We're Back!

Dear Readers,
 
     We are truly sorry about such a long wait. Yes, our computer works. We can't catch up in May with meals we finished in February, though. So, we've come up with an alternative. It won't be a whole year of cooking, or not everything being cooked with Rachael Ray's book. In fact, this will be a summer's cooking experience. I just finished school yesterday. I will look forward to cooking again!
                                                                 ~Sophia

P.S. This does NOT mean we are changing the title or anything else like that. Hope to see you soon!

Technical Difficulties...

Our apologies for not posting daily lately. We have had some major computer issues. We've continued to take pictures of the meal we are making every night, and will post them as soon as we can.

Just last night, we made a delicious ring-dinger of a meal! So, stay tuned...

Pasta with Swiss Chard, Bacon, and Lemony Ricotta Cheese

          We have been keeping up with our meal-making, but due to technical difficulties, are just now sharing them with the world. We brought the pasta back this week, and this was a welcome addition! We served it with the lemon ricotta on the bottom, and topped the pasta with bits of bacon, onion, garlic, and Swiss chard on top. The cheese melted, and it was delightful!

London Broil with Buttered Potatoes and Caramelized Zucchini and Mushrooms

Today, we had supper for lunch! My son couldn't get over that it wasn't dinner time. I grew up calling lunch on Sunday - dinner, but I guess I haven't really kept with that lingo in our home.

Either way, this dish was delicious. I still have yet to accomplish perfectly cooked London Broil, but it was good and tender still. Everyone loved the colorful potatoes, and the zucchini and mushrooms were yummy as well.

Rosemary-Orange Turkey and Lemon-Butter Broccolini

          So, I was on my own in the kitchen for this meal... It was okay. It lacked flavor that our family enjoys. I don't think we're citrus-y people. Personally, I enjoyed the broccolini, but the turkey was so-so.

Mini Turkey Sausage Meatballs with Gnocchi and Tomato Sauce

Today, I had my youngest daughter, Emily, in the kitchen with me! Can you tell I'm still pretty cautious when my kids have a big knife in their hands?! But, it was really neat to see her interest in cooking. Of course, I had to lure her into the kitchen by promising her she could make the meatballs. She jumped right at it. There's just something about squishing your hands in meatball mixture, and my kids love it!

We baked the turkey meatballs on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees F for about 12 minutes.

And just as a candid, our dog, Addy, LOVES that we are cooking more. She hangs out around the kitchen just enough for us to trip over her as we work...

And the finished dish... With an onion, garlic, and tomato sauce, we added the cooked gnocchi and meatballs and tossed it all together. It was wonderful! We had 4 and 5 star ratings all around the table. Leftovers for lunch tomorrow too!

Week 5 Menu Plan

Even as I write the title to this post, I can't believe we're already into Week 5 Menu Planning! Since there are some pretty good deals at my grocery store this week that go along with some of the dinners we have found, I thought I'd do some planning around the sales!

Here's what we've come up with for this next week (Starting Sunday):

• Sunday - #303 London Broil with Buttered Potatoes and Caramelized Zucchini and Mushrooms (London Broil is on sale this week at my grocery store.)

• Monday - #49 Pasta with Swiss Chard, Bacon, and Lemony Ricotta Cheese (Ricotta cheese is on sale this week with a coupon!)

• Tuesday - #197 About-15-Minute Soup with Spinach, Artichokes, and Tortellini (Tortellini is BOGO this week at my grocery store.)

• Wednesday - #217 Spanakopizza (The mozzarella for this pizza is BOGO this week as well!)

• Thursday - #65 Uptown Down-Home Chili

• Friday - #150 German Potato Salad with Kielbasa

• Saturday - #61 Balsamic-Glazed Chicken with Smoked Mozzarella and Garlic Rice Pilaf

Check back for links as we create the meals throughout the week! Pictures are coming!

Golden Raisin and Almond Chicken

Dear Readers,

          This was a flavorful "30 minute meal." The picture isn't wonderful, but if you could try it, I'm sure you'd like it. I enjoyed it. Second favorite meal. Remember "Tangy Cherry Chicken"? This is one of the "following" recipes Rachael Ray likes to put in after those meals. They're similar recipes with a few changes, if you know what I mean. If you don't, that's fine too.

                                                                       ~ Sophia

 

Big Beef with Garlic Italian Stir-Fry

This dish was scrumptious! The whole family agreed. Sophia made some brown rice to go alongside this dish, but we agreed it really didn't need it. I love the colors and vibrancy of the greens. Anytime I can add fresh veggies to a dish, I feel like the biggest health "foodie" ever. I love eating whole foods and we, as a family, strive to add them whenever we can.

Don't you love our table setting?! My Emily got right to work on this tonight. Afterall, it is my husband's and my 14th Anniversary today! It was so special that she did this for us. And the beautiful flowers were a gift from my hubby.

 

And the final dish served alongside my favorite wine, Lakeridge Winery's Southern Red. My husband and I visited this winery when we lived in central Florida. And it has stuck with us ever since...

 

 

Shakin' It Up

Here's another favorite breakfast or any-time-of-the-day meal. It's a Juice Plus+ Complete Shake and it is delicious!

We like to add a scoop of the chocolate with some spinach, berries, and almond milk, and Wow!

Italian Open-Faced Sandwiches

Tonight was a busy night, so we opted for a simpler meal. This one hit the mark. Trust me, the picture doesn't do it justice. The sandwiches were fairly simple. But, we did make some homemade wheat bread earlier today that was completely delicious with this sandwich!

The sandwich consists of a cream sauce, Prosciutto, artichoke hearts (the funny looking lumps under the cheese), and Fontina cheese. The salad was delicious on top as well! A simple dressing of dijon, white wine vinegar, orange marmalade jam, and olive oil was a perfect match. YUM!

Baby and Big Bella Mushroom and Chicken Stew

Dear Readers,

          This was so good! I would give it five stars! It had chicken, peas, parsley, mushrooms, of course, carrots, celery, etc. As Rachael Ray would say, and here I copy her, Yum-O! We (mom) decided to use three baby potatoes instead of the big ones. I think that it was better using the smaller potatoes. Sorry, Rachael Ray.

                                                                      ~ Sophia

London Broil with Parlsey-Horseradish Chimichurri

 

          I'm not sure why the picture looks so red, but here is the finished dished all plated up and drizzled with the Chimichurri sauce. The sauce was not the hit, but the meat was delicious. We added a simple spinach salad to the side, and it turned out to be the simplest meal we've made yet! Sophia even chopped all the garlic and fresh parsley herself. (We're working on knife skills... a little scary for mom...)

                                                                    ~Steph

 

          ...and yes, adding the salad made this mama a happy lady! I love a fresh salad!

Total Cost = $13.00 for 5 servings

Week 4 Menu Plan

Again, running behind this week... This might turn into our trendy cool thing - "the running behind girls"! What do you think?!

As I mentioned before, the whole pasta thing is wearing me down. So, Sophia and I sat down and looked through the cookbook for some different menu options. I'm still missing my salad, but we have a nice open-faced sandwich, a stew, and some other chicken dishes to lift my spirits! Besides, I can always eat my salad at lunch, right?!

Here's this week's Menu Plan:

Sunday - #92 London Broil with Parsley-Horseradish Chimichurri
Monday - #152 Baby and Big Bella Mushroom and Chicken Stew
Tuesday - #254 Italian Open-Faced Sandwiches (This is our busy night!)
Wednesday - #234 Big Beef and Garlic Italian Stir-Fry
Thursday - #285 Golden Raisin and Almond Chicken
Friday - #93 Citrus Lovers Menu: Rosemary-Orange Turkey and Lemon-Butter Broccolini (This recipe is supposed to be pork chops, but as a rule, I don't eat pork, so we substituted turkey breasts.)
Saturday - #204 Mini Turkey Sausage Meatballs with Gnocchi and Tomato Sauce

(We are participating in the Menu Plan Monday over atorgjunkie.com.)

Beef Goulash

Dear Readers,

          In the midst of cooking so many new meals, I am noticing a pattern to Rachael's cooking style. We have learned a few things on using fresh herbs, and I love it. However, we've noticed she has a tendency to eat a lot of pasta and grains in her dishes. I feel like I need a salad! So, we may break from the book a little (or make some changes) this next week as I'm in the midst of meal planning for it.

          Tonight's dinner was really delicious though. I love the way Rachael adds veggies to all of her dishes.

                                                                          ~Steph

P.S. Enjoy this one! We're sure you'll love it!

Mediterranean Chicken

Dear Readers,

          Tonight's dinner was a hit! The whole family loved it and rated it 5 stars. We had Mediterranean Chicken with Saffron Couscous. Since we haven't made couscous in a while, the family loved the change, and I was surprised how much my kids like couscous!

                                                                       ~Steph

School Time: If you don't know what couscous is, it is essentially crushed durum wheat, a dish originating in North Africa. And now for the visual...

The chicken was dusted in flour, sauteed, and then added to this savory mix of red onion, garlic, artichoke hearts, and Calamata olives. YUM!

And the finished plate...

As always, out of respect for Rachael, I do not post the recipe to our meals, unless there is a link online. However, we would love for you to pick up the book and follow along with us! You can purchase the Kindle version HERE.

Ricotta Pasta with Grape Tomatoes, Peas, and Basil

Dear Readers,

          This dish was probably not that nutritious, but de-elicious! Thanks, Rachael Ray! Had fun making it!
                                                                       ~ Sophia

Cacciatore Burgers

          These burgers turned out good. They're much like the turkey burgers I typically make. We omitted Rachael's suggested peppers in the recipe as I just cannot handle all the heat she likes. We threw some "special" chips in with the dinner, and Ta-Da! A little messy, but yummy. This one got a 4 star rating from our family.

Spicy Shrimp with Bok Choy Noodle Bowl

Dear Readers,

          I took my first bite, and... SPICY! I know that it is called "spicy shrimp" for a reason but, Wow! Not only that, but it wasn't the greatest dish either. I think, for all it's worth, two stars from me. Perhaps my LEAST favorite, too. Well, at least it became a noodle bowl. At first, I was afraid it wouldn't turn out so great, but by adding all the pasta, it became less soupy and more of a solid substance. I guess... no, no it wasn't that great and that's all there is to it.

                                                                           ~ Sophia

          Mom here! And all I can say is this dish turned out terribly! The shrimp was overcooked, the general taste of the dish was bland, and I am simply NOT a fan of this one. It definitely needed something... Nevertheless, we had to show you a picture of the final result. Looks pretty, doesn't it?! Moral of the story: Don't judge a dish by its looks.

Week 3 Menu Plan

We fell a little behind last week. Sometimes, the days seem shorter. The best part of what we're doing for me at this point is getting dinner on the table every night, enjoying family conversation, and a bigger sense of unity within our family. It's a wonderful feeling!

So, here's our Menu Plan for this week:

Sunday - We ended up having Fall Minestrone for dinner, since we were running behind...
Monday #73 - Spicy Shrimp and Bok Choy Noodle Bowl
Tuesday #116 - Cacciatore Burgers
Wednesday #192 - Ricotta Pasta with Grape Tomatoes, Peas, and Basil
Thursday #337 - Mediterranean Chicken
Friday #3 - Beef Goulash
Saturday #92 - London Broil with Parley-Horseradish Chimichurri

We'll have #179 Fried Greens with Ham and Eggs for breakfast on Saturday too!

(We are participating in the Menu Plan Monday over at orgjunkie.com.)

Fall Minestrone

Dear Readers,

          Sorry I haven't been writing. I decided I was going to write more. This recipe is SO good. Personally, my second new favorite! If you try this, it might be to your tastebud's delight! So, we decided that we would not use the cheese rind. And instead of kale, we used mustard greens. Be warned, Rachael Ray likes things spicy. Maybe you do too. But instead of a whole 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, we chose to do a little less. Delicious though. Yum-O!

                                                                        ~ Sophia

This Minestrone was so delicious! Perfect for a rainy weekend, and felt like home-cookin'. Oh, wait! It was home-cooked! I've made other minestrone soups, but this one was definitely my favorite. Our family can't stop talking about how yummy the Turkey Saltimbocca was, but this dish ranked pretty close.     ~ Steph

 

We found the exact recipe for this one online, so be sure to use it! Click HERE!

Mega Meatball Pizza and Zippy Italian Popcorn

We've had a fun weekend so far, even with all the rain... It was a perfect day to make Zippy Italian Popcorn, rent Cool Runnings on Amazon.com, and snuggle up with a bowl of popcorn. After all, the winter Olympics is coming up! What better way to get into the mood?!

Later on, Sophia and I decided to whip up the Mega Meatball Pizza for dinner. It was a 5 star hit all around!

Broccoli Frittata with Goat Cheese

Since we're running a little behind in our 365 days of cooking, I decided to make our recipe today for Brunch. So, I woke up, made the coffee, took a few sips, and got right to work in the kitchen. Sophia took the morning off as she "just wasn't in the mood to cook."

And after "slaving" in the kitchen for a full 30 minutes... chopping, whisking, crumbling ooey-gooey cheese, and hoping the end result would turn out amazing..... We had a big "Debbie Downer" moment. (Insert "wa-wa" here)

As my son took the first bite, his face expressed something to be desired, and he said, "Eww! Too lemony." Next were my daughters reactions... both with icky looks on their faces. And finally, I took a bite...

And personally, I liked it! The lemon is NOT too strong, and in fact, I thought it added a freshness to the dish. The goat cheese was delicious and creamy. And, as I've never made a frittata before, I thought I had burned the bottom, but it turned out to be delicious! All in all, this may not be a family favorite, but I am freezing the individual servings to eat for breakfasts this week. I have a big thing against wasting food.

Here is the end result. Instead of the BLT salad, I simply made some turkey bacon that our family loves.

Peasant Soup

Dear Readers,

          I can't believe we missed Peasant Soup! Well, we made it today and I liked it! Seriously, though, it was good. Yum, yum, and yum! It was my second favorite meal so far! As you might tell, this week's been rough. But we were able to catch up a little and not fall too far behind. If you are going to make this recipe, we used bacon instead of ham steak. 

                                                                  ~ Sophia

P.S. Please comment on what kind of pictures you like. Thanks!

Mom here! Rachael suggests swallowing down some Bordeaux with this soup, so I happily obliged! (Not Sophia, mind you! I'm not that kind of mom!)

Here is the finished delicious and simple dish...

Ah! The warmth of Oatmeal!

So, I know we've been showing you all the "Yumm-O" recipes we've been making with Rachael Ray's book, but I thought I'd show you some of our family's favorites for other meals of the day!

Here's a favorite breakfast of mine and the kids... We love us some good ole' fashioned oatmeal, but instead of the basic brown sugar, we like to use local honey, cinnamon, and crushed walnuts or pecans. Add some almond milk to make it nice and creamy and maybe a splash of vanilla extract, and you've just given it a little kick in the derriere' (dairy 'aire)!

Cinnamon Spice Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp honey
• dash of ground cinnamon
• walnuts or pecans
• almond milk to desired consistency

Directions:

Combine oats and water and cook. Try the easy version and microwave for about 2 minutes on high heat. Give it a quick stir, add honey and a dash of cinnamon. If you like your oatmeal creamy, add a little almond milk. Enjoy!

In the Fall months, we like to add a scoop of pumpkin, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a dash of pumpkin pie spice to our oatmeal. I love making simple, but dramatic changes to the norm!

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp or more pumpkin puree
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• dash of pumpkin pie spice
• almond milk to desired consistency

Directions:

Combine oats, water, and pumpkin puree and cook. We like to microwave ours for about 2 minutes on high heat. Give it a quick stir, add maple syrup and a dash of pumpkin spice. If you like your oatmeal creamy, add a little almond milk. Enjoy!

Pasta with Mushrooms, Spinach, Pumpkin, and Hazelnuts

Dear Readers,

          Sorry the week's been a little rusty, but we're catching up! We made some really good pumpkin pasta with.... let's see.... spinach, mushrooms, pumpkin, and hazelnuts. Yes, definitely, five stars all the way! I really enjoyed it, but then again I've enjoyed everything, haven't I?!
                                                              
                                                                            ~Sophia

         

Mushrooms cooking...

The finished plated dinner! It was delish! You definitely need to like pumpkin and spinach in order to enjoy this dish, but for me it was a winner all around. I loved it!

A slightly different angle... just in case you weren't already enticed to want to smell and taste your computer screen...

Turkey Tacos

Dinner is served! I love saying that phrase... I get that feeling of accomplishing the task of putting dinner on the table - and a delicious one at that! I love that my daughter is enjoying putting dinner together, serving others, and finding joy in the midst of it. What a precious thing this is to me!

 

Tonight's dinner was Turkey Tacos. This was a nice twist on our typical taco recipe. I was impressed with how much everyone enjoyed it! We served it up "Taco Night" style a la carte. Below is the finished product!

I loved the addition of the green olives and pepper jack cheese. And although the recipe called for salsa verde, I completely forgot to pick some up...

Tangy Cherry Chicken

Dear Readers,

          Tangy Cherry Chicken! It was okay, I guess. I mean, it was cooked perfectly, but... I just didn't like it. My mom loved it though, and you might, too. The rest of my family thought it was okay, as well. (By the rest of my family, I mean kids. Dad was at work.) This dish is probably delicious. And it was really fun to make!

                                                                      ~ Sophia

Mom's Review: A possible better name for this dish would be Thyme Chicken with a Cherry Chutney. The topping for this is most definitely a chutney, and a good one too! But, if you don't like chutney (like most of my family doesn't), then you may not care for this dish... Just sayin'...

I think it turned out delicious and beautiful! This would get a 5 star rating from me, but I can't speak for the rest of my family.

 

You can find this recipe along with all the other yummy meals we are posting on this blog in the Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats cookbook at Amazon.com.

Zucchini Pizza

Dear Readers,

          I'm keeping with my daughter's format, though I actually put this one together on my own. We made this for a lazy Saturday lunch and it was simple and fun. The turnout was delicious! Though some of my family, Italian as they are, decided it needed sauce to go with it.

 

Find it in Rachael Ray's book, "365 Days: No Repeats." We are loving her recipes and I found this one to be just as delicious as any other pizza I've had!

                                                                         ~Steph

Week 2 Menu Plan

Overall, I think that week 1 was a success. Even if we didn't do things exactly that way Rachael would've, we sure had fun cooking and making a mess of pans for my dear husband to clean up. Oh, the unsung heroes!



Here is what is on the Menu Plan for this week:
(This is for anyone who might be following along or looking forward to trying a recipe or two...)

Sunday: #284 - For Neil Diamond: Tangy Cherry Chicken
Monday: #309 - Turkey Tacos
Tuesday: #118 - Peasant Soup
Wednesday: #28 - Pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms, Pumpkin, and Hazelnuts
Thursday: #212 - Broccoli Frittata with Goat Cheese and BLT Bread Salad
Friday: #8 - Mega Meatball Pizza and Zippy Italian Popcorn (for Family Movie Night!)
Saturday: #202 - Fall Minestrone

With a cold snap coming our way this coming week, I'm excited to put a couple of soup recipes on the menu! I love the warmth of a soup.