Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken

Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken

We rated this dinner as "very good."  This was not really a hot entree, not really a cold salad either. It was more like a pasta salad at room temperature.   The combination of cucumber and red pepper remind me of summer.  I think this would be a great salad to serve on a hot summer day.  

Thai-Style Red Curry with Beef and Eggplant

Thai-Style Red Curry with Beef and Eggplant

Our experience with Thai food is very limited.  As far as we can remember, we have only eaten Thai carry-out once before. But we really liked this entree.  In fact, we rated this entree as excellent.  Please note, I did substitute dried basil for fresh basil.  This recipe called for 1/2 of an eggplant.  There was plenty of sauce, next time, I would use the whole eggplant and maybe skip the beef.  I guess the name would need to be changed to Thai-Style Red Curry with Eggplant. 

Steak Fajita

Steak Fajitas

Easy,  tasty, and fast Steak Fajitas

"Very Good" was the rating for this Sunday dinner.  Listed as a fast recipe in The Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook,  the total cooking time for the Steak Fajitas was less than 20 minutes. I used both red and green peppers to add color.  I also added a few tomatoes to the pepper mixture.   I served the fajitas with rice, chips and Quick Tomato Salsa (The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook, page 11).  The beef was tough - not the fault of the recipe - but I think I would try a lime juice marinade to make the steak a bit more tender next time.  Chicken thighs or ground beef would also work in the recipe.

Thai Chicken with Basil

Thai Chicken with Basil

Rate "very good" by the food critics in Huntley.  This recipe was also rated as a "light" entree.  Each generous portion has only 240 calories.  I will add a little chicken broth next time I make this chicken dish for dinner.  We both felt that the dish needed a little more sauce - especially when we added the rice a suggested in the "Why This Recipe Works" section.  Overall, a "very good" alternative to take out.  

Skillet Penne with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Gorgonzola

Skillet Penne with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Gorgonzola

We rated this easy Friday night dinner as very good.  I did replace the penne with a gluten-free pasta.  I used a Ronzoni Gluten Free Rotini in the dish.  According to the package label, white rice flour, brown rice flout, corn flour and quinoa are combined in this pasta.  Really pretty tasty for a gluten free pasta. A word warning, be sure adjust your cooking time if you use a different type of pasta. The gluten-free pasta cooked just 8 minutes. We also found that letting this dish set for a few minutes enhanced the flavors.  

Pan-Seared Salmon with Braised Lentils and Swiss Chard

Pan-Seared Salmon with Braised Lentils and Swiss Chard

"Pretty good," Rick said.  I would translate this is a very good rating.  I did bake the fish in the oven instead of frying it.  I know I compromised some of the visual appeal of this recipe, but the I know baking frozen fish is fast and results in an evenly cooked piece of fish.  The lentils and the Swiss Chard were delicious.  I think this would be a great side to serve with pork in the future.

Spa Chicken

Spa Chicken

Not our favorite dish.  We rated this entree on a good - maybe even a needs improvement.  Be sure to take a minute a read the WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS section of this recipe,  "Do not let the poaching liquid boil." I think I would like to try the two variations of this recipe included in the cookbook.  The Spa Chicken with Apricot-Orange Chipotle Sauce will probably be my first - retry choice. Note - the pea pods were served as a side dish.

Chicken and Orzo with Spinach and Feta

Cooking for Two http://mealstodance.blogspot.com/

Chicken and Orzo with Spinach and Feta

Rated very good by both of us - this was an easy Thursday night dinner.  But I have to admit I had to make several substitutions in this recipe.  First, I used rice because orzo is a wheat based pasta.  I used regular white grain rice but I am sure that brown rice or risotto would also work in this recipe.  I also had to substitute fish for the chicken.  I used the same spice mixture, garlic.oregano, and red pepper flakes.  And I did follow the recipe and  added spinach, feta cheese and the lemon to finish. There was a lot of food.  More than enough for dinner and leftovers for  lunch tomorrow.  

Beef and Barley Soup

Beef and Barley Soup

Well really Beef and Rice Soup... barley has gluten.  I did not use the beef blade steak called for in the recipe.  I just used ground beef.  Sorry, it's what I had in the fridge that needed to be used.  I followed the recipe for the rest of the ingredients.  This made a very thick soup.  That may be because I made the soup on Friday and served it for Saturday lunch.  I added another cup of chicken broth on Saturday before I reheated the soup and as you can see - it was still very thick.  Rated very good.