Whats cooking tonight?

We are having Dr. Pepper Ribs page 192. My Dear husband is making this recipe tonight. Mostly becuase it uses the grill and fire is a man thing. So I let him take this one over. It is quite a time consuming process. The baby back ribs have to sit for 2 hours , then cook in the oven for 2 hours then on the grill. My guess is that he will skip the oven and smoke them instead. So again, we are not following the recipe book exactly. But I am guessing they will still be yummy!!!!! How could they not, they have my most fav thing in the whole world!!!! DR PEPPER>>>>>> I will update more later.

I CAN"T WAIT!!!!!

My mom and Sister are the best!!!!

Just a quick side note....
For my birthday this year my family got me new knifes!!!!! They are very sharp! I know this because while washing them I cut my finger. I also got my fav. movie.... Julie and Julia... and My life in France and Mastering the Art of French Cooking..... So maybe there will be something in there I can use to cook!!!! If it is full of butter and fried anything my family will LOVE ME for making it....

Chicken Mole Enchiladas * and other recipies...

WOW March 11, was the last post... Man I know I have been cooking... I will give you a run down.
First the Chicken Mole enchiladas. I had no clue what Mole negro sauce was and it is described as " made up of 35 ingredients, including chilies, nuts, spice and chocolate." So after reading that I thought HEY! I like chilies, nuts, spices and chocolate!!!! Plus the picture in the book looks yummy (page 263 for those that have this book). It was suppose to be super easy. A rotisserie chicken, the mole sauce and tortillas. I am sad to say Mr. David Zinczenko and Mr. Matt Goulding, I did not like this at all!!! Neither did my kids. So as a disclaimer I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I had chicken breast I put in the crock pot and cooked with the mole sauce all day. Maybe that was the problem ..... nope I don't' think so. I think it was missing something. I still can't quite put my finger on it but there was something that I thought the dish needed. So I do not recommend this at all. Which is sad because maybe someone would really like it. Just not us.
My critics said.
Amanda - MOM THIS IS GROSE!
Emma- I don't like the meat
Keneson- Do I have to eat this?
Corrina - opted out of the meat ( she ate later than the rest of us.)
Tracy- thought it was okay but only had two tacos
Me- The first taco I ate was good and had a little spice to it. The second one... not good.

Hearty Lasagna ****
This is page 206 and you should run don't walk to use this recipe. Again I didn't follow it exactly only because it calls for precooked chicken sausage. I couldn't find any in any of the three stores we have in town. So we used hamburger. I am sure that changes the nutritional value but it was soo good..... Even left overs (which there was enough for two lunches for me ONLY) . I only had to run to the store one extra time. That was only because I already had the lasagna no cook noodles but when I looked closer to the box it expired March of 08... Yes 2008, So I bought new. This recipe does calls for Muir Glen Tomato sauce... I couldn't find the basil kind, and looking at it now it says pasta sauce not tomatoes. WOOPS... I did find that kind of tomato sauce and there was even a dollar off coupon on the back if you bought two. SCORE! it is super good tomato sauce! Everyone loved it.
My critics say
Amanda - Mom this is really good (with a great amount of surprise)
Emma- Oh I like this - do I have to eat my salad?
Corrina- it's good
Keneson- can we have this every night
Tracy- Oh I like this....
Me- yum.... I hope there is leftovers.

So see even though I have been MIA I am still cooking! YUMMY stuff!!!!! (well most of it has been)

3 2 1 .... Get COOKING...

Shrimp Fra Diavolo *** Teressa

Sorry to say there are no pictures with this meal. But I can tell you that this is a very fragrant meal. And that I cooked way to much pasta with this!
Unlike most creamy shrimp pastas this is a tomato based sauce. It isn't tomatoey like spaghetti and meatballs. It is more like a hint of tomatoes.
You start by cooking the shrimp a little then saute some garlic, onions and oregano. This is where all the fragrance comes from... WOW it made the house smell soooooo good. Everyone commented on that part for sure. Then it is like 1 can of tomatoes, and some wine. There is normally enough wining going on in my house so I opted out of wine, I used broth instead.
I also used whole wheat spaghetti noodles. These are quickly becoming my fave kind of noodles. So what did the critics have to say about this fantsic meal?
Tracy- Its really good. (to much pasta the flavors are lost)
Amanda - I love shrimp anything!
Keneson- I only got 3 shrimp!
Emma- Who wants my shrimp....
Corrina can I have more?
Me. Your right there is to much pasta and not enough sauce but it still has good flavor...


Which reminds me...there is a little secret in this recipe. Red pepper flakes, you saute it with the onions and stuff.... Packs a little bit of spice but YUM!!!!! This is found on page 212 by the way....

3 2 1 LETS COOK

Think we forgot about you? Teressa

Oh don't worry we are still cooking away. I have made a few recipes and I will get them posted but first let me ramble on about nothing.... Okay it will be something. The one topic on my mind lately is how to shop for a cookbook.
I am sure everyone has different things they look for. Mine has totally changed! Use to, I would look at who wrote it and buy it. Trust me, I have a bunch that I have never used. Well after using the Cook This not That cookbook I know now what I want. PICTURES, PICTURES AND MORE PICTURES!!!!! I love looking at the pictures and guessing what ingredients are in the dish. I don't like looking a picture and seeing it one way then reading the recipe and seeing that chicken is listed but not in the picture. Or wheat pasta is used and it is not even close to wheat pasta.
The other thing is simple ingredients that I know what they are, or there is a description of what it is. Like Mole (no not the animal that digs in the ground.) but the Mexican food item that has chocolate and chile's in it. Please authors of cookbooks us "non chefs" don't know what some things are. Give us a clue.... or at least another item we can use instead.

What kinds of things do you look for?

So Erin and I are looking at another cookbook. Although I for one walk around my house constantly caring the Cook This not That book. We will be making other dishes. Don't give up on us.

Repeat Recipe - Pot Stickers (Erin) ****

So, I made my first repeat recipe. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the pot stickers the first time around!! Did I mention I loved the pot stickers?!? :)

I hate to admit I didn't like them as well this time, and it's Jason's fault. :) I LOVE when I can blame something on someone other than me. Okay, it's not actually his fault, but he bought some weird pot stickers when he went shopping. They looked weird on the box, and they were. They completely fell apart while cooking them. They didn't have the same kind of "wrapper" on the outside as the first ones I made.

They still had good flavor, and I LOVED the brown rice and snap peas. I will gladly take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. There is a lot because Madeline ate her leftover Jose Peppers burrito, and Riley ate some of her faves...not pot stickers, brown rice, and snap peas...imagine that! :)

I'm not going to tell you to start cooking tonight. Instead, I'm going to tell you to START COMMENTING!!! Is anyone reading this blog? :)

French Pot Roast with buttered noodles. *** (Teressa)

Here is the down low on the Pot Roast.

I must confess I have NO CLUE on how to "eyeball" a measurement. I cut the meat to 1 1/2 inch instead of 1 inch. So after Tracy came to my rescue. The meat got cut. Also how is this a healthy for you recipe when you brown the meat in baccon grease... YES thats right baccon grease! 2 strips of baccon browned then brown the meat. I decided not to use the wine in this... oh there was wineing just not any of the red wine was used in the sauce. I got the meat in the crockpot, with all the broth and tomato paste. No bay leaves. I forgot them at the store.

The pearl onions were a little hard to find. Walmart here didn't have them. But Dillons did. yeah Dillons.

The critics in my house didn't like this at all!

They ate the noodles and didn't like the meat, or the onions or the peas... So I don't think I will make this again. Sorry Cook this not that people. Not a family fav.

Pasta Bolognese ***** (Teressa)

What a great dinner this was. But really hard to say. Bologna? Bolognaeess.... Bologna ease? who knows? Not me. The one thing that I did different. The recipe (on page 216 of Cook this not that) calls for Ground Turkey, Ground Pork and Ground Sirloin. Well I couldn't find any thing other than pork sausage so we used more sirloin instead. And the onions made me cry a bunch! But it was very yummy..... I did get done eating and thought I couldn't taste the milk that is in it. Well then it dawned on me I forgot to add the milk. Woops.

There was also a big conversaion between Tray and I about weather or not Turkey should be ground or should be stuffed. After all that we finally ate.

Here is what my critics say....
Keneson- Can we have this every night!
Corrina its good
Amanda- these noodles are huge! Its okay
Emma- Its good can I have more bread
Tracy- It is really really good
ME- I liked it. I can't wait to try the left overs. YUM....

This is one to try for sure.

3-2-1-.... Lets Cook!!!!

Penne Genovese **** {RILEY LIKED IT!!!!} (Erin)

Can a recipe-reliant sister make a meal with only a brief mention and tiny picture from her favorite cookbook? YES, she can! Seriously, there are only 9 words about this recipe in Cook This, Not That! I still managed to make it (with adding a few twists of my own), AND it was tasty!

Since this recipe specifically written in the cookbook, I can tell you how I made it without angering the copyright gods. :) The cookbook mentions penne, grilled shrimp, cherry tomatoes, and basil pesto. I used whole wheat penne, sauted shrimp, roasted cherry tomatoes, basil pesto, and sauteed spinach.

I have never eaten whole wheat pasta. It didn't have a different flavor, but the texture was different...a bit more bite to it. Jase liked it, and the girls didn't seem to notice a difference. I couldn't decide. I didn't dislike it, and I will continue to use it since it is so much better for us.

I decided to roast the cherry tomatoes. I drizzled about 1 T. of olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper onto the tomatoes and stuck them in the oven at 425 degrees until the skin popped. I ended up peeling off the skin, which took little effort. I put another T. of olive oil in my skillet. There I sauteed some chopped garlic, shrimp, spinach leaves, and the peeled tomatoes. When the shrimp were cooked, I added the penne and basil pesto. Finally, I let Madeline grate some parmesan cheese over the top.

Madeline - Liked this a lot. She loves shrimp. She ate her whole serving and asked for seconds.

Riley - Actually ate this!!! I fixed her something different but still slipped her a few bites in between bites of her dinner. I think she liked this better than what I made her!

Jase - Liked this a lot. He isn't a big shrimp eater and did mention it would be better with chicken.

I liked this. Again, the pasta was strange, but the flavor of the meal was good.

Shrimp - had on hand

Penne - $1.29

Garlic - had on hand

Olive Oil - had on hand

Spinach - $1.49

Tomatoes - $3.49

Pesto - had on hand

Three, Two, One, "Start Cookin'!"

Chicken Panini with Smashed Potatoes ***** (Erin)

YUM, YUM, YUM!!! Everyone loved this recipe...except Riley. :) I will forever make sandwiches differently thanks to this recipe.

If you don't have a George Foreman grill, go get one. They aren't terribly expensive, and they are SO SO versatile! I used mine as a panini press. I didn't use any non-stick spray, oil, or butter on my bread, and our sandwiches came out perfectly toasty on the outside and deliciously melty on the inside!

I had a hard time finding some of the ingredients for this recipe. I planned on making homemade pesto using the recipe on Page 303 of Cook This, Not That! However, Dillons only had one teeny, tiny package of basil. It was not going to be nearly enough. My second thought was to use store-bought pesto that I thought you could find in the deli area (near the specialty cheese). They had sun-dried tomato pesto (lots of calories in that) and artichoke pesto (Jase wouldn't touch that), but I couldn't find basil pesto there. I finally stumbled upon it with the spaghetti sauces of all places. I also struggled to find roasted red peppers. I thought surely they would be with the canned vegetables. I found all different typed of artichokes (sliced, whole, marinated), pimentos, sun-dried tomatoes, and hearts of palm...but NO roasted red peppers. Who organized this store? Where did I finally find the roasted red peppers you might be asking? Where else...near the salad dressing. Apparently the shelf designer didn't think they were vegetables. ;) Finally, I couldn't find baby Yukon gold potatoes. They only had the larger ones. I settled for baby white potatoes. They still worked for the smashed potato recipe, but I think the Yukons would have had a more buttery flavor. Try those instead if you can find them! I used whole grain honey wheat bread (just a plain 'ole loaf) and rotisserie chicken because I forgot to get chicken out of the freezer.

Overall this dish was delish. It will be one I duplicate again soon!!! YUM!

Madeline said with her mouth full: "I would give this recipe 5 stars!"

Jase didn't talk much...he was too busy eating. He loved this and wants me to make it again!

Riley ate a few bites of chicken and a bite or two of potato.

I LOVED it! It still doesn't beat the pot stickers as my favorite dish, but it comes close!

Rotisserie chicken - $4.99

Bread - $2.79

Roasted Red Peppers - $3.49 (have more than half the jar left)

Basil Pesto - $3.99 (only used 4-5 T.)

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese - $3.99 (still have half left)

Potatoes - $1.79

Garlic - had on hand

Olive Oil - had on hand

Rosemary - had on hand

Three, Two, One, "Start Cookin'!"

Honey Mustard Salmon with Roasted Parmesan Asparagus **** (Erin)

Me Cooking Salmon - Round 2: So, I made ginger, butter salmon a few weeks ago. It was okay. I decided to make salmon again since it is so good for me. I made it while Riley was sleeping because I knew she wouldn't want any of it. I also have never made asparagus. I can easily count on one hand the number of times I've eaten it. This cookbook has definitely blown my cooking repertoire WIDE open!

So, this was good. I really liked this salmon recipe a lot better than the first I made. The sauce was yummy, and I am not usually a honey mustard eater. Also, the asparagus was good...really good! I didn't cook it quite long enough. I would have liked it a tad more tender. It was an easy recipe that took no time to prepare and cook. It only dirtied 2 pans...Jase liked that!

Madeline did not like the salmon...not sure if it was the sauce or the salmon. She somewhat liked the asparagus.

Jase thought this was really good. It's so good for us, that we'll both eat it more often. He liked the texture of the salmon.

I liked it all...yummy!

Some of my receipts have disappeared. I know the salmon was $3.50 from Wal-Mart. I haven't seen it nearly that affordable anywhere else. I couldn't tell you how much everything else was. I basically only had to buy the salmon, honey, asparagus, and a lemon. I had everything else on hand.

This is on pages 232 and 301 of Cook This, Not That! Three, Two One, "Start Cookin'!"

Roast Pork Loin Prochetta-Style and Smahed Potatoes ***** (Teressa)

Where shall I begin? First for those of you that have the Cook this Not That these are on pages 264 and 294... for those of you who don't have this book... WHAT are you waiting for... go now and get it... I will wait..... ....... ....



Okay so lets get to the nitty gritty. Keneson and I made the "rub" for the meat. So it was super easy! Orange zest, Rosemary, and fennel seeds. It doesn't sound like much but what a PUNCH of flavor. This recipe called for the meat to be served over Great Northern beans. We did not eat it this way. After Keneson and I rubbed the meat down we let it sit for 4 hours before we cooked it. I think that made a huge difference. The picture in the book shows a brown sauce over the meat. I suggest that you use the juices from the pan





Now for the potatoes. It calls for Yukon gold potatoes. I am a russet potato eater most of the time. And our stores didn't carry the small ones like it called for either. So I used the gold ones and just cut them into quarters. After we boiled them and fried them like it said. We put cheese on it and stuck it in the oven while the meat rested. Mostly so it would melt the cheese....
The critic said this....
Tracy.- You seasoned this perfectly! It is so good that orange isn't over powerful at all.
Emma- I like the potatoes, but not the meat.
Corrina - Peeled the skin off the potatoes but wants to have this every night for the rest of her life. (a little dramatic I think)
Keneson- I did really good making this hun Tees?
Amanda- I really like the potatoes, and the meat was super juicy. It was good.
ME- I loved the flavor of the meat, wow it was really good. The potatoes I think I will put more cheese on them next time. It was SO good.... (I think I have said that about all of them so far.)
I will totally make this again.

Grilled Cheese with Apples and Bacon and Homemade Potato Chips (Erin) ****.5

****.5 = 4 1/2 stars...how do you do half an asterisk?

You won't go wrong with this recipe that may sound a little strange! The picture looks really crumby (meaning having lots of crumbs...not yucky) because I couldn't wait to take a bite. I hurried to take a bit and try out this strange sounding combo...then I remembered I needed to take a picture. Oops!

This picture does not do the sandwich justice. So, I guess I'm asking you to take a risk and try this even though it sounds weird and doesn't look as fabulous as it tastes. The apples added such a different taste to the sandwich...so yummy! The homemade potato chips came out a bit weird just because I didn't cut the potatoes as uniformly in width as I had hoped. Some came out crunchy and others just soft.

• Madeline liked the meal. I had to make her stop eating the chips. She is in bed, so you don't get a direct quote. I'm sure you're as disappointed as she will be when she realizes I didn't wait for her. :)
• Riley LOVED her dinner...of course it was nothing that we ate. :)
• Jason LOVED the chips. He said they were his favorite thing I've made from the cookbook so far. (SERIOUSLY?!? You ate the pot stickers, didn't you?!?)
• I liked it all...especially the sandwich! I will make the chips again (I don't think Jase will give me a choice), but I will add some of the offered flavor combinations in the future to spice them up a bit. I will definitely make the sandwich again too, but I will use sliced cheese instead of shredded cheese...I like how sliced cheese "glues" the sandwich together.

Butter - on hand

Bread - $3.45

Dijon Mustard - on hand

Cheese - $1.96

Apple - $.78

Bacon - $4.79

Potatoes - $1.49

Olive Oil - on hand

MAKE THESE RECIPES!! THEY ARE YUMMY!! (Pages 130 and 298 in Cook This, Not That!)

Three, Two, One, "Start Cookin'!"

My chicken soup... by Teressa ****

I did not set off any fire alarms like Erin did. (sorry I am posting at work so no photos of my yummy soup.) It was super duper easy!!!! I, like Erin, love thick soups. This one is a little to brothy for me. I think next time I will add some tomato soup to it. We didn't use the 1TBS of chipotle I used about 1/2TBS. Not because we don't like the flavor but because most of the people in my house don't like hot stuff.

To make my corn strips I cut a stack of them with the pizza cutter and then tossed them with some olive oil. (which is not called for on the recipe.) The recipe just says to cut them in to strips and toast in oven. I also didn't like the soggy-ness of the strips after they set in the soup. So next time I think I will put them on the side. ( I am a "on the side kind of girl anyway")

Also I added avocado to the top of mine. I love guacamole but not to wild about avocados. They got warm in the soup and made it really creamy... then the lime juice on top ..... WOW! Again the only one who used the avocados.

Here is what my critics said...
Tracy- WOW this is really good.....
Amanda- this is good.
Emma- this is good but do I have to eat this stuff? (everything but the chicken)
Keneson. Didn't like it at all. He decided to not eat
Corrina - its okay
ME- Wow you guys should really try it with the avocados... it makes it yummy and I want more of the strips..... it is really good....

Chicken Tortilla Soup (Erin) ***

Teressa and I are both making this soup today. My post will be first because we are home with a snow day (YAY!), so I made dinner while she was still at work. (sorry, T!) This soup wasn't difficult, but I did manage to set off the smoke alarm while making it. Oops!



This soup was tasty, and it filled me up. But, it didn't have much to it. I love soup, but I tend to like creamy, thick soups. This was thin and brothy. I like a good broth every now and again, though, so this wasn't terrible.



The soup has a little spice to it because there is 1 T of chipotle. It wasn't so spicy that Madeline wouldn't eat it, though. I liked the tortilla strips at first, but they got really soggy. They started out really, really crispy. (The second batch did...the first batch started out burnt...hence the smoke alarm) I'm not a huge fan of corn tortillas, so that might have been why they weren't my favorite. The recipe calls for the juice of 2 limes to be added at the end. I couldn't taste any lime, so I cut up another and added some to our bowls. I really liked the extra bit of lime...it added a yummy brightness to the broth.




Riley didn't have soup tonight, so she has nothing to add to the critique of the meal.
Madeline - "Five stars."
Jase - "I thought it was good. I wish there was something else in it."
Erin - It wasn't bad...not my favorite but tasty overall.

Chicken - $2.99
Tortillas - $1.14 (counting the ones I burned, I only used 5 from a package that seems like it has 100 in it)
Chipotle - $1.28 (again, used very little)
Tomatoes - $1.64 (used half the can)
Olive oil - on hand
Onion - $1.02
Garlic - on hand
Limes - $3.00 (only used 3 of a package of 7)
Chicken Stock - $4.00



I think you should try this. The recipe shows all kinds of fixin's for the top...avacados, radishes, onion, jalapenos, cilantro...so, you could add more to it.



Three, Two, One, "Start Cookin'!"

Herb Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables (Erin) ****

The whole family agreed on 4 starts out of 5 for tonight. This is a must-make, easy meal that will give you a lot of comfort!!

I have to admit that my roasted chicken doesn't look nearly as pretty as the one in the cookbook, but it sure was tasty!

This took me about 30 minutes to prepare (cutting up the veggies, mincing garlic and stuff to put on and inside the chicken, etc.). After I put it in the oven, all I had to do was wait. I added a bit more olive oil to the veggies...it called for half a tablespoon. I probably doubled that. I also made 2 potatoes instead of 1 and only used 1 onion instead of 2. Jason wanted me to make carrots than I did. I will next time. The meat came out super flavorful and moist. The combination of lemon zest, garlic, and rosemary was a yummy mix!!

Now for the nitty gritty:

Madeline - "I don't like the carrots, but the rest is really good."

Jason - "The chicken is the best part. This is good."

Riley - She ate a bit but not much.

Erin - Yum! I felt like a professional cook making a golden, roasted chicken.

Potatoes - $1.49

Onion - $.72

Garlic - had on hand

Carrots - $.78 (used have the bunch)

Rosemary - $2.50

Chicken - $4.19

Olive Oil - had on hand

Lemon - $.33

Only $2.50 a serving!!!

I almost forgot to tell you that this is on Page 248 of Cook This, Not That!

Three, Two, One, Start Cookin'!!

Saturday Cheesteak Sandwich and Homemade Chips (Teressa)****

Let me start by telling all of our followers and those who might want to comment. The settings have been changed so you don't have to have a sign on to comment. We would LOVE to hear from you.

So last night I made our version of the same thing Erin made Thursday. Ours had Red and Green peppers with the onions. I like Erin don't like blue cheese... YUCK! so we left that part out too. We used provolone cheese instead. It was very easy to make and quite pretty to look at when it was done. (and very tasty!)

Here is what the critics had to say

Tracy- really liked it,

Emma- said it was kinda good,

Amanda- made Spaghetti-Os and tried it, she liked it a lot and wanted the sandwich instead,

Me- really liked it also. All the different flavors mixed together was like heaven in a bun!

The chips we made were good also. Some of the chips were extra crispy the book gives you several options for toppings i just used a season salt it must have been really good because Emma and Amanda kept eating them. Everyone liked them, Emma said we should have them again.

It was a really good dinner. It is perfect if you want something that is easy to make, something that looks good, and something that takes about 30 minutes this is just the thing for you and your family! Since starting this I've lost 5lbs and I've changed nothing else.

Huddle up 3 2 1 Start cooking!

3 Recipes, 2 Hours (at least it FELT that long), 1 Meal *** (Erin)

Tonight was a marathon night of 3 recipes for 1 Meal. What in the world was I thinking? To add to the craziness, Jase had conferences so I was wrangling the girls too. What a night!


I made Cheesesteak Sandwiches (Page 156) with Caramelized Onions (Page 305) and Sweet Potato Fries (Page 299). All 3 recipes came from Cook This, Not That! Overall I would give the meal 3 stars.



First, the sandwich:


The skirt steak was very tasty, and it was easy (and quick!) to make using my George Foreman Grill (LOVE that thing!). It wasn't tough, but it was kind of hard to bite. So, when I bit into my sandwich, a whole piece of meat came out. For that reason, I would probably chop the meat after it rests. The sandwich was kind of dry. It wouldn't be if you followed the recipe more closely, but I don't do yogurt, I don't do blue cheese, and I DON'T do mayo. Those three ingredients make up the spread that goes on the recipe sandwich. I added BBQ sauce to Jason's (he benefited from eating later than us), and I would guess that helped a bit. I couldn't find arugula at the store, so I used bagged Spring Mix which had arugula in it. Since I didn't put blue cheese on it, I melted provolone on ours under the broiler. If I was just rating the sandwich, I might have given more stars. The caramelized onions on the sandwich were quite tasty! They took some time to make, but they were worth it...very easy and very flavorful.




Next for the Sweet Potato Fries:


What in the world went wrong? I followed the recipe...as closely as I could since it didn't tell me how long to cook the fries. I have never made sweet potato before. I'm not a big fan, although I do like The Anchor's version...YUM! The outside of the potatoes were sticky...really sticky. Is that normal? The inside was like a rock...SO hard to cut! The fries were in the oven forever...40 minutes, maybe? The ends were starting to burn, the rest was mushy, and it never got crispy. Not even close. They were also SOOO sweet...in a bad way. They weren't good at all! The dogs liked them, but Madeline and I did not!



Here's the dirt:


Madeline - "This is good (after taking a bite of her sandwich). Do I have to eat these fries (after her first bite)."

Riley - Okay, this is weird. She loved the caramelized onions. She wouldn't even touch her mandarin oranges (her favorite food) until the caramelized onions on her plate were gone. She ate a few pieces of meat, but I didn't even bother with the fries.

Erin - You've already read what I thought.

Jason - "This is good. I'd love for you to make this again."



Skirt Steak - $6.43 (I cooked the whole thing, and after 3 sandwiches -- Jase's had LOTS of meat on it -- there's still some tucked away in the fridge.)

Provolone - had on hand

Balsamic Vinegar - $7.69 (I wanted good balsamic...lots and lots left!)

Wheat Rolls - $1.50

Tomato - $.79

Mixed Lettuce - $2.99 (lots left)

Onions - $1.79

Sweet Potatoes - $1.81 (what a waste!)
Olive Oil and Butter - had on hand


So, after a crazy night, my belly is full, and I tried some different things. I would say that's successful. Off to watch Grey's Anatomy. (McSteamy here I come...)


Three, Two, One, "Start Cookin'!"

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing - Erin ****

Let me start by explaining that we are going to try something our mom suggested. She thought we should put a star rating in our titles. I couldn't figure out how to do actual stars, so asterisks will have to do. Look at the title, and you can see I gave this 4 stars. :)

I'm not going to begin this post by talking about my recipe. Because I just noticed something that I feel the need to share. I opened my cookbook to give you all the info for this recipe, and the page is a mess! There was a piece of spinach crushed into the picture side, and there are spots of something...oil? bacon grease? all over the recipe side. I flipped through to my past recipes, and they are a mess too. How do I not notice this mess while I'm cooking? I guess now you get a little insight into me as a cook. I'm SO focused I can't stop to get the spinach leaf off the book before I close it. :)

Okay, so back to the spinach salad. :) Jason, Madeline, my mom, and I sat down last weekend to choose recipes for this week. My mom and Madeline both put this spinach salad at the top of their choices. I don't think it was even a blip on Jase's radar, but he said he would try it. I was feeling nice, though, and I made it tonight while he was at conferences so he wouldn't HAVE to eat it. :)

This was VERY easy to make. It took virtually no time, and I was able to cook while dealing with a 17 month old pulling on my pants leg shouting "Mama" over and over again. :) I'd say that's a family-friendly recipe. While I was cooking, Madeline declared that she didn't like spinach...even though she insisted this be one of the recipes I choose. Once I convinced Madeline that spinach was just like lettuce, only healthier, she was fine. She's a salad eater, so I knew that would convince her. She got really excited when I was cooking bacon and boiling eggs.

After cooking and eating this, I'm not sure how it's as healthy as the cookbook says it is. I didn't make the mushrooms to go with it, so I know I took away some nutrition there. But, the onions (I used shallots instead) and shrimp are cooked in the bacon grease. Really? I know that makes it taste good, but it still manages to be low cal on top of that? I did eat probably 2 servings. I made the recipe as written (4 servings), and just Madeline and I were eating it. (I knew it would be a waste of time to try to make Riley eat any of it.) I had probably 2 servings of shrimp. There was some left over, but not very much. Still, though, with 2 servings, it was only 440 calories!

So, here are the nitty gritty details...

Madeline - "I'm going to tell your blog readers that this is awesome! Is there enough for me to

have seconds?"

Erin - "Yum! I can't believe this is healthy for us!"

Riley - Yeah right...spinach, shallots, shrimp for a toddler? Not my toddler who doesn't even like mashed potatoes! :)

Spinach - $2.99 (I used about half the bag.)

Pine Nuts - I already had them, and I only used 2 T this time.

Shrimp - $8.99 (I used half the bag.)

Shallot - $.11 (I used this instead of a red onion.)

Bacon (6 strips) - I made some bacon for breakfast this weekend,

and I just reserved the 6 pieces for this recipe.

Dijon Mustard - already had

Red Wine Vinegar - already had

Eggs - already had

The shrimp was more expensive that I thought it would be, but only using half the bag wasn't bad.

I hope you try this recipe. It is yummy. OH, and it's on page 106 of Cook This, Not That!

Come close, followers. Let's all put our hands together in the middle, and on the count of three let's say "Start Cookin'!" Three, Two, One, "Start Cookin'!"

Tonight is Chicken Parmesan- Teressa

Where to start? Chicken Parmesan page 276. This was the first meal I have fixed that was eaten in complete silence. There was NOT one "I am NOT eating this!" or "What smells?" NOT ONE!!!! I was half way through my meal when Tracy said... "Man its quiet!"

Before I get to my critics voices, here are somethings I would do different. I would use a different skillet with a little more oil. The breading got a little burned. I used my huge cast iron. The pan didn't heat very even, which is why the breading burned. Having said that I then used it to put the chunky tomatoes and tomato sauce in and stuck the whole thing under the broiler. Which worked out GREAT! And the recipe suggests garlic sauteed spinach instead of spaghetti. I made whole wheat spaghetti (shhh don't tell the kids. they loved it, and never said a word about it.) I would also use seasoned tomatoes, the recipie doesn't call for it but I would use some with basil and garlic next time.

So the critis had this to say...

Tracy- I love it!

Amanda- IT is the best... this is why it is my fav meal!

Corrina - Its good

Emma- I like it alot.

Keneson- I don't like the chicken it has to much stuff on it.

Me- I am totally making this again. It was super good and very filling.

Huddle up..... STTAAARRRT COOKIN'!!!!!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches... Teressa

Tonight we had the pulled pork sandwiches (page 154.) and I made the coleslaw (pg 292). It really calls for very few ingredients.

First let me start by saying that tonight was the first time I have ever browned meat before putting it in the crock pot. WOW what a difference it makes.. who knew?!

The smell of apple cider vinegar was very over whelming to me but I didn't get any comments like I did last night. (thank goodness.) I started the meat around 9:00a.m. Tested it about 4:30p.m. and WOW it was so tender. You really can't taste the liquid smoke, which surprised me because I have used it before and it was super strong.

Then I started the coleslaw. I was hoping to cheat and get a bag-o-slaw at the store but they didn't have one. So I had to get the purple and white cabbage. Man it was cheep.... It was $.50 for the purple and $.69 for the white. Another surprise. Then I started to cut it and had to call Tracy for some guidance. Because I couldn't get the strips I wanted. He said it was because I was using the worlds dullest knife. (funny guy!) So after some talk about how bland the flavor was and the fact I forgot to get fennel seeds. I added a little more mustard. Then went and got the fennel. I have never really used fennel seeds so I wasn't sure how much flavor they would add. What a difference they made.

So finally put the sandwich together. I made mine HUGE!!!! So this is the picture of Tracy's sandwich. The kids didn't want the coleslaw and here is what the critics had to say.

Amanda- Yummmm....
Emma-- Thanks Mom this is really good!!!! ( I am NOT eating the coleslaw.!)
Corrina - this is good, but like Emma spit out the bite of coleslaw I made them try (it wasn't even a bite but one piece of cabbage.)
Keneson- This is really good Tees....
Tracy - WOW honey, the fennel seeds did make a huge difference on the coleslaw, and the toasted bun is perfect... We are making this again!!!!

ME----OMG...mmmmm... this is goofff.... (my mouth was full)

We will totally make this again!!!!!

Huddle up!!!! 3, 2, 1 ... START COOKIN!!!!

Should be Chicken Pot Stickers by Teressa

I say "should be" because I bought pork. Let me say I have NEVER had a pot sticker before nor did I have any idea what they were... I have a little better idea now. If asked to describe them I would have to say that they are little packages of YUM!!!!!!

I had just walked in the door and everyone was yelling... FINALLY LETS EAT!!!! So I started the process. The recipe (page 90, of Cook this NOT that) said it takes a total of 10 minutes. And I think that was a very accurate statement. I started at 7:00p.m. and it is now 7:50p.m. (cooking and eating time.) I know Erin made this same recipe but didn't add the mushrooms. I did. The were not Shiitake because Walmart didn't have them so they were just regular. The recipe calls for 4 oz. I would add more but I like mushrooms.

Here is what the critics say ( we have two guest critics tonight) first while it was cooking.
Emma--- MOM! are you cooking a skunk? it stinks!!!!! ( my guess is the sesame oil I was using to cook the mushrooms...
Tracy- I think your right Emm..
The other two were to busy. Then when I said it was dinner time. Emma came in holding her nose.... Man she can be dramatic!

So for the meal.
Emma, I am NOT eating this... But she was forced to try and she still didn't like it.But if asked she like the chicken(? what it was pork!)

Corrina, Liked the pot sticker part, but hated the peppers, green beans.... (actually they are sugar snap peas.)

Keneson- I got a stuck out tongue and then he said, "I like the big thing."

Tracy- Thought it was good but needs more sauce.

last ME- I loved it!!!!! I agree with Tracy the sauce needed to be put on a little different than I did it but YUM!!!!!! I will totally fix this again. (and the kids can have chicken fingers!)

1 2 3 Start Cookin!!!!!

Chicken and Pork Pot Stickers - Erin

OMG....You HAVE to make these pot stickers!!! They are soooo yummy!!! I hate to post this before Teressa because she's making it tonight too, but I have time now. I hope she likes them as much as I did!

I wouldn't have thought pot stickers were as healthful as they are! This recipe is on page 90 of Cook This, Not That!, and I did switch it up just a bit. The recipe calls for shiitake mushrooms, and I hate mushrooms. I left them out. The recipe also calls for Sriracha, a chili sauce which originates in Thailand. I left that out because it was for the family. I didn't want it to be spicy. I added a bit more soy sauce than was called for, but other than those changes, I made it exactly as written. ;) OH! I also made some brown rice to put it on. I didn't have mine with brown rice, but Jase and Madeline did.

Here's what the critics had to say about the pot stickers:

Madeline - "It was okay, but I didn't like it." (She ate all of it, though.)
Riley - I'm not sure if Jase tried to give her any, but I am sure she wouldn't have eaten them
if he had.
Jase - "I thought it was good. I didn't taste any difference between the chicken and the pork,
and I thought the brown rice tasted just like white rice."
Erin - "YUM YUM YUM!!! I liked the pork better than the chicken. I can't wait to make this
again!"











Here is what this cost:

Soy Sauce - I already had this on hand.
Sesame Oil - I already had this on hand.
Asian Pot Stickers - $2.68 a box (I bought three boxes but should have only bought two)
Sugar Snap Peas - $2.63 (I bought fresh instead of frozen)
Rice Wine Vinegar - $1.82
Brown Rice - $1.50
Sesame Seeds - $3.74

This recipe will get cheaper now that I have plenty of sesame seeds and rice wine vinegar on hand. :)

Please try this recipe! I'd love to hear what you think!! Three, Two, One, "Start Cookin'!"

Buff Smoothie - Erin

Okay, so this post is kind of cheating. It's totally not about a recipe from one of the 3 cookbooks we'll be working with. That's okay, right? :) If I find something else that's either great or terrible, I'm going to share it with you.

A few weeks ago, Jase recorded a Good Eats episode about how Alton Brown, the host, lost a buncha weight. In the episode, Alton said you should start every day with something purple, and then he shared a smoothie recipe that he says made him buff....hence, Buff Smoothie.

It sounded really good, so I thought I'd try it. I got all the stuff at the store on Monday, but I had to wait for the bananas to ripen before making it. I'm really, really picky about bananas. I love them, but only for a short window of time. Once they were ripe, I stuck them in the freezer. Also, I had to improvise a bit because we don't have a blender that works. One broke, the other is missing a piece. Wanna know what I used instead? My food processor. Sounds weird, but it worked perfectly.

Here's what the critics had to say about the smoothie:

Madeline - "I think it was very good."

Riley - She actually drank it and wanted more!

Jase - "I thought it was really good. Tasty. Couldn't even taste the soy milk."

Erin - "Yum! I didn't think it would fill me up, but it did."

Here is what this recipe cost:

Soymilk - $2.34 (only used 1/2 c. per serving)

Bananas - $1.37 (only used 1/2 per serving)

Frozen Peaches - $2.66 (uses 1/2 c. per serving)

Frozen Strawberries - $2.68 (uses 1/2 c. per serving)

Frozen Blueberries - $3.08 (uses 1/2 c. per serving)

Grape Juice - $2.98 (uses 1/2 c. per serving)

I'm guessing I could make 6 smoothies with the ingredients I bought. So, the cost per serving is $2.52.

You should make this smoothie. It's really good and really good for you!! You can find Alton's recipe here:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/buff-smoothie-recipe/index.html

Three, Two, One..."Start Cookin'!"

Grilled Salmon with Ginger Soy Butter - Erin

After my quinoa disaster the other night, it took me a bit to cook another recipe. I know Teressa liked the huevos rancheros she made, but the quinoa was so bad...really bad...

The salmon recipe (Page 178 of Cook This, Not That!) called for a grill or grill pan. I didn't want to make Jase go outside to grill at this time of year, plus our grill isn't in the best of shape. So, I bought a George Foreman grill the other night. My friend, Mary, has one, and she uses hers all the time. I was honestly a little surprised at how expensive they were. You couldn't buy one for less than $30 (I was hoping to spend about $25), and they had some that were close to $100! I bought one that had been marked down to $39.88. It was large enough I could cook meat for all 3 of us (Riley usually just shares), and it has an adjustable heat thing on the top. The only negative was that the grill parts aren't removable. It would be easier to clean if they were.

So, I set out this afternoon to make salmon for the first time on my GF grill I used for the first time. :) I would say both were a success...one more than the other. Can you guess which one?

I love my GF grill! It preheated in just a minute or so, and it cooked the salmon in 5-7 minutes. I was impressed and will definitely use it again! The salmon was good...SOOOOO much better than the quinoa. :) It was grilled with a little olive oil and salt. The ginger soy butter made a tasty little sauce at the end. The ginger soy butter called for chives, which I couldn't find at Wal-Mart. I substituted Italian parsley that I had left over from the quinoa. I bought frozen salmon fillets which I defrosted in the fridge. I just made sure I dried them off really well before I put the olive oil and salt on them. Below you will see the cost of the ingredients and the pictures.

Salmon (four 4-6 oz. fillets) $3.50

Butter $2.08 (used only 2 T)

Ginger $.42 (used less than half of what I purchased)

Lemon $.33

Soy Sauce $2.52 (used only 1.5 T)

That's only $2.21 a serving!! (Plus I have lots of butter, soy sauce, and ginger left!)

I made my favorite broccoli to go on the side. It's a recipe from Good Eat's Alton Brown. It is so simple and makes the most delicious broccoli!! You can find that recipe here...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/good-eats/pan-steamed-broccoli-recipe/index.html

Here is what the critics had to say about Grilled Salmon with Ginger Soy Butter:

Madeline - "It's okay, but I don't love it."

Riley - wouldn't touch it (I think you're going to find this is almost always her response)

Jason - "I liked it. It was good."

Erin - "It was good. I will make it again and look for other salmon recipes."

So, followers (we're up to 11!!!), on the count of three, "Start Cookin'!" One, Two, Three, "Start Cookin'!"

Coming Soon... - Erin

I am making a salmon dish tonight. Can you believe I've never made salmon? I will be grilling it using my new George Foreman grill. I've never had one of those either! :) Tonight will be a time for two firsts!!

Check back tonight for the results. :)

Quinoa Pilaf - Erin

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa) - a South American grain that is loaded with protein and amino acids

The Cook This, Not That! cookbook lists quinoa as the 2nd healthiest carb...right behind bulger. I thought it should definitely be on my list of things to try if it's that good for me. I have never heard of it, didn't know how to pronounce it, and had NO IDEA where to buy it. I looked it up on dictionary.com to hear how to say it before I called around to see where to buy it. It's a good thing I did that because the places I called wouldn't have had a clue what I was talking about! Luckily, the first place I called, Whole Foods, had it. Not only did Whole Foods have quinoa, they had 3 different kinds of quinoa. I chose the organic quinoa which happened to also be the least expensive ($5).

The recipe for Quinoa Pilaf is on Page 294 of Cook This, Not That!, and I decided to make it as a side dish to my pan seared chicken breast and green bean dinner. When I poured the quinoa into a colander to rinse it, Jase commented that it looked like bird seed...and he was right! I thought it had to look better once it was cooked...I was wrong. :)

It was not difficult to make, although it called for some ingredients I don't keep around the house (pine nuts and golden raisins). It didn't take long. I was scared to try it, but Madeline and Jason dug right in. Here are our reviews:

Madeline - "It tastes good." (but she only took one bite and wouldn't eat any after that)
Jason - "I thought it was alright." (but he has a cold and can't breathe through his nose)
Riley - wouldn't touch it

Erin - Two Thumbs Down. I like the raisins and the pine nuts, but the quinoa had a weird taste and an even weirder consistency. I didn't eat more than a few bites. I won't say that I'll never make quinoa again, but I definitely won't be making it any time soon!

This recipe has 230 calories per serving with 7 grams of fat (1 g saturated fat). It cost:

quinoa - $5 (I have enough left for another recipe)
golden raisins - $2.48 (tons left)
pine nuts - $3.84 (lots left)
parsley - $.66
carrots - $.74 (only used 1)
onion - $.67 (only used half)

chicken stock - $2

So, I've now finished my first recipe. :) On the count of 3, "Start Cookin'!" One, Two, Three, "Start Cookin'!"

1 Cookbook...Week 1

Teressa and I talked a lot about what cookbooks we would use. It's important you know that Teressa is a serious cookbook collector. I'm not sure she uses them often, but she has a lot, and she LOVES them! :)

We were both pretty clear on what we wanted from a cookbook...something simple with recipes our family would eat that didn't require tons of ingredients or anything expensive. We talked about all our favorite Food Network chefs. Paula Deen...too much butter. Rachel Ray...too many ingredients. Sandra Lee...been there done that. We like some of the newer people, Ann Burrell, Claire Robinson, but they don't have cookbooks out.

So, we met at Barnes & Noble this weekend, and we pulled every cookbook off the shelf that looked interesting. We sat in the cafe and previewed them all over coffee. The first one we unanimously chose was Cook This, Not That! by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding.


Maybe you've seen some of their Eat This, Not That! books? They're interesting. Unfortunately I haven't followed their advice much, but the books are worth checking out. I have to say, I love their cookbook!! There is a lot of helpful information before you get to the recipes. The authors rate food by it's healthfulness (is that a word?). They include cereal, carbs, meat, dairy, etc. The book gives you kitchen utensils you should have, and helps you create the perfect pantry. The book is well written. It's helpful, interesting, and funny. (One part that made me laugh out loud talked about leaving a stick of butter and a stick of margarine on the counter. The butter gets runny which natural fats should do. The margarine, "looks like Tori Spelling's bust - unnaturally firm.")

The recipes are great! One thing that made this cookbook stand out was something many cookbooks have surprisingly few of...pictures. This has a color picture for every recipe! The recipes are divided into chapters (breakfast, appetizers and small bites, soups and salads, sandwiches and burgers, off the grill, pasta, American classics, ethnic dishes, sides snacks & sauces, and desserts and drinks).

Needless to say, you will definitely be able to find things you like in this cookbook. So, we chose this book for Week 1. We will each cook at least 3 recipes from this cookbook, and 1 of those 3 we will both make on the same night. You will get 2 different perspectives on 1 recipe!

So, to our 8 faithful followers (only 1 of which is a family member, thank you very much), get ready for our journey. We are thrilled you've decided to join us!!

On three, "Start Cookin'!" One, Two, Three..."Start Cookin'!"

Day 1 Recipe 1 - by Teressa

What better way to start the morning with a great breakfast. It would have been great served to me in bed but, since that wasn't going to happen.
We made Huevos Rancheros. I say we because I can't make a sunny side up egg. So my lovely husband had to cook the eggs but I did the rest. This recipe came out of the Cook This Not That Cookbook.


As I gathered all the ingredients, I was visited by Tracy who asked where the meat was... Um... there is no meat in this recipe. Then he said you know I like to eat meat right? Yes dear... Also I was visited by Emma who wanted to help cook. Until she saw the beans and chipotles. Then she declared that she would not eat that and wanted a frozen waffle instead.


So I got busy. It was super fast and really quite easy to do. I started making the salsa that goes on top in my little food processor and then had to move to my blender. Cried while I cut the onions, Emma brought me swimming goggles to help. Then called Tracy to come cook the eggs. Here it is.... doesn't it look yummy? Well it was.


The critics had to say this...
Emma- I AM NOT EATING THAT!
Amanda- I don't like beans. but the egg and the salsa stuff was really good.
Tracy- It was good and would be a ton better with a pork chop
ME - OH this actually is GOOD!


Somethings I learned while making this recipe.

1. I have the dullest knife in the world!!! NO really! I think my finger could have chopped stuff better than that stupid knife.
2. I really do like black beans
3. When I don't know the recipe I make a huge mess by using every piece of kitchen equipment I own.

I hope this inspires you to try something new today....

LETS COOK!!!!!!!

Our Mission Begins...

Our mission began with one simple movie, Julie & Julia. Have you seen it? NO?!? Go rent it NOW! Better yet, buy it. You will want to watch it over and over! Meryl Streep and her award-winning performance inspired us to do our own version of Julie & Julia.

In Julie & Julia, Julie sets out to conquer Julia Child's The Art of French Cooking. She made something like 500 recipes in 365 days. Needless to say, we aren't quite that ambitious. We want to cook some recipes from cookbooks we like and see how it goes. Here's what you can expect from us:

• We will cook at least 3 meals a week from the 3 cookbooks we've chosen.
• We will post pictures, tips, tricks, reviews, etc.
• We will do our best to inform and entertain you.
• We will even switch things up occasionally by letting you read posts from guest chefs and/or faithful followers.

You won't find any fussy recipes here...nothing with names that are hard to pronounce or ingredients you can't find at your local grocery store. We are going to cook simple recipes even our picky eaters will eat! We definitely won't be cooking things that stick out from Julie & Julia...beef gelatin, anyone? Steamed lobster...nope!

We aren't taking this mission lightly. Although we fancy ourselves chefs, we have no real cooking talent. Our food is edible (and we know this because we force our kids to eat it), but we find we make the same meals over and over. We are ready for some variety!

Soon we'll let you know a little about the cookbooks we chose after exhaustive Internet and bookstore research! :) I know it will be difficult to wait, but you have no choice. ;)

Now, let's all gather around for our sign off. Come closer...we won't bite! Put your hands on top of ours in the center of our huddle. On the count of three, say "Start Cookin'!"

One...

Two...

Three...

"Start Cookin'!"