Night 50

Recipe 174
Chili Dog Bacon Cheeseburgers and Fiery Fries
Matt rating *****

Ingredients used:

Bacon
Crispy-style frozen French fries
Ground beef
Hot dogs
Chili powder
Grill seasoning
Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce
Ketchup
Vegetable oil
Cheddar cheese
Unsalted butter
Garlic cloves
Chives
Coarse salt
Hamburger buns

Well, this didn't exactly turn out to be burgers...more like Sloppy Joe's but without the sloppy sauce. The patties literally fell apart when I tried to flip them. I think there was a little bit too much liquid in the mix. There was so much flavor in the meat, but the Fiery French fries were YUMMY! Once again, this was a very simple meal to make, but packed full of deliciousness. I think I will definitely use the butter/garlic/hot sauce/chive mixture to cover my fries in in the future!

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Mandy

Night 49

Recipe 329
Ham and Spinach Hash with Fried Eggs
Matt rating *****

Ingredients used:

EVOO
Unsalted butter
Red potatoes
S&P
Thyme
Red pepper flakes
Red onion
Ham steak
Eggs
Spinach leaves
Basil
Parmigiano-Reggiano

On Matt's request, I added pancakes to this meal, because what is breakfast for dinner without pancakes? I made him rate the meal just on the hash and eggs, and he obviously loved it! The potatoes turned out crispy - just the way I like them! I will probably have to go running tomorrow morning to work some of the calories off from dinner tonight, but it was well worth it!

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Mandy

Night 48

Recipe 242
Tomato-Basil Pasta Nests
Matt rating ****1/2

Ingredients used:

Coarse salt
Angel hair pasta
EVOO
Garlic cloves
Yellow onion
Crushed tomatoes
Coarse black pepper
Basil leaves
Pesto sauce
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Crusty bread

This was definitely one of the easier meals to prepare - it took all of about 15 minutes! I must admit that I was not a fan of pesto awhile back, but it has become an acquired taste and now I love it! I think that I actually would have used more than the recipe called for just to be able to taste it a little better. I added a simple salad of red leaf lettuce drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a dash of salt and pepper. The baguette I picked up at the store yesterday was great for mopping up the sauce from the pasta. Good stuff Maynard!

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Mandy

Night 47

Recipe 153
Southwest Pasta Bake
Matt rating *****

Ingredients used:

Coarse salt
Penne (I used whole wheat)
Vegetable oil
Boneless skinless chicken breast
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Chili powder
Black pepper
Yellow onion
Garlic cloves
Jalepeno
Unsalted butter
Flour
Milk
Sharp yellow Cheddar
Cilantro
Flat-leaf parsley

This was definitely a keeper recipe and one that I may use for a meal exchange group that I am a part of. Very tasty and super filling! I snuck whole wheat pasta into this dish figuring that all the cheese and seasoning would hide it from Matt - he didn't even notice! I guess I'm getting practice for hiding good stuff into meals for when Judah is old enough to have an opinion ;-) There are plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow and I will freeze the rest for another night when I don't feel like cooking.

No meals are planned for the next two nights...maybe Thursday? Stay tuned...

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Mandy

Night 46

Recipe 100
Gravy-Smothered Cajun-Style Meatloaf Patties with Maple Pecan-Glazed String Beans
Matt rating ****1/2

Ingredients used:

Ground beef
Ground pork
Plain bread crumbs
Milk
Egg
S&P
Worcestershire sauce
Freshly grated nutmeg
Tomato paste
Green bell pepper
Garlic clove
Scallions
Vegetable oil
Pecan halves
Chicken stock
Green beans
Unsalted butter
Maple syrup
Onion
Red pepper flakes
Flour
Heavy cream
Flat-leaf parsley

Okay so I know this seems like a lot of ingredients for one recipe, but the majority of them we all have on hand. Matt LOVED the green beans - and as you know by now if you've been reading this blog, he is not big on green anything! My favorite part of the meal was the gravy. The meatloaf patties would have been a little too plain without it, which surprised me considering how much "stuff" went into them.

I will soon be headed back into my kitchen to make tonight's meal - Southwestern Pasta Bake. If I have enough time tonight I will post then, if not, come back tomorrow.

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Mandy

Night 45

Recipe 104
Garlic and Herb Chicken with Romesco Sauce on Spicy Greens
Matt rating ****1/2

Ingredients used:

Garlic cloves
EVOO
Flat-leaf parsley
S&P
Thyme
Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Sliced almonds
Sandwich bread
Roasted red peppers
Red wine vinegar
Plum tomato
Arugula

I must say that I LOVE my food processor! It makes recipes like this super easy to make. This took a grand total of about 20 minutes from start to finish, with easy cleanup! The Romesco sauce that goes over the top of the chicken is really yummy with a nice kick from the garlic. I have so much of it leftover that now I have to figure out what to use it for because it's too good to let go to waste!

Stay tuned tomorrow night for Gravy-Smothered Cajun-Style Meatloaf Patties! I'm really attempting to get back into the groove of cooking - it's hard to get back on the wagon after the holidays though!

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Mandy

Night 44

Recipe 24
Salsa Stoup and Double-Decker Baked Quesadillas
Matt rating *****

Ingredients used:

Vegetable oil
Jalepeno peppers
Green bell pepper
Onion
Celery
Garlic cloves
S&P
Stewed tomatoes
Crushed tomatoes
Chicken stock
Cilantro
Flour tortillas
Cheddar
Scallions
Pepper Jack
Sour cream

Once again, I was pretty surprised that Matt gave this such a high rating considering all the tomatoes used. There have been other recipes that have called for the quesadillas though and I think that those make up for the tomatoes because he absolutely loves all the cheese! This spicy meal fills you up without filling you out! Good stuff, Maynard!!!

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Mandy