Foodie Friday

So after posting a picture of frozen potatoes a while back, my friend Nick sent me a message giving me hell for not knowing how to make my own mashed potatoes. (Nick is in culinary school therefore he not only knows how to make potatoes but also can make duck or some nasty stuff like that haha!) I vowed to at least TRY to make some basic stuff each week and to stop eating so much out of a box. This week we tried LOTS of things that were new. On Sunday night Brent and I made two meals for the week. Then I made a few other random things about mid week. Overall, very gourmet.

Next week I will remember to take pictures!

Reviews:

Sunday
On Sunday we ate Chicken Marsala. I usually make the Macaroni Grill version out of a box but thought I would be slightly more adventurous and try to make my own. I found a recipe off Recipe Zaar: http://www.recipezaar.com/Chicken-Marsala-74214.

Ours was tasty but really creamy which was different than the pictures looked. Not sure if I like this one or the box better. It grades out at C+/B-

We also made garlic mashed potatoes (recipe: http://www.recipezaar.com/Mashed-Red-Potatoes-With-Garlic-And-Parmesan-34382) to go with both Sunday and Monday's meals. They were standard, so they get a solid B+.

Not my picture but they looked exactly like this:


Monday
Monday we ate Quick Beef Bourguignonne. I have no idea how to even pronounce the last word but it was pretty good. We couldn't find some of the ingredients and for some reason sauces up here do not reduce like they are supposed to. With both the Marsala and this bourguignonne thing, the sauces are soupy instead of thick. Our bourguignonne looked more like a stew (without mushy veggies thank goodness!) but was tasty over potatoes. I give it a B to a B- but I bet Brent would give it higher.

Pic from RealSimple.com (http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/quick-beef-bourguignonne-10000001699374/) because clearly, mine did not look as professional.


Tuesday
Tuesday I made the Lust List then couldn't stand it any longer. I was in dire need of some Creamy Jalapeno dip. I scowered the Internet (reference the nothing to do at work mention in last post) and found this recipe: http://www.recipezaar.com/Chuys-Creamy-Jalapeno-Dip-182136

It was REALLY close to Chuy's and so delicious that I think I had this for dinner. Brent ate leftovers from the days before. The dip was definitely party worthy but you have to like spicy! I give it a B+ since it wasn't coupled with cheesy enchiladas goodness.

Wednesday
Again we still had leftovers so I just made something I thought sounded tasty. I made Spinach and Artichoke dip. (You can tell my favorite food category is DIPS!) http://www.recipezaar.com/Spinach-Artichoke-Dip-1209 We gave this an A!



Thursday
I know right!! You are all SUPER surprised that I am still writing this post. This is A LOT of home cooking for one week! I might deserve an apron and pearls on Saturday! Just kidding- a critical part of all of this cooking is Brent helping chop, clean, stir, etc.

Yesterday we had Mrs. Miller's Pasta Salad recipe. Brent said it was his favorite thing I had made so far. I attribute this to Brent's love affair with Tony's Cajun Seasoning, one of its main ingredients. I like it because it makes A TON which means no PB&J for lunch! No picture but delicious none the less. Brent would give it an A+ and I give it a solid A!

Can't guarantee next week will have NEAR as much home cooking but I will try to keep up Foodie Friday!

P.s. If you are making any of the recipes, I used "light" or "no fat" for almost all of the dairy products. They still turn out delicious.