Friday, September 30, 2011

Cracked Black Pepper Fettuccine with Scallops

This fettuccine was soooo good! I knew it would be, of course: that's why I bought it. I just left it in my cupboard for a while because I didn't know what to make with it. Finally, I decided the scallops would be perfect: light, mild-tasting -- the perfect way to showcase this amazing pasta. This recipe serves four people.




Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Soba Noodles With Spicy Peanut Sauce

I was a little bit disappointed with this sauce: it could have been less liquidy and maybe a bit saltier. Ah well: next time I'll try adding less water -- maybe that will do the trick. The idea was solid, though, and I liked the bits of heat that I encountered in the sauce.





Banana and Peanut Butter Smoothie

This smoothie will make a good addition to my breakfast arsenal. As a general rule, I don't like smoothies as part of a meal because I often don't find them filling enough. But this one was nice, had a smooth texture, and just enough of a peanut-y taste to satisfy me. It also wasn't too sweet, which is a good thing. I will definitely try different twists on this, like using frozen bananas to make it colder and a bit thicker.



Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Honey-Glazed Sweet Potatoes (Daigaku Imo)

You know, frying things in oil terrifies me, which I suppose is why I've never done it before. I mean, I only know one person who actually set themselves on fire while doing it, but still. Terrifying. Anyway, I fried sweet potato for this recipe and nothing caught fire! Phew. At first I was afraid that they were burnt (overcooking is kind of my forte), but they were great: crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. They reminded me a bit of candy. This recipe is adapted from one I found on the blog No Recipes, except that I don't actually have Japanese sweet potatoes (satsumaimo). It turned out really well: I'd make this again for sure!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Green Bean Salad

This green bean salad had a very mild dressing, so that mostly you taste the beans. I really like it! On the other hand, it was meant to have shallots, which I didn't have, so they got left out...in the future, I will try it again with all the ingredients! It was also supposed to have a teensy bit of Dijon mustard (about 1 teaspoon) which I left out...ah, well. This makes two servings, so you'll have leftovers.



Chicken and Vegetable Skewers

This was pretty good, but I was the tiniest bit disappointed in the basting mixture: the mushrooms picked up the flavor really well, but the peppers and chicken hardly tasted of it at all. Luckily, I had a super-powerful dipping sauce to go with it!





Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Sweet Potato Fries with Roasted Garlic Ketchup

If I'd known how hard it is to cut up raw sweet potatoes, I'm not sure I would have done this. Also, parts of them burned, though the parts that didn't were quite good. But still, burnt is not good. Maybe they were too uneven? I don't know. If I do this again, I'll probably try it with a lower oven temperature. On the other hand, the ketchup was fabulous! Even though I made the fries for one person, the ketchup is plentiful, so you will have extras. Stick it in your fridge and come up with a way to use it in the next few days.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Summertime Turkey Burgers

Even though the weather has cooled down considerably (read: it's too bloody cold for this time of year), I still can't bring myself to give up the fresh flavors of summer. This burger is bright tasting and quite yummy. I think, though, that next time I will use just a bit less soy sauce: sometimes it's a bit overwhelming. Maybe I'll add some pepper. This recipe makes 3 burgers, one to cook right away and two to freeze for another day.



Monday, September 19, 2011

Sweet Blackened Brussels Sprouts

These are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside! I like them because they're tasty and easy to make. Also, I just like roasting things.







Hoisin Salmon Filet

This salmon was pretty good: although the top got really black (it made me afraid) it turned out not to taste burnt. It had a pretty subtle flavor, actually. I've never used the broiler before, having always been afraid that it would alternately burn or undercook my food, but this went well for my first time. Nothing caught fire or anything!




Individual Pear and Honey Crisp

This was my first attempt at making a crisp with a different type of topping, and I think it turned out pretty well! It was fairly liquidy, so you really want to eat it almost right away. The topping also did not stick together as much as the usual one, which I think was okay. Next time, I think I'll put less apple jelly in the filling and less butter in the topping and see what happens.



Friday, September 16, 2011

Warm Brussels Sprouts With Honey-Mustard Dressing

This salad was pretty nice, though I think next time I'll put a little more honey in the dressing and a little less mustard. But still a nice way to have warm Brussels sprouts on a cold early Fall day.






Turkey Cutlets with Mushrooms and Gravy

Initially I had planned to make a nice gravy out out chicken broth and flour, but then it turned out that the broth smelled a little suspicious. Anyway, this is what I did after finding a dusty package of gravy mix instead. I never thought of using a brown sauce on poultry, but beggars can't be choosers, right?




Pasta with Garlic Spinach, Chicken and Parmesan

After having made the garlicky Swiss chard a while ago, I wanted to try something similar with spinach. But I also wanted to have pasta and use up some leftover chicken, and this is what I came up with! It was delicious.





Sweet Roasted Chickpeas

I'm always looking for new things to do with chickpeas, and roasting them in the oven is, frankly, a brilliant idea! They are crispy and yummy and feel like a decadent snack. And snacking is something I'm good at! I got this idea, and the recipe I adapted, from the blog Cupcake Project. It's a great blog and you should check it out!




Thursday, September 15, 2011

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

I love asparagus and this is my favorite way to prepare them! Unfortunately I couldn't find any fresh asparagus at the grocery store, so I had to use frozen. I definitely recommend using fresh if you can get them: just cook them for less time.





Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Chocolate Chips and Cream Cheese Frosting

I haven't always been a fan of carrot cake. In fact, I'm still not a fan of most carrot cakes: the one I had at a coffee shop last week was dry and somewhat bland. For reasons that escape me, I decided to make these anyway. Well: yay! They turned out moist and tasty! I'm definitely going to do this again!! The only thing I changed from the recipe is that I replaced the 2 tablespoons of finely chopped walnuts with 2 tablespoons of semi-sweet chocolate chips.


Sweet Lemon Chicken with Cheesy Noodles and Cherry Tomatoes

This chicken was pretty good: mild-tasting, not too sweet. It probably would be better over rice, though. If you make the whole chicken breast, you'll have leftovers you can use for something else.






Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Broccoli with Hazelnuts

This broccoli was soooooooo good! Enough said. Except to add, of course, that you must try it.







Velveeta Macaroni and Cheese

I love this macaroni and cheese so much that for a while I was eating it every single weekend. That was before this little thing called my health intervened. But finally I had it again and wow!: just as good as I remember. Here it is for everyone to enjoy!





Friday, September 9, 2011

Baked Deli Chicken Cups with Mushrooms and Cheese

These were really easy to make, although messy to eat and a little drippy. I'm going to experiment with ways to make that less the case. Either way, they were yummy!






Thursday, September 8, 2011

Spicy Corn Off the Cob

Corn prepared this way is less sweet -- and definitely more spicy! -- than corn on the cob usually is. It is definitely a good way to use up extra cooked corn on the cob that you happen to have lying around. Having said that, this is an adaptation of an original recipe that calls for cooking the cob on the stove with these spices, and not using up pre-cooked corn.



Monday, September 5, 2011

Mozzarella and Marmalade Stuffed Chicken with Shallots and Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

This chicken turned out really, really well. It was a little sweet and a little cheesy and very chicken-y. Yum! The balsamic vinegar wasn't too strong but a little tangy, and the shallots were great. I'm definitely making this again soon!





Friday, September 2, 2011

Penne with Fresh Tomato, Basil and Garlic

This was so good, perfect for summer since you don't have to stand over a hot stove cooking lots of stuff. The cheese got nice and warm, the tomatoes were tender and the pasta was just so nice in the middle of it all. I urge anyone who actually reads this to make this recipe!





Steamed Flounder with Tomatoes and Peppers

This was actually really good! White fish tends to scare me a bit, but this was delicate and simple and delicious. I'd intended to have leftovers the next day, but that didn't really work out as I ate the whole thing. Ooops. I used a fillet of flounder, but this would work with any white, mild-flavored fish, like tilapia.