101 in 1001: Goal 72 (Part 2)

Goal 72: Try a new recipe 1x/week for 8 weeks

April 16, 2011: Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Capers, and Artichoke Hearts: Highly Recommend

 

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Brent requested Chicken Piccata for dinner, and since I had never made it before, I went looking for a recipe.  This Chicken Piccata recipe from Food Network sounded good and looked quick & easy to make, plus I have a hard time passing up any recipe with artichokes.  I made the recipe exactly as written except for 2 minor changes.  I used the thinly sliced chicken breasts instead of trying to pound regular breasts, and I served my chicken piccata over angel hair pasta instead of the brown rice & lima beans.  It was delicious!  However, next time I'll cut the amount of fresh lemon juice in half (from 2 lemons to 1), because it was just a tad too tart.  Not so tart that we didn't enjoy it, though.  This dish came together so easily that it is very doable for a weekday dinner, and will definitely be added to our regular rotation.  Because I knew Will would balk at the capers, I pulled 2 breasts out of the pan for the boys before adding the artichokes and capers.  I served them the chicken with a side of buttered pasta.  We all loved it and everyone had clean plates.  An A+ recipe in my cookbook!


May 22, 2011: Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin: Highly Recommend

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I stumbled across this recipe on several blogs, and since I already had the Montreal Steak Seasoning and a half a package of bacon I needed to use, I thought I would give it a try.  It could not have been easier!  I trimmed the silver skin off the tenderloin, then liberally sprinkled the steak seasoning all over and patted it in with my hands.  Half a package of bacon covered the tenderloin perfectly.  I baked the tenderloin for 25 minutes, but next time I would bake a little longer (maybe 28).  Then I broiled it for 5 minutes, but next time I'll broil it for 3 minutes on each side.  The tenderloin smelled so good coming out of the oven!  All of us enjoyed the tenderloin, and there is enough left to have for dinner another night this week.  Yay!  I love those kind of recipes.  This recipe is very quick and easy to prepare, so easy that it will become one of our regular weeknight dinner recipes.  Give it a try.


July 20, 2011: Peach Enchiladas: Highly Recommend

sorry for the poor picture quality! 

One of the highlights of the July issue of Southern Living was all of the recipes using fresh peaches.  The Peach Enchiladas recipe sounded really good and quick enough to do for a weeknight dessert.   I halved the recipe because we didn't need 16 servings.  The peach enchiladas were delicious!  Everyone loved them... on a scale of 1 to 10, Jack gave the enchiladas a 20!  It really is a great summertime dessert.  Next time, I will add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and they will be perfect!


August 18, 2011: Jambalaya Stuffed Chicken: Highly Recommend

I recently joined E-mealz, an online weekly menu planner.  You pay $5.00/month to get weekly meal plans and shopping lists.  The best part is that they base your meal plans on what is on sale that week!  I usually use about 4-5 of the meal ideas each week and then add in 2-3 of our family's favorite meals to complete the weekly menu.  One of the dinners was Jambalaya Stuffed Chicken, and with Brent's Louisiana roots this one caught my attention. 

Jambalaya Stuffed Chicken

• 8-12 strips bacon
• 1 c finely chopped onion
• 1 rib celery, chopped fine
• 1 1/2 c dry stuffing mix
• 1/2 t Cajun seasonings
• 1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breasts, halved and pounded thin
• toothpicks

In a skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat, turning often, until half-cooked/limp.  Drain on paper towel.  Drain out 1/2 the grease.  Add onion and celery to skillet and saute 3 minutes at medium heat.  Stir in stuffing mix, Cajun seasonings, and toss.

On a work surface, lay out each piece of chicken over 2 slices of bacon placed side by side.  Top chicken with a mound of stuffing mix and roll up to wrap in bacon.  Secure with toothpicks.  Place in casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until done.

This recipe is a good addition to the weeknight dinner rotation, so quick and easy.  And the bonus is that everyone at my table ate it, even Will after I scraped the stuffing off of his chicken--crazy kid!  Add a green side and you have a meal.


Well, I'm not sure if this is a successful completion of the goal or not.  I was supposed to try 1 new recipe a week for 8 weeks, and considering I started this in February, I clearly fell short of the time requirement.  Actually, I can't remember why I set up the 8 week time frame.  Knowing how I am, I should have set the goal up as "try a new recipe every month for a year".  That would have been more realistic.  Oh Well.  I did find some delicious new recipes that my family loves and have now become family favorites, so at least that part was a success!

Goal 72: Try a new recipe 1x/week for 8 weeks: COMPLETE