Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Mushrooms are one of our favorite foods! I feel as though fresh mushrooms go could with almost anything you make for dinner. I honestly think I'd even eat them on tacos if I ever thought of it. So Scott and I were really excited to try this recipe. There is quite a lot of prep work, but it is a crockpot recipe so not a whole lot of attention during the cooking is necessary. Definitely make the rice with these. Ours turned out almost soupy, and I kind of feel like it might be weird to eat these without anything else. But it would be good served with steak too. We had a hard time deciding how we felt about this recipe. It was a very different flavor than we are used to. I think it was the vinegar. Overall though, it was good-3/5. I'm just not sure if I'd make it again or not...maybe we'll try one more time to see.


Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms - adapted from Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'dea
Total Time: 4 to 7 hours
Serves 2-3 adults

• 4 large portobello mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2-3 servings rice

Use a 6 quart oval slow cooker. With a paring knife, carefully cut the stems off the mushrooms. Chop the stems and put them in a mixing bowl. Use a spoon to scoop out the centers of each mushroom, and add to the bowl. Add the tomatoes, bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, Parmesan, basil, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside. Spread the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the bottom of the slow cooker. Put mushroom caps on top of the oil. They will overlap a bit. Spoon the filling mixture on top of the mushrooms. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 7 hours. Serve with rice.

Oatmeal and Coconut Raspberry Bars

I've really been on a baking kick lately. I want to learn how to bake as well as I cook! The only thing I don't like is that if you mess up with baking, more often than not you can't recover from it. With cooking you can usually mess around and find a solution. But this recipe turned out very well! Except that I burnt the first batch of coconut. So just make sure to watch it! For me, I think it is a little bit sweet & rich, but definitely the flavor it's going for. It was relatively easy for a baking recipe, and if someone asked for it I'd make it again. But like I said, it's awfully rich. Scott would give it a 4/5, I would say 3/5 so I'll compromise at 3.5/5 overall!

Oatmeal and Coconut Raspberry Bars

Oatmeal and Coconut Raspberry Bars--adapted from *Simply Scratch*

Total Time: 45 Minutes

Makes 24 bars

• 1-1/2 cups Sweetened Coconut Flakes
• 1-1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1-1/2 sticks Unsalted Butter, chilled
• 1-1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal
• 8-10 ounces Seedless Raspberry Jam
• 1 bag frozen raspberries
• 8 ounces of Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 cup Milk

Spread out 3/4 cup of the sweetened coconut onto a small un-greased cookie sheet. Place in the center of your oven and toast for 6-8 minutes, tossing it every 2 minutes. Watch carefully. Remove and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the flour, brown sugar and salt. Mix and then cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender. Then add the oats and toasted coconut. With your hands, blend together until large clumps form. Place mixture in a parchment paper lined 13x9 pan. Press down with fingers. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a small pan; add jam and raspberries. Mash the berries and stir. Heat just until the jam mixture is thinned out. Remove from the heat.

In a large mixing bowl add in the cream cheese and powdered sugar, mix until combined and slowly add the milk. Mix on medium speed until creamy.

Spread the Raspberry mixture over the oatmeal and coconut crust. Then repeat with the cream cheese mixture, and sprinkle with remaining coconut. Place in the 350 degree oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan half way through. Let cool completely. Remove the bars using the parchment paper as handles, cut into bars and serve.

Cheesy Garlic Sticks

One of my favorite things from college was ordering late night "smotherella sticks". It was basically pizza bread, and then cheese, garlic and seasoning and you dip in your dipping of choice: mine was usually nacho cheese, ranch or garlic butter (this was college remember...not all that healthy). This recipe pretty much replicates those to a t! I would probably add a bit more garlic, or some garlic powder just because I like the garlic. The poster of the recipe stated that she uses the ball of mozzarella cheese instead of the already shredded-I definitely agree! The cheese got so gooey and delicious, and I don't think I've ever had that happen when I make pizza with shredded cheese. I used the pizza dough from a can, but you can buy dough from the bakery at the market, or apparently, Papa Murphy's will sell their dough as well. Make these the next time you're spending a night in or just want some yummy goodness! We rated it a 4/5.

Cheesy Garlic Sticks

Cheesy Garlic Sticks--adapted from Jam Hands

• 1 pre-made pizza dough 
• 1 ball mozzarella cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon jarred minced garlic
• Italian spice mix

Heat oven to 400 degrees (or as directed per the dough you are using). Prepare the crust to your desired thickness. Brush the crust with olive oil.

Cut or pull apart the mozzarella cheese and spread evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the minced garlic over the entire pizza. Add desired amounts of Italian spice mix over the whole of the pizza--generous portions will be okay here!

Bake about 15 minutes or as directed for your pizza dough.

Chicken Fried Steak

One of Scott's favorite foods is chicken fried steak. He was the one that made this recipe, and I don't think I'll ever try making it-his was just too good! Whenever we go out for breakfast, he almost always gets chicken fried steak. This was hands down the best we've ever had! And one of the best things about this recipe is that besides the cube steak, you will most likely have everything you need already in your kitchen! It is very inexpensive in that way which makes it  even more awesome. We will definitely be making this again. The gravy was fantastic, the whole meal was everything we could ask for (5/5). Plus, it's a Pioneer Woman recipe, which makes it even better!

Chicken Fried Steak-adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Total Time: 40 Minutes
Makes 8 Servings

• 3 pounds Cube Steak 
• 1-1/2 cup Milk, Plus Up To 2 Cups For Gravy
• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 3 cups All-purpose Flour
• Seasoned Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
• Black Pepper
• Canola Oil, For Frying
• Salt And Pepper, For Both Meat And Gravy

Begin with an assembly line of dishes for the meat: milk mixed with egg in one; flour mixed with spices in one; meat in one; then have one clean plate at the end to receive the breaded meat.

Work one piece of meat at a time. Season both sides with salt and pepper, then dip in the milk/egg mixture. Next, place the meat on the plate of seasoned flour. Turn to coat thoroughly. Place the meat back into the milk/egg mixture, turning to coat. Place back in the flour and turn to coat.
Place breaded meat on the clean plate, then repeat with remaining meat.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop in a few sprinkles of flour to make sure it's sufficiently hot. Cook meat, three pieces at a time, until edges start to look golden brown; around 2 to 2 1/2 minutes each side.

Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm. Repeat until all meat is cooked.

GRAVY:

After all meat is fried, pour off the grease into a heatproof bowl. Without cleaning the pan, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup grease back to the pan. Allow grease to heat up.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix flour with grease, creating a golden-brown paste. Keep cooking until it reaches a deep golden brown color. If paste seems more oily than pasty, sprinkle in another tablespoon of flour and whisk.

Whisking constantly, pour in milk. Cook to thicken the gravy. Be prepared to add more milk if it becomes overly thick. Add salt and pepper and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until gravy is smooth and thick. Be sure to taste to make sure gravy is sufficiently seasoned.

Pork and Pineapple Stir Fry

One of our all-time favorite cookbooks is one my aunt gave me for Christmas a few years ago: Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Cookbook. Almost everything we've made from here has been delicious and turned into a meal we make at least once a month! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn to cook-the recipes are easy and delicious.

But now to the recipe. This was a great recipe (4/5). The coleslaw mix really added something different to stir fry. It was sweet, but definitely not too sweet. The flavors mixed super well, and everything just ended up fantastic.

Pork and Pineapple Stir-Fry-adapted from Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Cookbook
Total Time: 20 Minutes
Serves 4

• 1 1/4 cups uncooked instant rice
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained, 2 tablespoons liquid reserved
• 3/4 boneless lean pork, cut into thin bite-size strips
• 1 bag (16 ounces) coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)

Cook rice in 1 1/4 cups of the water as directed on package.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, pepper flakes, remaining 1/2 cup of water, soy sauce and reserved 2 tablespoons of pineapple liquid; set aside.

Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add drained pineapple chunks; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Cook 5 minutes, turning chunks occasionally.

Remove pineapple from skillet; set aside. In same skillet, cook and stir pork over medium-high heat 2 minutes.

Add coleslaw mix; cook and stir 3 to 6 minutes or until pork is no longer pink in center and cabbage is tender.

Stir pineapple and cornstarch mixture into pork mixture; cook and stir about 3 minutes or until pork is glazed and sauce is slightly thickened. Serve over rice. 

Creamy Deviled Eggs

I never remember how to boil eggs and always have to look it up. This website helped a lot! I wouldn't say I love deviled eggs, but I definitely don't hate them. I decided to try it. The picture of these looked so good, but in the end, they were a little salty for me. I wouldn't make this recipe again (1.5/5), but will continue to search for one!

Creamy Deviled Eggs-adapted from the Taste of Home's Cooking School Magazine
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Makes 6 Servings

• 6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and havled
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 rounded teaspoon white pepper

Remove egg yolks; discard all but four halves. Place the reserved yolks in a food processor. Add cream cheese, yogurt, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon dill weed, celery salt, onion powder, and pepper. Process just until smooth; adjust seasonings if necessary.

Spoon 1-3/4 teaspoons filling into each egg white half. 

Baked Chicken Breast

I feel as though chicken is always a standard weeknight dinner. This is a super easy and absolutely delicious meal to make! Seriously. Try it now. You won't be sorry. I forgot the tomato, but I'm not a huge tomato fan anyway and it was still awesome (4.5/5)! Give it a try!

Baked Chicken Breast-adapted from Kare11's Cooking with Kare
Total Time: 1 hour
Serves 8

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 8 slices swiss cheese
• 8 slices tomato
• 3/4 cup crumbly style dry stuffing mix
• 1/4 cup margarine, melted
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In 13x9 inch baking dish, place chicken breasts. Top each with 1 slice swiss cheese and 1 slice tomato. In a small bowl, combine stuffing mix, margarine, wine and soup; mix well. Spread over chicken. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

*This dish can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated overnight. Increase the baking time to 60 to 70 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

Round Two: Sloppy Joes

I figured that if I ever make again a recipe, and change something, that I would do a new blog post! Just to let you know what has made it better! I love love love sloppy joes! I made this recipe back in 2009, and it was very good. We really didn't change a whole lot, but a few that made it a little better. Garlic and a little cayenne pepper just can't go wrong. Find the original blog post here.

Sloppy Joes-adapted from Taste of Home

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Serves 6

• 1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 6 hamburger buns

In a large, nonstick skillet, cook the beef, celery, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Stir in the tomato sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, mustard, garlic, cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.  Spoon 3/4 cup onto each bun.

Fish with Lemon Caper Butter

Whenever I come across a recipe that calls for a specific kind of fish that isn't super common, I usually don't go out of my way to get it. This recipe called for seabass, but I just used the cod that I found at the locale sore. This butter sauce was really good (3/5), and we'd definitely make it again when we don't know what to do!

Sea Bass with Lemon Caper Butter-adapted from Better Homes & Garden's "365 Last Minute Meals"
Total Time 20 Minutes
Makes 4 Servings

• 4 5-6 ounce fresh or frozen fish steaks
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic (1 clove)
• Lemon wedges (optional)

Thaw fish, if frozen. Preheat broiler. Sprinkle fish with salt and black pepper. Place fish on the greased unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 inches from heat for 8 to 12 minutes or until fish begins to flake when tested with a fork, turning once halfway through broiling.

Meanwhile for lemon-caper butter, in a small bowl stir together butter, capers, lemon peel, lemon juice and garlic. To serve, top fish with lemon-caper butter. If desired, garnish with lemon wedges.

Hand Pies

I got a new magazine for free from reading another one-Southern Living. And what I got was the all recipe book of favorite fall recipes. I was so excited! This was the first recipe I decided to make. And not going to lie, I got lazy. This recipe is for 18 appetizer like hand pies. I really only made two large "pot pie" like items. But the potatoes really added to them (I make killer mashed potatoes) along with the gravy. So instead of being a little creamy pot pie, its a pot pie with mashed potatoes served with gravy on the side. So awesome (3.5/5)!

Photo Courtesy of Southern Living

Hand Pies-Adapted from Southern Living

Total Time: 1 hour

Makes 24 appetizers or 2 large pot pies

• 1 cup finely chopped roasted turkey
• 3/4 cup mashed potatoes
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup cut green beans, cooked
• 1 carrot, grated
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper
• 1 package refrigerated pie crusts
• 1 large egg, beaten
• Poppy seeds (optional)
• Turkey gravy, warmed

• Stir together first 6 ingredients. Season with desired amount of salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400°. Unroll each piecrust. Lightly roll each into a 12-inch circle. Cut each piecrust into 6 circles using a 4-inch round cutter. Place about 3 Tbsp. turkey mixture just below center of each dough circle. Fold dough over filling, pressing and folding edges to seal.
• Arrange pies on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with egg, and, if desired, sprinkle with poppy seeds.
• Bake at 400° for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with warm gravy.
• Note: Unbaked pies can be frozen up to 1 month. Bake frozen pies 30 to 32 minutes or until golden brown.

Browned Butter Brownies

So Monday was a coworker's birthday and I said I'd bake him something for his birthday. Well Sunday afternoon came around and I didn't know what to make. Finally I decided to look through the recipes I've been wanting to make because I didn't want to go to the store. I found these brownies from Babble.com and I knew I had to make them. I know the blog is for family's, but it actually has a lot of good recipes so check it out!

The end result was fantastic (4/5)-even if it did stick to the pan a bit. The browned butter gives it a nutty flavor that really adds something! Plus you can actually say that they were homemade!!

Yes! I finally took my own picture!

Browned Butter Brownies-adapted from Juliever at Babble.com
Total Time: 45 Minutes
Makes 16 brownies

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Swirl often until the butter melts completely, then starts to turn a nutty brown, about 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl and add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and salt. Stir well, then set aside to cool slightly; after about 10 minutes, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, stir in the flour and pour into a buttered pan.

Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 30 minutes. 

Artichoke Dip

My newest obsession is Pinterest. If you haven't tried it you really should. It'll take all the time you waste on Facebook & you can waste it on Pinterest instead. This is the first thing I made off of here and it was AWESOME (5/5)! Absolutely the best artichoke dip I've EVER had. Make this asap. You won't be upset.

Artichoke Dip-adapted from Joyful Abode

Total Time: 45 Minutes

Serves 5

• 8 oz. Cream Cheese, warmed in the microwave for 2 minutes on 50% heat to soften it 
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup of chopped spinach (either fresh, cooked, or frozen, thawed)
• 2 cans or jars of non-marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon Garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon Chili powder – be generous! 
• A handful of shredded mozzarella cheese
• Chips, bread or veggies for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Transfer to a oven-safe baking dish. Bake dip for 30 to 45 minutes or until cheese is browned and mixture is cooked through. Serve with chips, bread or veggies for dipping.

Nacho Chicken Casserole

I love nachos. They're just such a comfort food for me. So whenever a recipe has nachos in the title I want it immediately. I've been staring at this recipe for a long time debating what to do. I'm more of a beef nacho person, not chicken. But I decided to roll with it. And it was awesome .


Nacho Chicken Casserole-adapted from Betty Crocker
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Serves 5

• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup uncooked instant white rice
• 1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 can (10 3/4 ounce) cream of chicken soup
• 1 can (11 ounces) Mexicorn
• 1 can (4.5 ounces) diced green chiles
• 1 teaspoon of taco seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup broken tortilla chips

Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. In casserole, stir chicken, rice, tomatoes, soup, corn, chiles, taco seasoning mix and 1 cup of the cheese until well mixed.

Cover; bake about 1 hour or until rice is tender and mixture is heated through. Top with tortilla chips; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake about 10 minutes longer or until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted.

Lemon Roasted Potatoes

We bought 10 pounds of potatoes because they were on sale. This lead to us having to find new ways to use them instead of just a bunch of mashed potatoes. These roasted potatoes were AWESOME (5/5)! It will definitely be made again. I actually made these as a meal instead of a side dish. I also got to try something from one of my favorite blogs! Check out the money saving meal ideas at Good & Cheap Eats.

Photo Courtesy of Good & Cheap Eats

Lemon Roasted Potatoes-adapted from Good & Cheap Eats
Total Time: 1 hour
Serves 6

• 3 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup light olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the trimmed and quartered potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt, lemon zest, dill weed, paprika, and black pepper. Add the olive oil and stir to distribute the spices and oil amongst all the potatoes. Pour the seasoned potatoes into a baking dish. Roast them in the oven for 45 minutes to one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Potatoes should be tender and the skins should be crisp.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

When Scott went out of town the other weekend, I wanted to bake. And bake. And bake. So then I decided to bake. I looked through the recipes I wanted to make and found a few that I didn't have to go to the store for because I was lazy. And this was one of my creations. And it was delicious. I'd give it a 3.5/5. Not the best cupcakes (although I"m really not a cupcake fan), but my coworkers loved them so gotta give it a better than average number! Make these when you get the chance!

Photo Courtesy of Betty Crocker

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes-adapted from Betty Crocker

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Makes 24 cupcakes

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 2 medium mashed very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 container chocolate frosting

• Heat oven to 375°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffins cups.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, bananas, water, butter and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups.
• Bake 18 to 24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Frost cupcakes with frosting. Store loosely covered.

Oatmeal Coconut White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Yes I know the name of these is long. But trust me, you want to try them. Right. Now. These have all the best parts of every kind of cookie wrapped into one. I made one mistake when making them that made these not quite as good as they could have been--I had salted macadamia nuts, but also included the entire amount of salt asked for in the recipe. My suggestion is if you used salted macadamias is to at least halve the salt in the recipe. Overall a 4/5 for cookies!

Photo Courtesy of But Mama, I'm Hungry!

Oatmeal Coconut White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Total Time: 20 Minutes

Makes about 3 Dozen

• ½ c. butter (no substitutes)
• ½ c. shortening (no substitutes)
• 1 c. packed brown sugar
• ½ c. granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 3 c. old fashioned oats
• ½ cup coconut
• 1 c. macadamia nut pieces
• 1 c. white chocolate chips
  
  Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• Cream the butter and shortening together in an electric mixer. Add sugars and continue mixing until nice and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gradually add flour, a little at a time, mix well but not too much! Add baking soda and salt. Add all of the oats, and mix well. Add the coconut, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips and mix. Drop by the rounded tablespoon onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 – 12 minutes. I bake mine for 10. Let cool on sheet for at least 4 minutes and then transfer to a rack. Store in bags or an air tight container.

Chopped Taco Salad with Shrimp

I absolutely love love LOVE tacos! I've recently learned to try fish tacos as well. So this recipe was a perfect blend of an old favorite and a new try. I was really excited to try this recipe, and, unfortunately, it fell very short for me. The dressing just wasn't good whatsoever. I'm just glad I tried it before putting it on the salad, so we could salvage most of it. I thought I'd still post it even though its a 1.5/5 for you to see how it went, but let me know if you have any suggestions.

Chopped Taco Salad with Shrimp-adapted from health.com

Serves 4

Total Time: 30 Minutes

• 2 lemons, thinly sliced
• 2 limes, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 ounces romaine lettuce, chopped
• 20 large shrimp, peeled and devined (about one pound)
• 4 (6-inch) tortillas
• 1 large ripe tomato, diced
• 1 peeled avocado, diced

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat; coat lightly with cooking spray. Quickly grill the citrus slices in batches, just until browned (about 1 minute per side); transfer to a cutting board, and finely chop. Transfer citrus to a medium bowl with any collected juices. Add the oregano, olive oil, salt, and pepper; mash with the back of a spoon to combine. Divide dressing in half.

Arrange lettuce on a serving platter; lightly coat the grill again. Grill the shrimp, in batches, until opaque, brushing with half of the lemon-lime dressing (about 2 minutes per side); transfer to the platter. Warm the tortillas on the grill until slightly charred (about 1 minute per side), brushing lightly with some of the remaining dressing; transfer to the platter.

Stir diced tomato into remaining lemon-lime dressing. Arrange avocado on the platter. drizzle with remaining dressing.

Orange Chicken Stir Fry

We love Asian inspired food! It's always so yummy-so I love trying to make new things! This was very good, and we'd definitely make it again. The water chestnuts really added something extra to it. Overall a 3.5/5. It could be better, but I'm not exactly sure how yet.

Orange Chicken Stir Fry-Adapted from Betty Crocker

Total Time: 20 Minutes

Serves 4

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 1/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup ready to eat baby cut carrots, cut lengthwise in half
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 4 ounces whole fresh mushrooms, cut into quarters
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

In a small bowl, mix juice, soy sauce and cornstarch until cornstarch is dissolved; set aside.

In 12-inch wok or nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Cook chicken in oil 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until no longer pink in center. Add carrots; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add broccoli, mushrooms, water chestnuts and water; cook 3 to 4 minutes longer, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Reduce heat to low. Stir juice mixture, then stir into chicken mixture. Cook and stir  minute or until the sauce is slightly thickened. Sprinkle individual servings with 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro.

Lemon Chicken Breasts with Veggies

This is one of those recipes that Scott absolutely loved and I really did not. I thought this turned out super dry and with very little flavor. In reading the reviews on the Taste of Home website, it seems as though a lot of other people thought the same thing. I probably won't make this again, but in theory, its a very simple dish that should be hearty. It just didn't turn out that way. 2/5.

Lemon Chicken Breasts with Veggies-adapted from Taste of Home

Total Time: 8 hours

Serves: 6

• 1 pound fresh baby carrots
• 3 cups cubed red potatoes
• 1 package (14 ounces) frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 2 celery ribs thinly sliced
• 6 chicken breasts
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker, combine the carrots, potatoes, onions and celery. Top with chicken. In a small bowl, combine the soup, water, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, pepper and salt. Pour over chicken and vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours

Grilled Steak with Pineapple Salsa

So I know, I know, I've pretty much been neglecting this blog (and the whole 3 people that probably read this). I feel guilty. I really really do. But I have been cooking and planning on writing, just haven't gotten to it. But now I'm here and have apologized and will get on with the recipes!

This is a recipe from one of those cookbooks you get from the grocery store by Pillsbury. But I couldn't find the recipe on their website, and therefore there is no picture, and since I failed at bringing out my camera last week, I don't have a picture for this post. But either way, the dish was good! I didn't actually make the salsa. For some reason I didn't think to buy the actual, pico de gallo type salsa, and realized once I got home that jarred salsa probably wouldn't work. I still grilled the steak and pineapple. The flavors were awesome together! Overall I'd give it a 3/5. It was easy and nice to eat. I do want to try it again though to actually make the salsa!

Grilled Steak with Pineapple Salsa-adapted from Pillsbury
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 4

• 8 ounces sliced fresh pineapple
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 boneless beef chuck flat-iron steak (1 pound)
• 3 large green onions
• 1/2 cup fresh salsa (pico de gallo)

Heat grill. Sprinkle pineapple slices with brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle steak with additional 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Place steak, pineapple and onions on grill over medium-high heat. Cover grill; cook 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until steak is of desired doneness and pineapple and onions are tender.

Remove steak from grill to cutting board; let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile finely chop pineapple and onions; place in small bowl. Stir in salsa. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Top steak with pineapple salsa.