Here are some things I’ve cooked recently and can recommend:
Roman-style chicken
I made this because I happened to have both red and yellow (and orange) peppers on hand. Very good, but not . . . hefty (?) enough? I’ll give it a solid B.
Baked Meatballs
I didn’t have lamb, duh, or pork that wasn’t sausage, so I used one pound of ground beef and a half pound of smokehouse pork sausage. Let me just say OMG these were good. Big fat A+.
Basic Drip Beef
I halved this as I’d split (and frozen) one of the pricey chuck roasts I’d bought awhile back. I did it on the stovetop for about 4 1/2 hours. SO amazingly tender, and @cuppacafe chomped down. Another A+.
Squash Casserole
Now, @cuppacafe is the squash casserole master, and I rarely give it a try, but I had two monstrous squash that needed to be cooked, and this was easy. I did sub half Parmigiano-Reggiano for the cheddar and used half the sour cream, adding a bit of cream cheese. I then topped with panko bread crumbs. The flavor was really good, but her instructions left a LOT to be desired. Not only did I saute the squash slices, I then nuked them, and then baked them, and the skin was still tough and fibrous. Not sure whether to blame the veggies I had, but no way would 20 minutes of sauteing soften any squash I’ve ever used. This one gets a C+.
Spicy Barbecue Chicken
This was a quick way to fix the chicken tenders I’d marinated in Grill Mates Hickory BBQ marinade. I used what sauce I had on hand (not Kraft’s, heh) and a mix of Progresso and panko bread crumbs (not Shake ‘n Bake, heh). Basic, edible, nothing exciting. A good B-.
Made, too, another batch of cauliflower soup recently, and that’s a new staple around here. I have a new cauliflower recipe to try, but it’s gotta happen on a day when I have more time than I do right now. It looks so good, I even included it in my book as something my characters are cooking! Will report back on that one, and really can’t wait. Dinner tonight involves chicken and goat cheese, though I’m subbing feta because that’s what’s on hand!
