2013 Cooking
March Dishes of the Month: Theme - Breakfast
Melissa's Pick: http://www.food.com/recipe/banana-bread-pancakes-205477
Julie's Pick: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/breakfast-pies/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=breakfast+dishes&e8=Quick+Search&event10=1&e13=A%3ASearch+Results-List%28control%29&e7=Recipe+Search+Results These turned out to be the perfect breakfast to serve as the morning after my birthday party. I cooked them the night before so all I had to do was heat them up the in the morning. I put a little Tabasco to give some of them a little kick. I would make these again for a weekend away or when you need a quick breakfast!
February Dishes of the Month: Theme -Vegetarian
Melissa's Pick: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/farmers-market-vegetarian-quesadillas/detail.aspx
I loved this and will probably have it again tonight for dinner tonight. I made a few substitutes on the vegetables and used leeks instead of onions and added carrots. When it was done cooking I also added avocado, sour cream and taco sauce for flavor. This is a fun vegetarian meal because you can make it just the way you like it and change it so it is a little different each time. It would be a great summer dish with fresh vegetables.
2/8/13 - Together Melissa and I made the hearty vegetable lasagna and it turned out really great! We both agreed with all the yummy veggies you didn't even really miss the meat at all!
My Pick: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hearty-vegetable-lasagna/detail.aspx
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January Dish of the Month: Soups
Melissa's Pick: http://www.food.com/recipe/banana-bread-pancakes-205477
Julie's Pick: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/breakfast-pies/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=breakfast+dishes&e8=Quick+Search&event10=1&e13=A%3ASearch+Results-List%28control%29&e7=Recipe+Search+Results These turned out to be the perfect breakfast to serve as the morning after my birthday party. I cooked them the night before so all I had to do was heat them up the in the morning. I put a little Tabasco to give some of them a little kick. I would make these again for a weekend away or when you need a quick breakfast!
February Dishes of the Month: Theme -Vegetarian
Melissa's Pick: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/farmers-market-vegetarian-quesadillas/detail.aspx
I loved this and will probably have it again tonight for dinner tonight. I made a few substitutes on the vegetables and used leeks instead of onions and added carrots. When it was done cooking I also added avocado, sour cream and taco sauce for flavor. This is a fun vegetarian meal because you can make it just the way you like it and change it so it is a little different each time. It would be a great summer dish with fresh vegetables.
2/8/13 - Together Melissa and I made the hearty vegetable lasagna and it turned out really great! We both agreed with all the yummy veggies you didn't even really miss the meat at all!
My Pick: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hearty-vegetable-lasagna/detail.aspx
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January Dish of the Month: Soups
My pick was Italian Wedding Soup and it was really good! I would definitely make this again. I shared it with my family and they really enjoyed it too!
Melissa's Pick: Terrific Turkey Chili
This was definitely a new twist on Chili that I would have never thought of. I made some modifications to the recipe because I was too lazy to go back to the store :). I used tomato sauce instead of tomato paste and used more salsa. I really liked how it turned out! I did add the garbanzo beans as well and thought that was a nice touch to give the soup a little more bulk.
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| Bowl set I bought matching to my sister-in-laws in a little shop in Waupaca, WI! Aren't they cute! Corn Cake Muffins  Louisiana Shrimp  New cookbook picked up at Good Will for $2.99!  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
October Dish of the Month 2012
We have been slacking lately, but would like to pick up our "Dish of the Month" with Fall Recipes:
I chose Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mini-pumpkin-butterscotch-muffins/detail.aspx?src=lp4126_l9
Review: I made these as regular sized muffins and they turned out really well! I love the combination of the pumpkin and butterscotch. The only problem I had was that I added a few chips on top that burned, but I just removed them. I also had a bake the muffins about 15 minutes longer and crank up the heat to 400 degrees since I didn't make the mini-muffins. This is a nice fall snack or in my case breakfast :)!
Need to make this one yet.
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More Cooking From the Garden September 2012
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| I waited all season for this beauty! |
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| A little made up concoction zucchini, eggplant, tomato, whole wheat noodles chicken broth and spices. |
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| Butternut squash soup (Thanks for the squash Dad!) |
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The Day I Made Everything with Rhubarb:
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| Rhubarb Crisp |
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| Rhubarb Pie |
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| Rhubarb Coffee Cake |
April Cooking on the Grill: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pizza-on-the-grill-i/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=grilled+pizza&e8=Quick+Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe+Search+Results
March Baking with Yeast: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cinnamon-rolls/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=cinnimon+rolles&e8=Quick+Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe+Search+Results
Fun with Food
Southwest Corn Cake - Yummy!
Birthday Cake - Red Vevet for my Valentine/Birthday Boy!
March 2012 YEAST recipe
I have never made anything that I have had to use yeast so this was a new challenging experience for me. These pretzel rolls were delicious!
http://penniesonaplatter.com/2011/10/14/pretzel-rolls/
Johnsonville Italian Meatballs http://allrecipes.com/recipe/johnsonville-italian-meatballs/detail.aspx
Review: This was the first time I ever made meatballs and I was very happy with how they turned out. I used hot Italians instead of mild and was happy with that choice. The only thing I also did was to set the meatballs on a paper towel to soak up some of the grease because they were pretty greasy after being baked.
January 2012 Casserole...Recipe of the Month
Mexican Casserole http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mexican-casserole-4/detail.aspx
Review: This was "okay" not awesome, but it was okay. Maybe I just don't care for casseroles that much, but I would rather have tacos or nachos than making this casserole. I also didn't make it exactly the way it was supposed to because Dick didn't want the chips on top to get mushy so we only put them on the section we were going to eat.
Creamy Ham and Cheese Casserole http://allrecipes.com/recipe/creamy-ham-and-cheese-casserole/detail.aspx?src=ShareOnFacebook&recipeID=218194
Review: This casserole was also "okay" in my book. It was similar to scalloped potatos without the potatos, but I think it actually could have been better if it did have potatos in it.
December 2011 Soups...Recipe of the Month
Chicken Enchilada Soup http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-enchilada-slow-cooker-soup/detail.aspx
Review: This was delicious! I used leftover chicken from a store bought roasted chicken and it made it very simple to make and the one modification I made was adding black beans for a little more substance. I will definitely make this again!
Ham and Potato Soup http://allrecipes.com/recipe/delicious-ham-and-potato-soup/detail.aspx?src=ShareOnFacebook&recipeID=56927
First off, I want to start by saying I bought this apple corere and slicer last fall to help can apples and it has ended up being one of the most useful kitchen gadgets I own. We use it often!
Review: This was a really filling tasty soup. The one thing that was a little much was how salty it was mostly due to the ham. I wouldn't recommend adding any addtional salt while cooking it. I used leftover Christmas ham to make this dish and would definitely make it again.
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Christmas Cookies 2011
Each year Mom and I get together a couple weeks before Christmas to make our family's Christmas cookies for the holiday season. After viewing these photos you may see why I put on a little weight this holiday season :). See my http://www.juliesjunkdrawer.blogspot.com/p/fitness.html Fitness page to see how I plan on working that off.
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Other various projects and dishes:
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| I love that peeler! |
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| Dick's Christmas Gift - The Dehydrator! |
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| Pot Pies - Recipe from my "Cooking for Two" Recipe book |
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| Using one of my Christmas Gift to eat dinner - Chopsticks! |
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The season for the Slow Cooker!
October Dishes of the month: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/222957291082088/
This is the Easy Slow Cooker Apple Pork http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-slow-cooker-apple-pork-roast/detail.aspx
This turned out to be really tasty. The meat just had a light apple flavor that was just enough without being too overwhelming. It also made the house smell great!
This is the Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-chicken-and-dumplings/detail.aspx?src=ShareOnFacebook&recipeID=8941
I put it over rice which wasn't in the recipe, but it was really good. The chicken was moist and the dumplings were tasty. I really enjoyed making slow cooker recipes this month!
New cookware! 9/29/11
Canning Apples 2011
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| Peeling and Coring |
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| Apple Pie Filling and Apple Sauce |
September Dips!
Buffalo Chicken Dip http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buffalo-chicken-dip/detail.aspx?src=ShareOnFacebook&recipeID=68461
Review: I cut this recipe in half and still had plenty since it was just me and I was listening to the Packer's on the radio, I needed a little snack. The dip is very flavorful and tasted really great. It is very filling so you don't need to eat a lot. I also had it with pretzels and I think I liked that better. It wasn't really all that hot, but all in all very good!
August Recipe Review from Melissa & Julie's Dish of the Month
The recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gordon-and-garys-pesto-chicken-quesadillas-recipe/index.html
Review: This turned out great! I used the left over pesto I had frozen from the other dish so it was very quick and easy. I added sweet red peppers into the quesadilla for a little added flavor and dipped it in fat free sour cream as I was eating. This is really great because you can customize each one for individual tastes!
The recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/phenomenal-chicken-and-pasta-in-creamy-pesto-sauce/detail.aspx
Here are some of the photos:
Review: Okay...so as everyone has already said this makes way too much unless you have to feed an army of people. I still have some frozen in my freezer. It was a pretty good dish. I would maybe give it 3 1/2 - 4 out of 5 stars. Here is my complaint, with everything in there I thought it would be really flavorful and I found it a little bland. 100% it needs some mushrooms (personal opinion). I did cheat a little bit and made the pesto ahead of time and froze it so that may have contributed, but still I would have like more flavor. I would make this again, but next time on a smaller scale.
Here are a few more yummy dishes since I have been into cooking lately:
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| Lamb Chop' with Pepper's and Mushrooms - love how it looks like T-Rex! |
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| Taco's made with ground chicken - Thanks for the idea Melissa P! |
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| Whole Wheat Noodles with chicken and vegetables - credit to Gina "Baby" |
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| My new favorite thing to bake Zucchini Bread - recipe from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook, a delicious twist is adding in a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips! |
Italian Night! 4/19/11
Enjoying our 3 year anniversary since we went to Italy by opening a bottle of wine I had brought home and cooking an Italian meal. Caprese Salad, Simple Bolgonese and we cheated with a store bought dessert.
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My very first attempt at making a quiche turned out pretty well. This is a Spinach Mushroom Quiche I made over the weekend. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner! 3/11/11
Yummy. There is nothing better than homemade chocolate chip cookies, but I really love being able to take the food I grow in my garden and fish that Dick has caught and make dinner. Feel free to post recipes or good recipe websites!
2 comments:
Yum yum yum! I might have to try the slow cooker recipes...since I got two slow cookers for my wedding. I try to cook something in the slow cooker once a week...sometimes every other week.
Kate - Yes both recipes were really good! The chicken dumpling I would definitely recommend putting over rice or potatos. Let me know if you have any other favorites for me to try!
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