take-off from a master recipe and I had to go back and forth between the two. The directions were incorrect/incomplete so I ended up not using all the ingredients that I should have in the meatloaf patties. Had I done everything correctly, I think this would have turned out much better. I tried to salvage it by topping the meatloaf with the cheese, since I didn't add it beforehand, but alas, it was a tad bit too late. I should have reduced the heat from what the directions said, but was too busy prepping other ingredients to notice that the meatloaf patties turned out really well done. At least I made it to over 30 recipes before we had a bad one! Oh well, on to the next one!

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Mandy