Ummm... gross.

Last night I attempted to make Creamy Rice with Roasted Shrimp. Things did not go so well.

Please note that is not creamy rice. I followed the instructions and had the correct type of rice but I must have done something horribly wrong. The rice looked ok but when I tasted it... not so ok. It was a pile of mushy, sticky goo. Compton and I took one bite and started looking for a new side item. Enter the parmesan pasta. The shrimp, tomato, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and olive oil mixture was quite tasty though.

Compton and I both give the shrimp and tomato mixture 4 stars. We both agree that the tomatoes were a bit over done but the flavoring was great.

Side note: I also made the Chicken Posole but it was so disgusting I didn't even take a picture. I apparently hate hominy.

I was so over cooking that tonight we just had a frozen pizza and a side salad. I think I'll try to do a couple of the recipes a week and go with the flow the rest of the days. This was actually Compton's suggestion so I could give myself a break every now and then. I think it was more like he wanted a break from my random concoctions! ;-)

Happy 18 month Anniversary!

I'm veering away from the Real Simple challenge to bring you yet another tasty recipe... this time from Publix.

Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce and Angel Hair FrescaI've made this a couple of times and Compton and I both love it so I decided not to chance it with a new recipe when we are celebrating. It really is a wonderful recipe and definitely worth sharing.

I switched out the tomato pesto for basil pesto and added a few shrimp into the mix but other than that the recipe is the same. We like to add a salad to it as well. I hope you all enjoy!

Rachel gives it 5 stars.
Compton gives it 5 stars.

5 star fabulous!

I know it's been a while since I've made something but I wasn't in the mood but I'm back on track. Sunday night I made a... Goat Cheese Omelet and Arugula Salad.

Compton and I both really enjoyed this. Compton was looking for seconds so I'll definitely have to make extra next time and next time may be as early as next week! :-) We made this for dinner but I think it would be an excellent brunch dish as well... especially if you were entertaining for 4.

I was worried about this dish since I've only made one successful omelet in my life. It turns out that I was making them all wrong. The recipe explains how to make one and it came out famously. This was also one of the simplest recipes. I would suggest mixing up the dressing for the arugula and then chopping up the scallions and then working on the omelet. Overall, I found this to be quick, easy, inexpensive and incredibly tasty.

Rachel gives it 5 stars.

Compton gives it 5 stars.

We both recommend it highly!

Potatoes and Pasta?

I honestly thought this would be weird and wrong but Spaghetti with Sweet Potatoes was quite tasty!

So this took more prep time than I had anticipated. If I could do it over again I'd put the pasta in after I had diced the potatoes and sliced the shallots. The grocery store also didn't have ricotta so I added feta cheese to Compton's (as shown) and goat cheese to mine. I also think I may have over cooked the potatoes slightly. When I do it again I would not cook it 10 minutes covered and then 3-5 more minutes. I'd probably just go with 7 minutes covered and then add the shallots and rosemary and go for 3 more uncovered.

Rachel gives it 4 stars. I really enjoyed the flavor of the potatoes and shallots. I would make this as possibly a side dish to a meal again. I liked it mixed in with the pasta but thought the dish was too dry... some type of sauce would have been nice with it. I'm clueless as to what might have gone well with it. Any suggestions?

Compton gives it 4 stars. He liked the way the way the cheeses worked together as well as the combination of the potatoes and the pasta. He thinks that thinner pasta (maybe angel hair?) would have been better.

Starting week 2 tomorrow and already making a big substitution but the recipe included pork and well, I just can't do that. Though I should mention that Compton pointed out to me that I not only like bacon but also pepperoni and ham. Duly noted.

Pork?

I don't know why, but I forget that I don't like pork (except bacon) and try to cook it about once a year. Today was that day. The recipe was for Roasted Pork with Brussel Sprouts and Apricots.

I completely forgot to get apricots at the grocery store and I don't like almonds so I just left both of those out and mixed in some onions with the brussel sprouts. I love brussel sprouts but I had never made them this way. I liked them and the onions. I will not make the pork (or pork at all) again. The pungent smell when it came out of the oven almost made me scrap the whole recipe. I stuck with it though. It tasted fine.

Rachel gives it 2.5 stars. I was the only one that ate this. Compton had lunch with his uncle so I whipped this up for my lunch in the hopes of catching us up. I was volunteering on Thursday and we went to the Greek Festival on Friday. I recommend the meatballs!

Tomorrow I'll be making Spaghetti with Sweet Potatoes.

More sweet than spicy

Despite the title for this recipe... it was pretty sweet.

Spicy Orange-Glazed Drumsticks with Green BeansThe recipe was easy to make - bake, marinade, bake some more. I think I should have put a bit more spice in with the 1/4 cup marmalade. The chicken was tasty but was not spicy. It was quite sweet. Compton doesn't eat chicken (or green beans) so I made him some sauteed shrimp using the same marmalade and spice mixture.

Rachel gives it 4 stars. I would definitely add more spice and I'm not a huge fan of chicken legs so I would probably try it on boneless chicken breasts. The green beans were just green beans and of course I loved the roll. I'm a fan of any bread.

Compton gives it 4.5 stars. He thought the shrimp was well cooked and had an interesting taste. "It could have done with a little more spice."

We both preferred the orange glaze to the flavor yesterday. We felt the sauce/marinade on the beef and bok choy overpowered the dish. It was strong and while the beef could "hold it's own" against it... the bok choy flavor was lost. Tonight's glaze was not overpowering but definitely added flavor to the chicken and shrimp. We would definitely make this again.

There will not be a recipe for tomorrow. I'm volunteering at the Move 'Em to Main Block Party to benefit the Nickelodeon. Come check it out!

Bok Choy or Bust

Tonight's dinner was Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry.
I didn't have any substitutions tonight. The grocery store didn't have flank steak so I bought some thinly sliced steak. I don't think this made much of a difference. I felt more confident cooking this meal and it did seem easier for me tonight. The sauce was simple and smelled phenomenal. I think I may have overcooked the beef and bok choy a bit.

Rachel gives it 3.5 stars. I would definitely make the beef again. I'm not a big rice fan so it was a bit of "filler" for me. The sauce was very good but a bit strong. I enjoyed the flavor but I feel like it overpowered the bok choy.

Compton gives it 3.5 stars. He was not a fan of the bok choy but enjoyed the flavor and texture of the beef.

Tomorrow we see if my quest to find the orange marmalade in the grocery store will pay off.

Julie and Julia, meet Rachel and Real Simple

I've started to audibly groan when meeting the question "What do you want to do for dinner?" I do not know. What haven't we already eaten a hundred times? I'm not too excited about any food lately. I feel we are perhaps stuck in a food rut.

Enter the October issue of Real Simple that boasts from the cover: "A Month of Easy Dinners".

I read the issue on Saturday and I thought "yeah right... 'easy'." Looking closer, I realized they are actually easy. There are not a million ingredients, it doesn't take long to prepare and they actually seem simple... and healthy. I started getting excited about trying new things and testing my culinary skills. I'm not planning on auditioning for Top Chef anytime soon, but I have been learning quite a bit lately so I thought this might be a nice challenge. I got so inspired that I went to the movie theater that same afternoon and watched Julie and Julia. Even more inspiration! I started making lists and thought about cleaning out the fridge (which I didn't technically do until after work and grocery shopping today) and cleaning all the dishes (which Compton actually did - thanks babe!) to prepare for my experiment. I even went out and bought 2 simple white plates and bowls to showcase the creations.

Shopping took longer than I had hoped but it's only because I'm a bit unfamiliar with some of the ingredients. I was pleased though that almost everything I bought came from the "outside" of the market. Outside being the bakery, seafood, meat, produce and dairy sections. This is supposed to be the healthy part of the grocery store and I agree with that. I also realized while shopping that over the next 4 weeks I will be building a well stocked pantry of spices and seasonings that I may not have encountered otherwise.

At any rate... I present you with the first recipe:Tilapia With Peppers and Olives Recipe
(Only Compton and I hate olives so we substituted asparagus.) Check it out: Rachel gives it: 3 stars - I found the sweetness of the red pepper surprising. I thought it would have been hot and I was hesitant to eat it, but I enjoyed it. I could eat sauteed onions any day of the week. I like how "clean" the tilapia tasted but there was no wow factor on the flavor scale.

Compton gives it: 3.5 stars - He thought the searing and the texture of the tilapia was good but thinks the flavor could have been more "lively". I completely agree.

Tomorrow we tackle the bok choy.