Review

Well, once it was FINALLY done cooking, the french toast casserole was yummy. But it took FOR-EV-ER. I called my mom to see if she had ever made it, and she didn't think she had. She did, however, notice on the next page (who knew the recipe went over on to the next page?!) it said something about total time being 12 hours. So I wonder if I didn't let it sit long enough. I told the husband I'll make it again but have it sit overnight for longer and see if that helps. I put it in for 20 minutes. The edges looked done, I poked a fork in the middle, and a bunch of egg oozed out. Not cooked whatsoever. So I put it in for another 10 minutes. Still the same way. I bumped up the temperature to 375, set the timer for 10 minutes, still wet eggy in the middle. I may have let it go longer at 375, I don't remember now, but I finally turned the oven temp up to 400 and did it for 10 minutes and then it was FINALLY done. It maybe could have gone a little longer, but it was fine, and the eggs weren't oozing anymore at that point. I think sum total it took probably close to 50 minutes to cook. I'm wondering if it had sat longer, letting the bread soak up all the custardy goodness, if the baking time in the recipe would have been right. Still didn't seem like a lot of time to me. There was a similar recipe in the same cookbook that called for a baking time of 45-50 minutes. Needless to say, we were STARVING by the time it was ready. The boy ended up eating dinner way before us because I had no idea how long it was going to take to cook.

So, all in all, I'd be willing to make it again but I'd have it sit overnight so there was more time to soak up all the custard. Then I'd see what I thought.

Review

The crockpot ranch chicken was really good!! My chicken was fine after two hours on high instead of the four hours on low that was in the recipe. The sauce was REALLY tasty, too. My chicken breasts were, of course, on the dry side, but the sauce helped. Am I the only person that ALWAYS has chicken breasts come out dry when cooked in the crockpot? Please tell me I'm not...maybe there's a support group I could join.

I had wanted to have rice as a side dish, but I had three bags of different kinds of rice (white, brown, and brown basmati) which each had maybe 1/4 cup of rice in them, so I scrapped that idea since they'd all have different cooking times. Note to self, add rice to grocery list. I had half a box of bowtie pasta, so I made that instead. It worked, but I think the sauce would have been better on rice than the pasta.

This is definitely something I would--and will--make again. Thanks, Jen A., for a great recipe!!

I'll be back on Monday...I get the rest of the weekend off! Tonight we're heading to my aunt and uncle's for dinner, tomorrow night the husband and I have a wedding to attend.

Review

The mac and cheese was really yummy--definitely better than the last time I'd made it. I think next time I might use small curd cottage cheese (I think such a thing exists anyway), but that was the only change. I liked the breadcrumbs on top, too. I didn't have quite enough cheese to do a layer on top...oh well. I actually added in some shredded mozzarella because I thought it was a bit shy on cheese. Oh, and I'd recommend mixing up everything BUT the macaroni, and then adding in the cooked macaroni and combining it that way.

Review

Our dinner ended up being different than the paninis I planned. I mixed up the blue cheese mixture, and it was too much for my pregnant nose, which is weird because whenever I have a salad, I have blue cheese dressing on it. I think there may have been two problems. In an effort to be health conscious for the husband (because who really tries to be health conscious when they're pregnant? The jar of M&Ms on my kitchen counter will tell you that I don't.), I bought reduced fat blue cheese. Strike one? I also bought the store brand of crumbled blue cheese. Strike two? I assume so. Thankfully my fast thinking scored my sandwiches a ground rule double. Or maybe a triple. I wouldn't go so far as to say a home run, but they were good. Enough baseball analogies...sorry about that.

So, what did I end up doing? I had already fixed up the barbecued chicken, so I went with that, but I sliced up some of the red onion leftover from PW's sandwiches and put that on top of the chicken, then cheddar cheese (real cheddar cheese, not Kraft Singles or something like that), and threw them on the panini press. They turned out really yummy! If I'd had green onions or cilantro I would have used some of that in place of the red onion, but my green onions had seen better days. My last minute creation ended up being really tasty. Definitely a panini I'd make again.

Review

Wow. WOW!! PW's sandwich was amazing...awesome...fantastic...mind-blowing. Definitely the best grilled cheese I've ever had. The husband tried to steal the second half of my sandwich, so he really liked it too. He should know better than to try and take a pregnant woman's food. Sheesh.

I ended up cooking them in an electric skillet. It took a long time, but that was my fault because I didn't know what temperature (200, 250, 350, etc.) equated to Medium Low on my stove top. I think I had it too low at first, so then I kept turning it up slightly. They were definitely hard to flip when it was finally time, but I think it might have been easier in the electric skillet than in a regular skillet on the stove because there was more space. Who knows. Next time I'm going to try doing them on my panini press instead, see how they turn out that way...and I'd avoid the flipping issue. :)

Definitely try these. Go out and buy the stuff. Now! Go...hurry to the store and hurry home so you can eat this amazing sandwich.

Review

Tater Tot Casserole was awesome.

That's all I have to say about that.

Review

Mixed reviews on the tacos. I liked them, the husband thought they were too spicy. I feared they might be and fed the boy a quesadilla instead. Roasting the chiles was kind of a pain. The actual roasting wasn't too hard, but peeling them was a pain in the...well, a pain. There must be an easier way I'm just not aware of since I've never done it. I think if there was sour cream, guacamole, or maybe some cotija cheese it would tone down the heat a bit. I'd make these again, but since the husband wasn't too keen on them, they will probably not grace our table again, sadly.

Oh, I'd maybe cut back on the onions a bit...there were a lot of onions. I first thought when they were cooking that the next time I'd make it I'd add more chiles and less onion, but the chiles added so much kick, I think I'd stick with two and just cut back on the onions.

Review

Well, the pasta bake was okay. As far as baked pasta casseroles go, I liked the Baked Ziti I made a few weeks ago a lot better or Mostaccioli. I used eight ounces of smoked cheese (I think it was a smoked white cheddar...I couldn't find smoked mozzarella at my grocery store) instead of the four in the recipe because, well, we like cheese. If I made it again, I think I'd reduce the amount of smoked cheese, reduce the sour cream to one cup or maybe less, and I'd add in some regular mozzarella. Or put mozzarella on top instead of parmesan. I don't know, something just wasn't right. It was okay...probably not something I'd make again.

Oh, and it made A TON! There's probably 2/3 of the pan left. I'm going to wrap it up and stick it in the freezer I think. I hate to waste it, even though we didn't think it was all that great. I figure it will be good to have on hand for when the baby comes and I don't want to make dinner.

Review

Mixed reviews tonight. The chicken turned out well, but it took FOREVER to cook! I'm having bad luck cooking chicken lately. I even flattened the breasts out some to help them cook faster, and they still took a long time. Once they were done, they were pretty tasty. The husband and Steve both liked them. I actually added some seasoning to the flour...salt, pepper, and some garlic seasoning I usually use to make my own garlic bread. Oh, and I used 2 Tbsp of butter and 2 Tbsp of olive oil sintead of the 4 Tbsp of butter.

The potatoes didn't happen. I had bought red potatoes instead of new potatoes, and they just didn't work. They squashed funny and just weren't working, so I ended up making mashed potatoes out of them instead. They were a little too olive-oily from trying to smoosh them on the cookie sheet. Oh well. I'm definitely going to try them again because they look and sound so yummy.

I think next time I'd flatten the chicken more so it cooked faster.

Review

The pizza was really yummy!! I'd made a similar one a long time ago when we grilled pizzas one night, so it was nice to try it again. I ended up having a smaller jar of artichoke hearts than called for, but I think more would have overpowered the pizza. The ones I had were marinated as well, so it gave them a little extra flavor. I believe the recipe called for only sauteeing the peppers and spices, but I put the artichoke hearts and mushrooms in there, too. Oh, and the amount of cheese called for was definitely not enough. I know we like our cheese here in this house, but I only sprinkled a little on the crust at first, then put the toppings on, and then I didn't have enough cheese left in the bag to cover the rest of the pizza. Thankfully I had some monterey jack cheese in the fridge, so I grated that up and added it to the pizza. I didn't even have the cheese very thick, so make sure you have plenty of cheese on hand.

This is definitely something I would make again. I bet it would be good with some feta added and some fresh oregano. Yum. Once I can eat feta again I think I'll try it that way. We have no leftovers of the pizza, and it was a pretty good size. The boy didn't really like it, he ate maybe half a piece and had to be coerced into eating that much of it. I had two pieces, so that means the husband must have had five. I've told you he likes pizza!

Review

I don't think I'll be making the chicken again. It was okay but nothing to write homee about. I think we decided that we don't like chiken legs (other than drumsticks), it's too much work to get the meat off the bone, they make me nervous when I cook them because I can't tell if they're done or not. I have three left in the freezer, but I think I might offer them up to one of my friends.

I'll be back on Monday. I had another Gourmet recipe planned, but since I haven't been overly impressed with any that I've made, I may try to come up with something different to make instead. The husband said I should cancel my subscription, but since I've already paid for it, I think I just won't renew.

Enjoy the long weekend...and GEAUX TIGERS!!!

Review

Mmmmm...White Girl Enchiladas. Or did I call them Lauren's Enchiladas. I don't remember, but either way they were soooooooooooooooooo good. These are definitely my enchiladas of choice. They were a bit spicier than I remembered them being, not sure if I accidentally used jalapenos instead of green chilies or what. The boy didn't like them for that reason, but the husband and I did. I ended up using an 11x7 pan and fit five enchiladas in there, going long-ways. We had the leftovers for dinner last night. Mmmm...these are so good. I definitely need to make them more often.

Review

Giada comes through again! The chicken was really yummy and really easy. And it was so much more moist than when I cook a whole chicken in the crockpot. Jen A, you were right! I am switching to cooking whole chickens in the oven instead.

I didn't end up doing the pan sauce. I didn't think there were enough drippings for it, but then when I went to wash the pan I realized there probably would have been. Oh well, the meat was so moist it really didn't need it.

This was definitely something I'll make again. Now to find more roast chicken recipes for the oven...and to learn how to carve up a chicken. I really have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to that. I had an aversion to meat with bones in it for a really long time (I lived with vegetarians in college, what can I say. Hi, Joanne!), so cooking whole chickens is something I've only started doing very recently. I always feel like I'm leaving so much meat on the bones, but I don't know how better to do it.

Review

The fettuccine was really yummy! The sauce seemed a bit thin, but once I mixed the pasta in, it thickened up. I figured it was from the starches on the pasta. Don't rinse your pasta for something like this after you drain it! Then all the starches get washed away and it will be harder for your sauce to stick. No one commented on the cauliflower I had mixed in, so that was a big win. I had forgotten how yummy this is. It's definitely something I need to get back into the dinner rotation.

Review

The ziti and cheese bread were so yummy. I don't know when the last time was we had cheese bread, well over a year ago because I'm pretty sure I stopped making it once the husband found out he had high cholesterol. We really enjoyed it. The ziti was good, too. I thought it could have used more sauce (not sure how much I ended up using), but the husband thought there was enough cheese in the dish to make up for it. The boy really liked it, too. I'd definitely make the ziti again. It was really easy to throw together. There's about half the 9x13 pan left, so I think I'm going to wrap it up and freeze it so it doesn't go to waste.

Review

The cheesecake was yummy. I wouldn't say it was spectacular, but it was tasty for sure. The blackberries macerated (is that right?) really fast. I think the cheesecake could have sat in the fridge for longer than two hours, too. When I had some bites of it this morning I thought it was better than it was last night. There were some berries left, but I haven't had any yet today. I think I prefer a graham cracker crust for cheesecake instead of the one in this recipe. It was good, but I like the flavor of a graham cracker crust better.

Anyway, it was a nice treat because the husband doesn't like cheesecake, so I rarely eat it and I NEVER make it.

ETA: the blackberries DO NOT last overnight. DO NOT let them sit overnight. You'll be amazed at what nastiness they turn into in that amount of time.

Review

I was the only one that liked the Chicken Korma. It was too spicy for the boy, and the husband once again professed his hatred of Indian food. I finally told him to be quiet so I could enjoy the dinner I had so looked forward to. He wasn't that annoying, but I was tired of hearing him talk about how he doesn't like curry and couldn't believe I'd make Indian food. Sheesh. So much for trying to expand his horizons.

It's something I'd buy again, but only to make when the husband was out of town. I'd also cut down on the amount of water it said to add because it seemed to runny to me.

Review

Wow. Wow! Wow!!! The eggplant parmesan was awesome. Awesome, I tell you!! It was definitely time consuming, I'm glad I got the eggplant fried and the whoel thing assembled during naptime, otherwise it would have been really late when we were eating. The recipe had said that the eggplant browned really quickly, but mine took awhile. Not sure if I didn't have enough oil or it wasn't hot enough (it seemed hot enough), but it took a few minutes per side. I actually ended up putting my first batch back in for awhile because it wasn't nice and golden brown like the later batches.

The tomato sauce was really good, too. I let it simmer for probably three hours. I felt like an Italian mama having a pot of sauce simmering on my stove for that long. :) It was super easy to put together and tasted really yummy. I used probably half of it for the eggplant parm and froze the other half.

Assembly of the eggplant was really easy. For the parmesan cheese layer, I just held my microplane over the casserole dish (I used a 9x13) and grated the cheese all over the top. I didn't use fresh mozzarella either, just regular. And I used more than a pound because I bought a one pound block of it but also added some shredded mozzarella I had in the fridge.

I took pictures while I was doing stuff and added them into the recipe posting. Have something handy to wipe up your drool while you're looking at them. ;)

Review

Mmmmm...paninis. They were awesome!! I put a little dijon mustard on one side of each croissant, but I couldn't taste it at all. The arugula on it was really good, added nice flavor. If you aren't familiar with arugula, it's a peppery lettuce. Has a nice bite to it so it's a nice variation from regular lettuce. I'd definitely make these again, and I think I'd stick with ham instead of salami. I need to get paninis into our dinner rotation more often. They're so easy and so tasty!!

The husband says, "YUMMY!"

Review

Oops...I fell way behind again, didn't I. These short naps my kid is taking are driving me crazy!! I started bribing him--I mean I started a reward system--this past week, and it seems to be helping some. I'll have to go see what all it was we had this past week to post the recipes, but I figured I'd at least review the enchiladas.

They were okay. I remember them being a lot better when I've made them before. I don't know if it's because I didn't usually use two pounds of ground beef or what, but they were just kind of bland. I threw in a second can of green chilies hoping that would help, but it didn't. I did let the mixture simmer on the stove some before putting it in the tortillas, and that helped a little. I don't know, it was just kind of blah. And I couldn't figure out anything to add to it that wouldn't drastically change the flavor. I wanted to add flavor, not just spice or heat. I think I'll stick with my other white girl enchilada recipe going forward. But don't tell Pam!