Quinoa with Mushrooms, Kale and Sweet Potatoes

Not bad, but not great

Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro

solid, not mindblowing, consider curry and not chili powder

Creamy Parmesan Polenta

Lumpy and not good

Lemon Fettucine with Broccoli and Pancetta

Very good and very easy. Didn't make the pancetta croutons.

Fettucine Girlfredo

Close enough!

Chicken and Soba Noodles

Very good!

Pasta with Mushroom and Kasha

Average, maybe not a great recipe.

Barley-Asparagus Risotto with Balsamic Vinegar

Excellent, takes longer if barley isn't quick-cooking. Wait to add asparagus until almost finished.

Parmesan Bow-Tie Skillet

Very good

Spaghetti with Zesty Bolognese

Good

Chicken with Bulgur Pilaf

Easy and solid. A little plain, add herbs and curry? Made with green beans, no spinach.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Very good, but takes a while. A great, hearty fall dish.  Just cube all of the squash. Served with fish.

Asian Noodle Salad with Shrimp

Average, spicy. Truly a salad, could use other meat, like chicken.

Vodka Cream Pasta

Very good!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara di Zucchine

Very easy!

Baked Orzo with Shrimp, Tomato Sauce and Feta

Totally changed the recipe- used red wine and no oil.

Rosemary Grilled Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Takes a bit, but good. Made with bulgur, recipe with lemony-rice parsely salad

Lemony Rice-Parsley Salad

Ok, but use much less parsley. Olives are alright, but everything else is removable.

Ravioli with Peas and Shallots

Bland, boring, uninspired

Creamy Risotto with Edamame

Excellent, even without totally following the recipe.  Picture with original recipe.

Chicken With Olives and Carrots

Not bad, but the flavors don't really mesh. Flavor is strong from olives, but not cohesive and just mixed together.Takes a while and not extraordinary.
White rice and asparagus
2/26/10

Sausage and Tomato Rigatoni

Good

Smarter Fettucine Alfredo

Very good!

Lemon Pecan Wild Rice

A good recipe, just time consuming.

Beef Noodle Bowl

Good, not outstanding

Wild Rice with Cremini Mushrooms

A solid way to prepare wild rice.

Fettucine Alfredo

TNBR
2/24/10

Spicy Pork and Cashew Stir-Fry

Recipe suggests snow peas and red peppers. Marinade is good.

Beef and Barley Risotto

Good

Beef and Dark Beer Chili

good, but use much less chili powder!

Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce

Good, but fairly heavy.

Grilled Breaded Pork Chops

Good

Emily's Pork Tenderloin

Delicious! Served with asparagus.

Pork Tenderloin with Blueberry Sauce

Excellent!

Slow-Cooked Carnitas Tacos

Unremarkable, but fine.

Roast Pork with Mustard Vinaigrette

Very good, made with chops. Recipe suggests asparagus

Honey, Mustard and Rosemary Pork Roast

Lighter than the other, similar recipe. I used pork chops. Very good!

Pork Chops with Guinness Stout and Onion Gravy

Heavy but good.

Simply Glazed Pork Chop Dinner

Very good. I substituted brown sugar for the syrup. Recipe includes rice and broccoli

Grilled Veal Chops with Lemon Caper Sauce

Use sauce as marinade. I made with pork, could even be chicken, like piccata, or beef as mentioned in recipe.

Pork Chops with Hoisin-Molasses Barbecue Sauce

Solid, makes enough sauce for rice, as well. Served with rice and green beans

Takeout

White meat sesame chicken, steamed veggie dumplings, shrimp with Chinese vegetable
2/22/10

Beef and Carrot Stew with Dark Beer

Very good and hearty, but time consuming. Served with egg noodles

Delmonico Steaks

Good marinade

Beef Ragout

Made with turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and butternut squash- all excellent. Hearty and stew-like with no slow cooking necessary. Served with egg noodles.

Pan-Grilled Beer-Marinated Hanger Steak

Marinade is excellent!

Seared Pork Medallions with Sherried Pan Sauce

Not bad- fairly simple, and quick. I didn't make medallions, just rubbed the outside of the tenderloin and roasted it.

Pork Chops Scarapariello

Made with tenderloin, very good and not spicy. Possibly omit butter.

Roast Pork Tenderloin

Made with pork chops with no real marinating time, and still had decent flavor.

Steamed Wasabi Salmon with Ponzu Sauce

Ponzu sauce was excellent and simple. Steaming keeps the fish moist, was good and different. Served with green beans and rice.
2/23/10

Spanish Cod with Chickpeas and Sherry

I used tilapia, fast and very yummy!

Grilled Grouper with Basil-Lime Pistou

I used tilapia, very good, very easy.

Fruity Curried Chicken

Time consuming and not great, Mike didn't love the "mushy fruit."

Spicy Orange Chicken Stir Fry

Not outstanding, served with rice and broccoli.

Turkey Sloppy Joes

Good, but more effort than payoff. Make sure rolls are soft!

Chicken Stewed in White Wine, Garlic and Cinnamon

Very good. Served with broccoli, omitted parmesan.

Stuffed Peppers

I make with chicken, but could use ground meat.

Sweet Citrus Chicken

Made on stovetop, didn't make stuffing. Good overall

Asian Chicken Salad with Snap Peas and Bok Choy

Good, solid, very much a salad and a little involved for what it is

Chicken Parmesan

Flattening the breasts is key here, very good overall.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken in Cream Sauce

Made twice, once with chicken that didn't cook correctly, the other with tilapia- both good. Served with asparagus.

Chicken with Honey, Lemon and Oregano

Made for Mom's birthday. Not fast, but solid- very good

Chicken with Shallot-Red Wine Vinegar Sauce

Very good, Mike really liked it. Served with green beans.

Clay Pot Ginger Chicken

Smells incredible, tastes good but not great. Time consuming. Served with rice and broccoli.

Curried Chicken, Peppers and Peas

Good, not great.

Braised Chicken with White Wine, Tomatoes and Peas

Solid but not mindblowing.

Chicken Baked in White Wine Marinade

Average. Marinade was weak and the flavor average.

Slow Cooker Chicken Posole

Very good! Used breasts, not thighs.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Cheating, but easier than the full version and a little lighter.

Parmesan-Stuffed Chicken and Melted Strawberries

Very good, but a little labor intensive. I used Laughing Cow wedges, tasted fine.

Grilled Chicken with Roasted Grape Tomatoes

 I used breasts, not thighs. Easy and great for summer tomatoes.

Grilled Honey Balsamic Chicken

Very good and VERY easy.

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Chili

Very good- I used taco seasoning.

Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes

Super tummy and great flavor. Mike didn't like the mushiness of the potatoes- maybe make separate roasted sweet potatoes or fries? Longer cooking time.

Spiced Chicken with Tangerine Sauce

Different. Not too spicy, good with rice and broccoli.

Chicken Breasts with Citrus Pan Sauce

Good, though very lemony. Just saute in the pan, baking made the chicken a bit dry.

Braised Chicken with Green Peppers and Tomatoes

Fine but time consuming with no real need or payoff.

Roast Chicken with Cumin, Paprika and Allspice

Good. Very flavorful. I just rubbed the spices on the cutlets and baked with butternut squash.

White Bean and Chicken Chili

Terrible- totally a waste of 6+ hours and flavorless.

Shrimp with Asian Spices

Very spicy and the sauce is totally pointless.

Coconut Lime Shrimp with Peanut Sauce

I didn't use the marinade when I made this, just the sauce. Overall still very good.

Shrimp Spring Rolls with Hoisin Dipping Sauce

Mike liked them, but  it was very plain.

Tuscan Shrimp with White Beans

A fan favorite, very good and very easy.

Curried Rice with Shrimp

Good

Salmon "Bulgogi"

Bok choy and mushrooms suggested, but could be any veggies. a bit spicy but overall very good and fast

Scampi Fra Diavolo

Excellent! Served with white beans, butter and panko can be omitted. 

Ginger-Garlic Shrimp with Tangy Tomato Sauce

Marinade wasn't too noticeable, but was good. Dipping sauce is excellent- simple and tasty!

Roasted Shrimp with Champagne-Shallot Sauce

Good, but the champagne flavor doesn't really come through. It's basically just a butter sauce that takes a while.

Baked Tilapia

Very good and easy

CrockPot Chicken Cacciatore

Not bad, not remarkable.

Turkey Jambalaya

Mike liked, it was OK overall. Smoked drumsticks are at VFM, trimming it off the bone is a pain.

Tilapia with Balsamic Butter Sauce

Excellent sauce, very good recipe overall

Maple Soy Glazed Salmon

Very good and quick cooking, but needs to marinate

Catfish in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Even halved, the recipe made  a TON of sauce. Spicy but not too remarkable. I used tilapia instead of catfish.

Pan Seared Shrimp

Very good and easy, didn't bother with the initial extra flavors and still fine
with soba noodles and broccoli

Glazed Salmon with Broccoli Rice

Very good and easy!

Scallops with Asparagus

Very good, quite easy

Shrimp Scampi with Green Onions and Orzo

Fine but unremarkable

Curried Shrimp with Quinoa

Excellent!

Grilled Shrimp with Rosemary

Totally average- nothing special whatsoever

Broiled Tilapia with Tomato Caper Sauce

Very good, fairly quick

Red Curry Shrimp

Simple

Balsamic Tomato and Basil Salad

Easy and good- a no-miss combination

Crispy Parmesan Potatoes

very good, very easy

Romaine with Parmesan Vinegarette

The dressing is excellent, overall a very good and easy salad.

Garlic and Olive Oil Smashed Potatoes

Very good and super easy.

Thyme Roasted Potatoes

Excellent though not fast

Wilted Spinach with Roasted Garlic

Boring, just ok, very unremarkable

Spanish Style Grilled Vegetables

Easy and very good

Asian-Style Stuffed Bell Peppers

Average, and really not "Asian."

Confetti Spaghetti Squash

Rather bland, but an OK side

Grilled New Potato Packet

Good, a straight forward, simple side.

Curried Carrot salad with Yogurt

Super fast and simple

Grilled Zucchini Salad with Lemon and Scallions

Good, but the combination itself is the best part- not the recipe

Mujadara

Good, but takes a long time to make. Not overly remarkable

Lentils with Sausage and Swiss Chard

Served with tilapia, with was very good and nicely hands-off.

White Bean Chili with Jalapeno Bulgur

Filling, and the recipe males a lot. It's fairly easy and not overly spicy.

Potato Swiss Chard Curry

A bit spicy, but just OK.

Green Beans with Pecans, Lemon and Parsley

Average- it's pretty much just beans.

Mike's Crab Rangoon

Fried or baked. Maybe stick with the baked.

Hot Spinach Dip

Fast, easy, and very good!

Black Bean Tortilla Soup

Good but very spicy- watch out for adding too much adobo

Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew

I really liked this with white rice. A little spicy but excellent.

Kentucky Beer Cheese

Gloppy and odd

Buffalo Chicken Dip

A fan favorite

Chicken and Corn Chili

A little watery, but good flavor. Leave out excess liquid, or some broth.

Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup

Very good, but makes a lot. any veggies can be used.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Good and fast, but uses microwave.

Asian Dumpling Soup

Any veggies could be used, easy with the frozen dumplings.

Black Bean and Chorizo Soup

I used regular Italian sausage. It was very thick, but good.

Curried Tomato and White Bean Soup

Fine but unremarkable

Creamy White Bean Dip

very tasty and easy

Zucchini and Chickpea Ratatouille

Watch for the red pepper flakes, too much and it gets too spicy

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Excellent flavor, even though I didn't marinate it for as long as the recipe suggested.

Stir Fried Beef, Broccoli and Yams

with white rice

The sauce is quite good, but I liked it more than Mike. Yams an interesting addition, slice thinly.

Mamaduke's Chili

Made with ground turkey, definitely less greasy than others. Adjust amount of soup for different consistency. Overall yummy and super easy.

Takeout

Dinner party
2/6/10
Steamed veggie dumplings, white meat General's chicken, shrimp and broccoli, crab rangoon

Black Bean Tacos

2/12/10

Made with the last of the dried beans, not bad but not great. Salsa would've been a good addition, a little bland with just onions, sazon and beans.

Quinoa Risotto with Mushrooms

2/11/10

Chicken Braised with Peppers

2/10/10

Mahi Mahi with Green Gazpacho Sauce

The sauce is nice, a light topping for the fish.

2/9/10

Citrus Chicken

with wild rice and green beans
2/8/10

Stir Fry

2/14/10

Red and yellow peppers, shrimp, mushrooms

Red Bean Vegetable Jambalaya

2/16/10

Omitted cauliflower, and added shrimp and collards for me, andouille for Mike. Stirred it together with long grain white rice instead of couscous. It's not a fast recipe, but a very solid one.

Beef Burgundy

with egg noodles
2/17/10

This was good, but much more work than the regular pot roast. The mushrooms were good, but the wine wasn't too noticeable.

Beef Stew

with carrots, onions, potatoes and turnips
2/12/10

Cut it all up, toss it in, season with half packet of seasoning.

Takeout

Veggie dumplings, shrimp and broccoli, pepper steak combo
2/19/10

Chicken Piccata

with broccoli and rice
2/20/10